Daily Times

Since 2012, over 1500 people have died in mass shooting incidents across the USA. This number is disturbing because these people are not killed by banned foreign funded killers but by Americans living American life. Many of these people had a fairly comfortable life by American standards. Whereas many are linking mass shootings to poor gun control, it is interesting to note the absolute absence of the gun control in societies like Pakistan.

Quite often we see people openly brandishing weapons, however not many public mass shooting incidents by individuals or lone wolfs are reported in Pakistan. Naturally one wonders what it is about American culture that produces more mass shooters than much poorer societies.

Research has shown that many of these lone wolves are loners, without a familial support system. American society boasts about children living by themselves and leaving their parents once they are eighteen. Whereas it has many merits, it is also leaves many parents and children feeling lonely and isolated.

These offenders seek fame through murder. They know that after a mass shooting, the ensuing media circus will broadcast their names in every American home

It is interesting to note that most of the America’s public mass shooters attack schools, warehouses, factories and offices (as opposed to other countries where mass shooters normally target minorities and military installations).

Statistics have shown that until 2012, the United States had sixty two percent of all offenders shooting people in these specific settings. When understanding why the United States produces so public mass shooters, we need to look at the kind of stress American society places on it’s members.

According to the popular strain theory, “crime and deviance occur when individuals who strive to meet culturally defined goals lack the legitimate means to do so.” This gap is very large in the United States, where people have aspirations that seems to be limitless. American lifestyle prioritises economic success over other forms of healthier growth.

A large number of American high school students expect to have a well paying job that takes them around the globe by their mid-twenties. Many of them also want to be famous, since fame is well regarded in America.

College students have similar hopes, which often clash with reality. These very high aspirations set the young and middle aged Americans up to fail. In order to achieve their high aspirations and stay above the competition, the American men resort to working very hard, without allowing themselves to deviate from their work for too long. Though this tenacity leads to great accomplishments, it also leads them to significant frustrations, disappointments, and anger and results in a variety of mental illnesses.

The American Dream is all about extrinsic goals and those who aspire to these types of goals often live an unfulfilling life which instigates some of them to become mass shooters. In the minds of these shooters, they have failed to achieve their goals because they have been wronged by society. These offenders seek fame through murder. They know that after a mass shooting, the ensuing media circus will broadcast their names in every American home.

What is disturbing is the exposure of the Pakistani students and workers to the same pseudo-standards and social aspirations. Television dramas and commercials show a life that common Pakistani men cannot afford to live because of many issues ranging from cultural restrictions to economic problems. The media and parents can play a big role in ensuring that our youth will never be pushed to seek notoriety through mass shootings.

The writer is Assistant Professor. He can be reached at m.khalid.shaikh@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, October 5^th 2017.