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12. My father is a retired district attorney

Thu Jun 18, 2015, 06:44 PM

Jun 2015

At one time, he prosecuted a white guy who shot took a walk down the street and randomly shot several African Americans. I believe one was killed, or maybe none, it was a very long time ago and I don't remember all the details. You probably never heard of the incident, it was before the internet, social media, and the 24 hour news cycle. If it happened today, it would be worldwide news for a few days. My dad secured a murder conviction that was overturned on appeal, and in the second trial he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The guy is a diagnosed schizophrenic, and he heard voices. The voices told him to kill black people. They could just as easily have told him to kill everyone he saw wearing a green shirt.

The shooter currently resides in a locked down psych facility, where he will probably remain for the rest of his life. When he's on meds, he's functional and nonviolent, but he can't be trusted to stay on them without supervision. How do you categorize a guy like that? Racist? Mentally ill? Both? Something else?

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Here we go with the mental illness bullshit [View all] bigdarryl Jun 2015 OP

To be fair, he is mentally ill in that as a white, privileged American, he, like many randys1 Jun 2015 #1

Racism is a mental illness. Kalidurga Jun 2015 #3

THen big problem with Reagan closing all the mental facilities, given we have at least randys1 Jun 2015 #4

30 million sounds about right. Kalidurga Jun 2015 #8

At least name a symptom recognized by the APA that is linked to racism. HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #19

Voting Republican. SwankyXomb Jun 2015 #27

Forgive me, but that's really irrational bordering to the point of tauntingly, purposefully HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #32

I call upon you to provide the name of the mental disorder HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #18

Pathological Bias Kalidurga Jun 2015 #35

As you say not in the DSM which is to say just plain CRAP. HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #37

No pedophiles don't get away with that, rapist don't get away with that, most murderers... Kalidurga Jun 2015 #38

NAME THE DISORDER. You made the claim. Now fit it to a nosology HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #39

There are 200 classified mental illnesses Kalidurga Jun 2015 #40

And thereby you avoid the accepted nosology. What makes your view exceptional and correct? HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #41

I am sorry I am ahead of the curve. Kalidurga Jun 2015 #42

The DSM I wasn't the standard in 2005, or 1995 or 1985 or 1975 HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #44

Yes, I have met a stable racist. You seem to be defining "mental illness" quite broadly uppityperson Jun 2015 #26

Holy shit! All our candidates are mentally ill? NT hughee99 Jul 2015 #45

Saw it too mcar Jun 2015 #2

Killing people for their race, is not is not a sign of sanity. immoderate Jun 2015 #5

End of story, I agree . And while Democracy is hanging in the balance, MSM orpupilofnature57 Jun 2015 #6

Well adjusted people don't join white supremacy groups Warpy Jun 2015 #7

...or kill people leftstreet Jun 2015 #9

ignorant ones do, the German population wasn't given Zantax after industrialized murder ... uponit7771 Jun 2015 #10

Zantac? Ulcers? Warpy Jun 2015 #11

Yes ulcer medicine when we're talking about mental illness cause I couldn't mean anything uponit7771 Jun 2015 #13

I agree. Plus, I think "mental illness" is too broad a term. Gregorian Jun 2015 #15

My father is a retired district attorney Ex Lurker Jun 2015 #12

He probably IS mentally ill. Doesn't stop him from being a terrorist and bigot. Lizzie Poppet Jun 2015 #14

Lizzie: that is correct... PCIntern Jun 2015 #16

"Fucked up" is not in the DSM-5th Edition and is not an excuse. NightWatcher Jun 2015 #17

He is definitely at the age where schizophrenia often begins to manifest itself. hifiguy Jun 2015 #20

He's at the age where MANY mental disorders are near their peak incidence rates. HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #21

That was my point, though I didn't set it forth clearly. hifiguy Jun 2015 #22

I haven't read any accounts that suggest he's schizophrenic...I may have missed them HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #23

I simply think it is premature to say that the punk hifiguy Jun 2015 #24

IMO agnosticism is appropriate at this time HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #25

Yup. Let the headshrinkers have a go at him hifiguy Jun 2015 #28

I simply think it is premature to say that the punk was "definitely" mentally ill, as some on this uppityperson Jun 2015 #29

No unlicensed person who hasn't interviewed the person and reviewed records HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #33

I agree. I have changed over the last couple years, fwiw uppityperson Jun 2015 #34

Yes, and it generates discrimination against the mentally ill. Did you know that unemployment HereSince1628 Jun 2015 #36

Agree AuntPatsy Jun 2015 #30

It really irritates me that people automatically claim racist murderers Jamastiene Jun 2015 #31

Yep! nt valerief Jun 2015 #43