What obvious symptoms of mental illness was the evil loser in Minneapolis showing?
- The biggie was that he shot into a church full of people. Children, mostly. Intending to kill as many as possible. By this time, it was too late to do anything about him. Mentally healthy people don't do this.
- He had sexual dysphoria and body dysmorphia.
- He had written a manifesto full of hate.
- The things he had written on his weapons and magazines.
- He was hyper-politicized.
- He blamed others for his problems.
- His social media posts.
These weren't the causes of his mental illness, but they were symptoms. Any single symptom- other than the shooting itself- was just a symptom. Having one or two symptoms doesn't guarantee someone will choose to be an evil loser, but the more symptoms a person has, the more likely it is to happen.
Mental illness frequently manifests as hyper-politicization. You’ll see it all over the place if you’re paying attention.
Some symptoms were cries for intervention, when it could have made a difference. Before it was too late.
There's a guy who lives about 3 houses from me. He spray-painted a sort of manifesto on the sides of his house a few years ago. I used to talk with him fairly often. When I talked with him, his thoughts were full of irrational beliefs, apparent hallucinations, and magical thinking. One big problem I had with him was that he seemingly developed too much interest in my daughter, and she was 6 or 7 years old at the time. So, yes, I distanced myself and watched him closely. He ended up in jail on drug charges for a while, and has kept to himself more since then- which isn't necessarily a good sign.
I'm not a trained psychologist, but I can tell you for sure this guy seemed to be mentally ill. You could see it on his face and in his eyes. I consider him a potential danger- as does probably everyone who has met him. Since I haven't spoken to him in several years, I might be wrong. He may be fine now (although I've seen no signs of that, either). Am I going to take the risk? No. He showed enough signs that he seemed like a threat.
There's another guy in town who shows clear signs of mental illness. You can see it in his face. He's a cashier in one of the few local stores. I go there less than I used to before he worked there, especially since his problems became more pronounced. He always seems miserable and quite angry at the world. I do worry he might snap one day, so I limit my exposure, smile, and remain alert. If I knew him better, I'm pretty sure there are more symptoms I'm not aware of. I might be wrong, but it's not worth the risk.
There are others in town who I would consider more quirky. Maybe not quite in touch with reality, but harmless and even happy. The elderly woman who tells me the town council is using witchcraft to cause dirt to pile up in her yard so they can steal her house doesn't seem like she'd hurt anyone over this complaint. She's not a miserable person in spite of being magically targeted by the Satan Worshipers she says run the town. (I can't rationally dispute this accusation.)
Mental illness isn't a guarantee that someone will choose to be an evil loser. Most don't. But evil losers come overwhelmingly from that part of the population, so you need to pay attention and not ignore the signs and symptoms.
It's not polite or socially acceptable to observe that someone is showing symptoms of mental illness. To say you can see it in their eyes and face. I'm OK with not being polite, if that's the case. And I've never been particularly socially acceptable anyway.
Cash App ($dullhawk) please!
