Written by Mike Wolf   

Could the reason for the mass shootings in America be explained in such easy terms as the perpetrators feel as though they have no other choice?

Such an easy explanation is surely hard to swallow. But from the perspective of those who commit such horrid acts, it would seem to make perfect sense. Suicide, as many of these shootings are, is almost always the result of the individual seeing a lack of choice otherwise. Suicide is by definition the last choice we can make. It is by definition the last option available to escape some horror in our life from which we otherwise feel there is no escape. And obviously, committing such an act is usually done with suicidal intentions.

As a long-time observer and student of society and humanity, I have observed that there is a disturbing trend in America that we no longer have freedom of choice, but rather that we are in a situation where we have freedom to choose. The dominant paradigm in America is of choices between what the various corporations offer up on the market. And the products offered span the entirety of human choices: from food, shelter, and clothing; to even how we express ourselves and feel about ourselves. For every possible problem we can have, there is a product hawked by a ruthless corporation to "solve it" for us, at a profit of course.

The result of such intense pressures to consume prepared solutions can lead to a population that is trained to the exclusion of novel ideas. This pressure is quite obvious to someone like me, an innovator and inventor; creating new and novel solutions to my problems, rather than buying a ready-made off-the-shelf solution. And the looks I get when buying something for use other than its intended purposes continue to surprise me even these many years on.

So perhaps that couple in Vegas simply didn't think about what choices they had; but rather thought about what options were available to them among the many options available on the market. No, a suicide pact cannot be purchased at the Walmart where the pair perished; but the media does report on such incidents, and in the minds of viewers who are bombarded with commercial advertisements during such news presentations; perhaps their minds could not differentiate and they felt that a suicide pact was an available "product" (free no less) that they could choose to use to solve their problem - whatever that problem turns out to have been.

And in Isla Vista; you had a video recorded, then a shooting; another "product" available on the open market as hawked by the corporate news channels. Was this a logical solution to a 22 year old's problem of not getting a date? That he chose it suggests that it was a choice he felt was available to him. But you and I and many others out there understand otherwise.

Why then do some feel that their choices are limited and that those choices must include the ultimate?

I suggest that the choices we feel we are limited to are likely tied to our experiences, tastes, and even our television viewing habits. I further suggest that you investigate this on your own, rather than relying on the media, or even me, to do that investigation for you. Create a scenario that you feel will produce a limited set of responses; such as "what would you do if your house was being taken from you illegally by a city and no one would help you and you could not find any way to save your house within legal means?" I think you'll find that the answers people give will reflect their perception of the choices available to them; rather than being the result of thinking through the process. A good hint is if you propose the scenario, and the person asks no questions.

This site is called Reader Supported News. I am a big believer in Americans, in humanity, and in human potential. I believe you can participate in reporting and making the news. So consider this a challenge, a first of many I would hope, to participate in the news. Go to a homeless shelter, or to a street corner or park where homeless people hang out or otherwise find some people in desperate situations - people who have lost their homes, the livelihoods. Ask those people why they are living on the streets instead of in the woods. Find out their story and why they are dealing with it the way they are. Find out why their choices are limited and why they are forced to live the way many other homeless people live.

And when you've completed your homework assignment; know that your reward will already be in-hand; for you will be armed with first-hand knowledge, verified by you personally, as to what the news is really trying to tell you.