The news both local and international, were shocked by another mass shooting incident, what made the news even more gruesome was that the killing was the underlying story behind the young boy who mercilessly shot innocent people. Mass shooting is a triggering problem in the US; headlines regarding seemingly normal people suddenly turn violent and engage himself in a shooting spree. An article by Katharine Ramsland, Elliot Rodger and the problem with manhood, provides a deeper analysis of the tragic life and end to the life of Elliot Rodger.
Rodger’s explained his life in a 140 page autobiography journal that details not only his plans of killing but his frustrations. Based on the content of the journal Rodger appear to be socially awkward, depressed and lonely due to the numerous rejections he received throughout his life. The author provided both a strong psychological and sociological explanation into the possible reason behind the killings. The concept of Angry Masculinity, in the author’s opinion, is sociological implication of the building frustrations of Rodger.
What is good about the article is that it provides a deeper point of view of the tragic event. It provided a good explanation to the motivation of Rodger into killing mercilessly. Both the article and the story of Rodger highlight the complexity of the human mind. No one can entirely predict the predisposition of a person towards evil. Although in Rodger’s case he lived a life full of frustrations and anger due to numerous rejections he received from girls. He mentioned in his ‘chilling’ video; it will not end that way if the girls only have him a chance. The number of rejections he gained in life contributed to his destructive tendencies that affected his ego. The article provides a detailed and triggering glimpse into the mind of a disturbed individual. It is understandable that the author was able to provide a deeper analysis of the case due to her background of criminal justice and mass murderers. It is good that the readers are given more background into what triggered a young boy to turn into a mass murderer.
Overall, the article provides a detailed yet haunting image of a criminal’s mind. But the article has yet to provide a concrete answer into the breaking point of Elliot Rodger. His story is triggering since he provided people with two points of view of his life. The first point of new is the merciless killer who ended the life of other people without remorse. A killer who planned out the killing and in the end took his own life. The second one, a boy who is a victim of rejection and lack of understanding from the people he moves around every day. It is difficult to see into the future inclination of a person towards evil. Rodger is not the only case of someone who appears harmless, but capable of such a heinous crime. The article, instead of focusing on the present case of the killing, provided a retrospective perspective into the life of Rodger. The people who will read the article will realize that he was capable of doing such a crime because of the angers he built up and the unvented frustrations he kept all his life. The article provided two-face to the story of Rodger, that maybe if he grew up differently and treated in a different manner his life story would not have ended in a tragic and horrific manner. It shows how significant the environment is in molding the deadly thoughts in person’s mind through everyday interaction with other people.
