Why the shootings seem to catalyze more of the same

[Howzit]

Part of the problem is making the perpetrators famous. Standard reporting gives them the power they seek:

Video at http://www.wimp.com/serialkiller/

[whoneedstickets]

1. This is the 'broken windows' theory articulated in "The Tipping Point"

the idea being that allowing ones property to fall into disrepair becomes more acceptable as we notice that other have but if you're the only one with a broken window you'll want to fix it to meet community norms. Gladwell then notes that suicide seems to follow the same pattern: if no one does it, no one will. If someone prominent does them the taboo is lifted. I suspect these shooting follow the same pattern of permissive frequency. How do we stop it?

[rfranklin]

2. Say that they had a heart attack....

It worked for Ken Lay.

[aikoaiko]

3. If I recall one study not only found that suicide went up when suicides were reporte upon,

but deaths in car crashes went up too -- arguably hidden suicides.

And single car crashes followed suicides, and multiple occupant car crash deaths followed murder suicides.

All correlational data, but the time series was compelling.