Gunning for fame, and that’s what they get

So Robert Hawkins, who shot eight people in an Omaha mall and then turned the gun on himself, wanted to be famous. And now of course he is – his image is all over newspapers, TV and the internet. Rather like the student who carried out the Virginia Tech Shootings, which left 33 people dead. Cho Seung-Hu imitated poses from the film Infernal Affairs in a video detailing his assorted rages, and anyone who apes film in pursuit of such goals is clearly seeking vindication by attachment, if not outright fame.

Further examples are not hard to find. Just look to Finland in November, and the Columbine-style videos posted by shooter Pekka-Eric Auvinen, who shot dead seven students and the headmistress at his school. All of these men seek acknowledgement through fame, even echoing past incidents as steps on their own path to glory – why else would they draw such attention to themselves?

The question is, why do we give it to them? The answer is depressingly simple, but it makes you think.