/lit/ - Literature

>>21901887
>School shooters are the karmic consequences of the American lifestyle given flesh.
Probably true. I'm not sure the U.S. is more atomized than other societies (South Korea?), but it's certainly one of the most. Of course, most people don't become mass shooters, but we might see other kinds of pathological behaviors that people engage in instead like drug abuse, or simply dropping out or "disconnecting."

I think a lot of people feel like there are too many demands placed on them from too many directions at once. Especially if you work any public-facing job and have to deal with the public. Or from managers. But they're under similar pressures from their managers and those managers are under pressure... and it's almost like nobody is really in control, and that everyone is working more for a machine than an actual person. In some jobs now, a machine *is* your boss, you can get fired by a computer. And you can be fired for any reason, including reasons that are completely outside of your control. To attempt to form a union -- in which you might have some control or say in this situation -- can also get you terminated immediately. People are also overstimulated and overwhelmed and there's too much competing for people's attention. I don't have a scientific backing for this, but it feels true.

Then you bring in this Calvinist work-ethic culture (with its element of Christian apocalypticism) in which asking for help is shameful and you should feel bad about yourself. Take some personal responsibility! And then the society is in love with guns and violence and war and reinforces the idea from birth that bitchin' weapons is how you solve problems. Then some really damaged people turn those weapons on the people around them. Is anybody even shocked anymore?

>>21900134
>the problem is... le corporations
>enlightening
You ever see this Sopranos scene with the wise guys trying to shake down the Starbucks?

https://youtu.be/_Gsz7Gu6agA

The mob was destroyed by corporations which are far more ruthless than the mob ever was. But the manager is like "it doesn't matter if you assault me, they'll have someone else in here doing my job, and every last bean is accounted for." Not saying the mob was good, but hey, it was a family...