Nowadays, it seems like a school year does not pass by
without a school shooting and the death of innocent children. When I was
younger, the most other kids had to worry about was the school bully or maybe a
gang, but no one ever feared that they could get killed in their classroom. It
is difficult to say why school shootings have become so common these days.
It is likely some
combination
of increased access to firearms, worsening forms of bullying (such as
cyberbullying), the influence of violent revenge themes in the media and
entertainment venues (e.g, music, movies, video games), the breakdown of the
family structure, and the increased availability of subculture movements such
as Gothic and Emo that foster a sense of alienation from mainstream society.
None of these factors by themselves is likely to trigger a school shooting. For
example, there are many Gothic children and people who play violent video games
who do not commit school shootings but the more of these variables are present,
I believe that the likelihood of a school shooting increases.
Like many people, I am always interested in learning more
about the shooter and the specific motive(s) behind the attacks. Before I know
anything about the individual, however, there are a few things that I can
usually make some safe assumptions about: 1) The person feels angry with and
alienated from his peers and society (especially when the shooters attack
people at random), 2) There were traumatic events (e.g., bullying, abuse,
significant family dysfunction) in the person’s past that led to these feelings
(which is not to excuse the shootings of course), 3) There is usually something
in the person’s appearance (e.g, style of dress, physical characteristics) that
shows that they are different in some way from their peers, 4) The person
usually sends some signal ahead of time that the shooting was to occur. As it
turns out, it seems that all of these criteria appear to have been met in this case. The reader should know that I have never met T.J. Lane and that I am not a professional criminal profiler. The profile of Lane that I put together is based on what I could gather from his Facebook page, early media reports (some of which may later be modified), knowledge of clinical
psychology, and common sense.
When I first saw the picture above of the shooter, TJ Lane, my first reaction
was that it fit the psychological profile I have of these shooters. The picture
comes from his Facebook profile. Of all the pictures, he could choose, he
picked one that was black and white, thus devoid of color. Color symbolizes
positive emotions whereas black and white symbolizes the absence of such
emotions and conveys a sense of despair and alienation, especially when other
themes associated with this are present. This dark theme goes along with his
black jacket, which may be related to the Gothic culture he became involved in.
Note how he is looking to the side and not to his audience (Facebook friends). In
this picture, he is showing that he does not want to look at you or have to
look at you because he does not feel connected with you. The side profile picture
also bears resemblances to side profile mug shots. You will notice that he is
not smiling but instead looks disninterested, annoyed, and possibly angry. Self-esteem
is likely low, which accompanies feelings of insecurity. His hands are in his
pockets. Hands and fingers symbolize a sense of control (since we mostly
control our environment with our hands and fingers) and thus hands in the
pockets may indicate that he feels a loss of control in his life. Taking a gun
and shooting people is a maladapative way to re-exert control and gain
attention, which can improve his own feeling of self-importance. He is thin and
one is left to wonder if he was picked on for his appearance, which was later
confirmed via media reports. Other pictures on his Facebook page showed him
shirtless with his arms folded and a defiant look on his face and he is never
smiling. Thus, the only times where he does look at his audience, he is
conveying a sense of anger. The profile picture was updated last, however,
indicating a growing sense of alienation from others.
Initial media reports stated that Lane had family problems, was
being constantly teased by many of the kids in school (e.g., about his hair,
clothes, quiet demeanor), often had a sad look in his eyes, was upset about a
girl in school, was quiet, very guarded, and a loner who did not belong to any
particular group. Some students assumed
he was normal but admitted they did not know much about him. One student stated
he got into the Goth phase in the 8
th grade. He lived with his
grandparents, his older brother was in prison, and he attended an alternative
school, which indicates he had a history of academic and/or social emotional
difficulties requiring alternative school placement. He may have had a split
with a girlfriend on Valentine’s Day and may have been upset that she was
dating a former friend. In fact, on 2/17/12, he posted a song on his Facebook
page entitled “
Blood on the Dancefloor” that centered around an angry male figure
with a demonic Gothic appearance trying to break the spell of a female lover.
This included lyrics such as “Now is the time, now is the hour. To take back my
heart, to take back my power. This is the moment to break your spell. I see
right through you... Burn in hell witch.”
Review of Lane’s Facebook page showed that he claimed to
work for a non-profit organization called “Free the Slaves,” which claims to
liberate slaves around the world and attack the systems that allow slavery to
exist. Note the phrase “attack the systems” which generally refers to
governmental systems (which includes school). He could have taken this phrase
literally in carrying out an attack against “the system.” This may sound like
wild speculation, but consider the following. He clearly seems to have felt alienated
from the educational system as indicated by the fact that under “College” he
listed “We don’t need no education.”
Even more troubling was that under High School, he wrote “We don’t need
no thought control.” Thus, he seems to have believed that his school was
controlling his thoughts, all of which sounds eerily similar to the
video of Jared Loughner walking through
Pima County College, ranting about mind control, loss of freedom of speech, the
school’s control of the grammar, and his “genocide school” before he shot,
injured, and killed several people at a governmental event.
The phrases “We don’t need no education” and “We don’t need
no thought control” come from the famous Pink Floyd Song, “
Another Brick in the Wall” which partly has to do with a protest against rigid schooling. Incidentally,
Pink Floyd is listed as one of his favorite music groups. The music video for
the song portrays a teacher reprimanding a young student (who bears some
resemblance to Lane) for writing poems in class, which Lane liked to do (see
end of this blog entry). The child then engages in fantasies of destroying the
school and killing his teacher.
This begins to suggest the possibility of a psychotic
disorder in which one is detached from reality. This is again speculation, but
further suggestive of this was that he listed one of his favorite philosophers
as David Icke, who has described himself as being the most controversial
speaker in the world based on his belief that a secret group of reptilian
humanoids called the Babylonian Brotherhood is controlling the world. Icke’s
worldview is replete with conspiracy theories, which is common among people
with paranoid belief systems.
Lane also listed Credo Mutwa as a favorite philopher. Credo
Mutwa is a Zulu sangoma (spiritual healer) who is know for his writings against
the African government in his pursuit to see the “truth.” In
Mutwa’s own words,
“I am one of the scums of this earth, a creature dejected and ridiculed by
university professors” and “I have been scorned; demonise lied about by
conspirators…” This is another reference to alienation and anger towards
educational systems. Interestingly, Credo Mutwa writes about listening to David
Icke. One of Lane’s favorite books listed was David Icke’s “Guide to the Global
Conspiracy and How to End It.”
Another book Lane listed as a favorite was “Alice in the Country of Hearts.” The book
centers on an insecure main character (who Lane likely identified with) in a
strange world named Wonderland and is forced to interact with the inhabitants.
Everyone in Wonderland is reckless as to who lives or dies, everyone distrusts
each other, and has an instinct to kill. Sound familiar? Continuing with Lane’s
seeming immersion into a bizarre fantasy life was that another favorite book
listed was the “Death Note” series, which centers around a high school student
who finds a book called the Death Note that allows the reader the ability to
kill anyone whose name and face they know by writing the name in the book and
picturing their face. To date, several students across the country have been
caught and disciplined for possessing Death Note books containing the names of
other students. I will not be surprised at all if Lane had one as well.
In terms of movies, Lane listed the movie “Let Me In,” which
tells the story of an adolescent boy who is continuously harassed by bullies,
neglected by his parents, and develops a relationship with a vampire child (re:
Gothic association). He also liked “Fight
Club,” which is a violent movie that was designed to serve as metaphor for the
conflict between the younger generation and the traditional values of society.
Lane’s sense of disconnection from society is emphasized by him writing that
one of his interests and activities is “wandering aimlessly.”
Lane’s Facebook page also contained dark poetry that he wrote in class and
posted on 12/30/11: "
In a quaint
lonely town, sits a man with a frown. No job. No family. No crown. His luck had
run out. Lost and alone. His thoughts would solely consist of “why do we exist?”
His only company to confide in was the vermin in the street. He longed for only
one thing, the world to bow at his feet. They too should feel his secret fear.
The dismal drear. His pain had made him sincere. He was better than the rest,
all those ones he detests, within their castles, so vain. Selfish and conceited.”
He goes to discuss how the castle kept the peasants at bay and did not keep the
enemies away and how he castle’s every story “
was just another chamber in Lucifer’s laboratory.” The story continued
to attack society and desires for the castle to fall. He wrote about going
through the castle, past guards, and making others beg for mercy and ending
with "
Feel death, not just mocking
you. Not just stalking you but inside of you. Wriggle and writhe. Feel smaller
beneath my might. Seizure in the Pestilence that is my scythe. Die, all of you."
This story is clearly the writings of an angry and insecure individual who
has strong revenge fantasies. The castle was likely a metaphor for his school
and he was foreshadowing events to come. Unfortunately, as in many similar
cases, no one put the pieces together before hand. In fact, four of his
Facebook friends liked the story and 49 shared it with other friends. No one
wrote a public comment of concern or disapproval. For a follow-up to this blog entry on TJ Lane,
click here.
Suggested Reading: Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us
Related blog entries:
A Psychological Profile of Wade Michael Page: The Sikh Shooter
A Psychological Profile of James Holmes: The Joker Killer
Cannibal Icepick Killer Luka Magnotta was Not Born Evil.
