Can I just say something about mental health?

[auntpurl]

12. This is why language is important.

We use words like "nuts", "insane", etc to describe someone who does this, and we mean it in a colloquial way. As in "That is just crazy." It's not meant in a clinical way. But it still drives people to make the unconscious connection between mental illness and violent crime. I wish there were other words to use for, as you describe, people who are "delusional" (that is ALSO not a clinically correct term in this context) about gay people or women or minorities because of extremist religion or bigotry. But the words we're using now hurt people. I don't have an answer. I used the word "shithead" to describe the shooter earlier today. It's not as satisfying and doesn't feel as true as "lunatic" would have, but I feel I have a responsibility to try to find language that isn't stigmatising to a group that, statistically speaking, is LESS likely to have been involved in this horrific event.