We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Dedicated followers of fashion

A suicide-bomber has exploded himself in a shopping mall in Helsinki killing eight people and maiming and crippling scores of others. [I find the word ‘wounded’ to be so anodyne and unsatisfactory. It implies that the damage done can be healed by the application of some bandage and a smear of antiseptic cream. Bomb explosions leave people limbless, blind or paralysed]

It appears as if the perpetrator was a 20 year-old student but there is no indication as to his motives. Of course, given the style of attack, thoughts immediately turn to Islamic radicals but there is nothing in the reports thus far to suggest this and, in any event, why they should target the Finns is beyond me.

More likely this young man’s head was buzzing with some other kind of savage insanity but the method he has used to vent it does have some significance nonethless. We have never been short of psychotics or dangerous malcontents in our midst but when they do finally unhinge they typically do so by taking pot-shots at their employers or attacking their landladies with a kitchen knife.

Is this changing up a gear? Could it be that the suicide-bombing is becoming the preferable modus operandi for the deranged and the grudge-ridden? It is certainly a far more dramatic way of leaving your forget-me-not impression on a world that you loathe and that you believe loathes you.

Maybe I am extrapolating too far here. It is, for sure, too early for anything like a cogent analysis. But, if it turns out that I am on the right track, then we all better start watching out for that twitchy guy on the bus; that thing on his shoulder could be a lot more than just a chip.

13 comments to Dedicated followers of fashion

  • Randall May

    As always, a well written essay by David Carr.

    I fail to understand why we can’t look at the root cause of the hate and mitigate it, at least somewhat. Starting wars and pissing off many more people may not acheive our goals.

  • Mark Brittingham

    Why can’t we “look at the root cause of the hate and mitigate it” ? Well, of course, we can. But what happens when the “root cause” is envy or failure?

    What do you do to convince a 20 year old malcontent who just got dissed by the girl of his fantasies that he shouldn’t blow up a mall? How do you convince a religious extremist (of any stripe) that he shouldn’t commit mass murder against a society that he perceives as “immoral”? How do you stop a zealot who believes that anyone who refuses to convert to *his* religion deserves death?

    You stop them by force. There *is* no other option, Mr. May, except to simply roll over and give in to the demands of the attacker or die at his hands.

  • NC3

    Root causes indeed! Why the Finns? No word on the nationality of the 20 year old student? They know he’s 20 years old and a student but the fact that those radical coddlers aren’t publishing his race screams Arab! If he were some “dedicated follower of fashion” with his head “buzzing” his name and face would be plastered all over the media to prove that little European white boys can be terrorists too.

    We have a little saying here in Texas, “don’t piss on my boot and tell me it’s raining”. But we’ll see, they won’t be able to keep the secret for long.

  • david

    This may be a premature conclusion until all the facts are in.

    Bombmaking requires special training and care and is not usually completed successfully by most of the mentally unbalanced as they are often too disorganized to complete the process without blowing themselves up.

    The unibomber was an exception not the rule.

    If the mentally unfit really were starting to use bombs then i would expect at least a 10 to one ratio of failures to successes, if not more, and we have not seen that.

    I suspect terrorism and will wait till all the information is in.

    Interesting idea though which i think has merit.

    david in mass, usa

  • Karlheinz Stockhausen

    What are the “root causes” of a Finnish art student’s hate? Some have been talking about mass murder as performance art. If lame art theory is a root cause of terrorism we are in big trouble.

  • See http://www.claytoncramer.com/JMME2.htm for an examination of the problems with how mass murder coverage promotes copycat crimes.

  • My quibble is the “starting wars” comment by M. May. Who started this war? The U.S. or Al Qaeda?

    The U.S. has been looking for excuses to disengage from the world for about a century. Our last war of conquest was the Philippines.

    We had to be dragged into WWI and WWII, reluctantly went to Korea and Vietnam, and the U.S. didn’t invade Kuwait in 1991 (or was it 90?) The U.S. isn’t starting a war in 2002, either. We were attacked in Manhattan and DC in 2001, and now really have no choice but to fight this war against radical Islamic terrorism.

    As for root causes, whether you’re talking about engine maintenance or world events, usually there isn’t one, except for the Big Bang. This particular skirmish was started by Al Qaeda.

  • More likely this young man’s head was buzzing with some other kind of savage insanity but the method he has used to vent it does have some significance nonethless.

    It’s not easy to build a bomb like that, there is almost no chance he didn’t have help.

  • Apparently the bomber was a chemistry student who’d been looking for bomb making instructions on the net, so Reuters say.

    Can’t help thinking that David Carr’s point about the M.O. of these people is spot on.

  • The bomber was indeed a chemistry student as Steve pointed out. Definitely a local as well, they published his name (Petri Gerdt, well the last name could be German as well). No evidence whatsoever so far that there had been other people involved. So basicly it comes down to ordinary nutcases. Though the copycat theory is certainly something to keep an eye on.

  • Some months earlier there was a case of an American (wasp) youngter who ploughed a small air plane into an office block. His only motivation was that he was “facinated” with the 9/11 exploit. No grudges, no resentements. Just plain fun!

    It happened to be a Sunday, so no one was hurt, but part of an office block was damaged.

    Some things you just CANNOT prevent.

  • NC3

    LGF has a picture of the young blonde headed boy posted today. The munching and gagging sound you can’t hear is me eating my words.

    This is more than disturbing.

  • Shams is right… alas there will always be the occasional psychotic barking moonbat who will do things like this completely out of the blue because his plastic statue of the Virgin Mary told him to cleanse the Earth or because he wants Jody Foster to notice him and love him etc… and there is not a whole lot anyone can do to stop it as it is impossible to predict.