What Made KaŸmierczak and Cho Seung-Hui Kill?

[nathanael]

Professor Jan Carter-Black, stated that, "unlike Virginia Tech gunman Cho Seung-Hui - a sullen misfit who could barely look anyone in the eye, much less carry on a conversation - KaŸmierczak appeared to fit just fine." Indeed, he did, and therefore the reasons for his actions must lie somewhere else. Let's look at the similarities, not differences. There are serious gaps in the University of Illinois reporting. We do not know what "illness" he was treated for, and with what drugs! Normally, well-adjusted, sociable, and outspoken people aren't treated! The school needs to say what triggered the treatment! Was it some negative record about the reasons for his military service dismissal, or perhaps something that caused him to leave his prison job, or something he wrote as undergraduate? (remember Cho?). The reasons behind his actions may well lie in that record, which as always happens, was attached to his graduate student file, and which is "confidential." Here is a hypothetical scenario. His was a retaliatory, faculty-derived "treatment," which the school probably wants unpublished! Many in America forget, that the liberal school establishments, undergraduate and graduate, compile a record on students who, often for ethnic reasons, disagree with schools' academic tenets. KaŸmierczak, given his Polish background and culture, likely verbally disagreed or wrote something that was at odds with the faculty's notions on how prisons should be run and on how juvenile delinquents should be treated. If the disagreement was with what currently is being taught, without doubt it was entered into his graduate student record. I speak from personal experience: my dispute on whether students could write a graduate thesis on literature with title and textual references to God, ended in the Supreme Court, after many attempts by a U.S. University, to offer me "treatments" as a condition for my continuation in the graduate program! (incidently, the Alaska Ombudsman himself wrote in a final published report, that my disagreements with the University had ethnic origin, given that I was a recent immigrant). A similar dispute had probably triggered KaŸmierczak's secret "treatment." The liberal, moral-relativist faculty would not have any criticism of what they teach! They may have warned him, (just as Mr. Cho at Virginia Tech was warned). Since the schools do not act upon such disagreements on undergraduate level, he graduated all right. But then they sent him out to the graduate school with a tainted record "that he needed to see a psychologist" (such records always accompany graduate admission students)! When KaŸmierczak learned about this, he may have reasonably thought that his career was dead. Had he been a bad student, this would have not been an issue. But having excelled after many years of hard work, his and his parents', like Mr. Cho, KaŸmierczak may have concluded that his American Dream has been unjustly killed! For the "mental treatment" is a career killer at the graduate level, bringing with itself a stigma and career assessination for those who go into sociology and teaching! KaŸmierczak at that point, realizing what has happened, lost his head and committed a terrible crime, just like Cho. This possible scenario should be taken seriously, for it is the second time that a bright student, a "stellar scholar" as he was referred to those who knew him, breaks down and kills after "being treated" on school recommendation! I see incredible parallels between Virginia Tech and the U of Illinois! By the way, a similar assessment which I wrote on Mr. Cho earlier on, has been largely suppressed and snatched from public view.

[Jaga]

Hello Nathanael,

I do not know whether we would know for sure what triggered it. The problem in today society is that people are more isolated, yet they have an easy access to weapons, especially in some countries.

There were also some problems with his girlfriend, maybe he recently broke up with her, this also could trigger a shock in him.

He studied sociology and criminal justice, it was proved that people who study psychology/sociology/crime... may have some problems with their own more frequently than a general population.

[holaola]

I think you're right Jaga. It probably doesn't apply to most workers, but those who have a great passion for whatever career they choose usually have this passion because of some inner need or problem. Even psychologists often appear to have more hang-ups than their patients!

[nathanael]

I hope that you are right, Jaga. What we are after, is the trigger that triggered his pulling the triggers. In the days ahead, we will learn much more about the possible motivations. I doubt that he killed so many people at that school because of his girlfriend. Millions of young people, less "normal" than himself, have breakups with their girlfriends. Rather, I would focuss on his relation with the school, versus an unspecified sudden loss of hope. The media report that he was "cutting himself in high school." That is in his records. Only masochists do that, and this may presage the things he has written in his papers regarding the treatment of juvenile delinquents, things not in line with the school's teaching. Now, imagine that someone leaked this to the graduate school. That would have been a career killer, given that no person with "mental history" nor criticism of establishment is admitted to the Teacher's Certificate in the United States! That's a given! And teaching, after all - teaching of sociology - was his American Dream! I am convinced, as we may soon know, that his "psychological treatment" was counseled by the graduate school, based on some extant record. It is always done in such cases. He was told to see a psychologist, or else he was asked to leave! Knowing that the past record was leaked from undegraduate school where he was before, he went for revenge there. It doesn't hurt to speculate, if through speculation we can save future lives in America!

[nathanael]

Jaga, the media report that Jessica Baty, KaŸmierczak's girlfriend herself has effectively disproved any idea that they had ever split: "[Stephen] was anything but a monster. He was probably the ... nicest, (most) caring person ever." So much for your theory that "this may have been because of the girlfriend." And this to my mind makes everything that I have said previously even more likely. I will tell you why. In the goodbye note to Ms. Baty, KaŸmierczak appears to reveal the motive himself, in his words that "you will make an excellent psychologist and social worker." Now, read these words again, putting accent on "you." The words now say, "I will not, but you will"! In these words, writer without doubt from the depths of his soul, appears to make a confession of supreme disillusionment about his own not becoming a sociologist and social worker, which after all was his dream! The words, to my mind, seem to contain a possible hint that some action by the university may have made his dream impossible! KaŸmierczak is providing the motive for his actions in the goodbye note to the person he loved the most! Of course, this remains in the realm of speculation, but it should be given much more attention in the light of these latest news.

[uncltim]

I find the most disturbing thing to be that people who would normally become suicidal are now becoming homicidal. There are many angry people in the world today, pray for them.

[nathanael]

Uncltim's question is indeed fascinating. It would require many a dissertation to even scratch the surface of this paradox: Why in today's world there are ever more suicides and why many suicides do not hesitate take scores of innocent lives with them? l will not even attempt to answer this question, except for a couple of short observations. On the Christian side, life appears to have been cheapened in last centuries by revolutions and world wars. Life was then further depreciated by unlimited access to abortions. And on the Moslem side, the apodictic nature of Islam seems to play into the hands of fanatics, especially those submerged in hopeless poverty, having little to lose. As far as school shootings and suicides and homicides in general, I will add one last personal observation: the depth of one's religious faith seems to prevent both suicides and homicides. Several schools did a similar, or perhaps worse damage to me, as they probably did to Messrs. Cho Seung-Hui and KaŸmierczak (I won't go into this). But, after an enormous interior struggle I went to courts instead of buying a gun. Why? Because my faith in God did not let me even think of taking another's life, or my own life! This , perhaps, is the only explanation of the paradox we have been discussing: God Himself, in times of extreme angst, guards from suicide and homicide those who have strong faith!