Half-Assed Media Speculation About the Batman Shooter

Half-Assed Media Speculation About the Batman Shooter

Matt Welch |

Undeterred by how wrong they got the Columbine shootings 13 years ago, or how disgustingly politicized they turned Jared Loughner's 2011 rampage, the humans who work for and talk with journalistic outlets are again rushing to speculative judgment about Jim Holmes, the suspected Batman murderer in Aurora, Colorado. Some examples:

* ABC News reporter Brian Ross points a tentative finger at the Tea Party:

"There's a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea Party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year....Now, we don't know if this is the same Jim Holmes. But it's Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado."

(Stat-nerd Nate Silver cautions: "Per my math, there are ~25 people named James Holmes in Denver metro. So careful unless you have info specifically IDing alleged shooter.")
* Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) blames the opponents of Judeo-Christian theology:

During a radio interview on The Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live!" show, Gohmert was asked why he believes such senseless acts of violence take place. Gohmert responded by talking about the weakening of Christian values in the country.
"Some of us happen to believe that when our founders talked about guarding our virtue and freedom, that that was important," he said. "Whether it's John Adams saying our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people ... Ben Franklin, only a virtuous people are capable of freedom, as nations become corrupt and vicious they have more need of masters. We have been at war with the very pillars, the very foundation of this country."
"You know what really gets me, as a Christian, is to see the ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs, and then some senseless crazy act of a derelict takes place."

* Northeastern University criminologist Jack Levin makes a clinical diagnosis and blames bullying:

Levin theorized the gunman was "chronically depressed," likely having suffered some type of recent loss — perhaps a job or a relationship — and had become isolated. [...]
"We don't know enough about him to be sure, but my guess is he's kind of like a bullied youngster who feels humiliated and ignored and decides he can be important by taking many lives, so he becomes a big-shot celebrity," Levin said.

* Ex-FBI profiler Clint Van Zandt on MSNBC says Holmes could be a "dark, Trekkie-like person." UPDATE: Watch the video!
Will update as (unfortunately) necessary.
UPDATE 1: On CNN, profiler Pat Brown blames violent video games. UPDATE: Watch the video!

teenage psychopaths get inspired by [video games] and want to make it real.

UPDATE 2: The Daily Mail suspects Occupy Wall Street:
one private investigator has said that Holmes may have been part of Occupy Wall Street's most violent faction Occupy Black Bloc.
Bill Warner told how the Batman movie portrays the OWS crowd in a negative vein, leading him to believe that may have been a cause behind gunman's rage