Stories About Mass Murder and Mental Health
America has seen another\xa0mass murder, this time at a Synagogue in Pittsburgh to be added to those in\xa0schools, houses of worship or where people congregate for relaxation.\xa0The explantion for these events\xa0suggests that the gunman is a deranged, mentally ill and isolated figure and the solution to the problem is for citizens to arm themselves and for society to provide more mental health services. I suggest that\xa0the mental illness\xa0theory hides and denies the political motivation for these behaviors and prevents us from finding real solutions for them.\xa0In order to survive and thrive human beings formed tribes whose structures were almost always hierarchical and authoritarian and\xa0\xa0their politics guided and justified by demanding belief\xa0in\xa0supernatural deities superior to human beings. The rise of universal literacy, scientific inquiry, and ecnonmic expansion led to the emrgence of secular democracies. Mass murderers are motivated by authoritarian tribalism and defeated by those holding to democratic ideals. Calling them mentally ill implying\xa0inferiority only furthers the aims of authoritarian politics.