(HOW DO CIVILIZED SOCITIES AND PEOPLE RESPOND?)
(By Joe Koletar)At about 4:30PM, Eastern Time, media reports began to come in about a series of coordinated and deadly attacks in and around Paris. As of the time of writing this post, reports continue about possible attacks yet to come.
This obviously reminds Americans and others around the world of the events of 9/11. The scenario is much the same: early reports, partial information, conflicting accounts, a rush to save victims and contain the violence, nations and their leaders in a high state of alert and action, pledges of international assistance and cooperation.
Our colleague, Dr. Daven Morrison, is well-versed in the psychology of the “lone wolf,” and what makes these people do what they do to harm others in the advancement of a given “cause.” I believe that even if the Paris attacks were planned and executed as a group, the group is an aggregation of lone wolves who came together to achieve a purpose. We will present Dr. Morrison’s thoughts on this vital subject in a later posting, but in the meantime, a few general observations may be in order:
• People who commit such acts are not “crazy,” although that term is often applied in the immediate wake of such violence. They are, as Dr. Morrison has argued, quite rational and perhaps even somewhat intelligent. Their acts require some degree of planning and preparation. They have a goal in mind. The young co-pilot who crashed a civilian airliner into the Alps is reported to have said shortly before the act “People will remember my name forever.”
• Likewise, school and movie theater shooters in the U.S. appear to have been acting out of a sense of anger and frustration. Workplace shooters may have more specific targets, such as current or former supervisors and co-workers.
• Banning guns is an attractive, but ineffective answer. Certainly some military-grade weapons should be subject to a fair degree of control as to who can buy them, but even a shotgun can produce significant harm. Gun control opponents argue, with some logic, that controls may well operate to ensure that only the criminals have guns.
• Given that efforts to control illegal drugs have had marginal success despite decades of increasing law enforcement resources and building prisons, can we reasonably expect that we will be more successful in banning illegal guns?
• Were all guns to disappear tomorrow, mass violence will not, for those so inclined. Driving a vehicle into a crowd or pouring gasoline in the entrance of a crowded venue have been used before and can be used again.
So where does this leave us? Do we adopt the premise that “they” cannot get us all? That is true in a numerical sense, but hardly a lofty goal in a developed society. No, we must turn to that vital but murky area – the human mind. Such an effort with be neither quick nor easy. It will require research, discussion, and a fair degree of experimentation.
Do we risk imposing a degree of “mind control” reminiscent of the novel “1984” or the current regime in North Korea? That need not, and should not, happen. However, we have had such programs for decades and have become so used to them we accept them as normal: cigarette usage, drunk driving, forest fires, environmental protection, spousal abuse, and the like. They seem to work. They do not eliminate the problem, but they appear to reduce it.
Are such programs too puny an answer to the horrific, but spasmodic, events such as those in France? Perhaps, but they are better than nothing. Face it – advertising works. It influences our choices in many areas, every day. If it did not, why would companies and organizations continue to spend billions of dollars
In a strange way, that is precisely what those who engage in mass violence are doing—advertising their cause, their anger, their frustration, to receptive “lone wolves.” Should we not begin to counter their actions with “advertising” of our own?
We welcome your thoughts and comments.
© 2015, Joseph W. Koletar
Join us for more insights into behavioral forensics (behind fraud and similar white collar crimes) from the authors of A.B.C.s of Behavioral Forensics (Wiley, 2013): Sri Ramamoorti, Ph. D., Daven Morrison, M.D., and Joe Koletar, D.P.A., along with Vic Hartman, J.D. These distinguished experts come from the disciplines of psychology, medicine, accounting, law, and law enforcement to explain and prevent fraud. Because we are inspired to bring to light and address the fraud problems in today’s headlines, we encourage our readers to come back and revisit us regularly at BringingFreudtoFraud.com.