Norwegian Mass Murderer Diagnosed With Paranoid Schizophrenia

[Mrmac23]

I believe Brendan O'Connor made a good point in this article [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111895-Oslo-Murders-Lead-to-Calls-For-Game-Bans-in-Australia]:

Videogames may have had a slight part in Breivik's acts, but we should probably also remember the other factors in his motivation, partly the one about him being absolutely demented.
I accept some insane people might end up being pushed over the edge by videogames, but the answer to that is simple; don't let them get to the videogames in the first place. What we shouldn't do to achieve this is outright take them off the shelves.

 

[Prince Regent]

Sure this was caused by games and not by the fucked up political climate in the western world.

This guy played games like modern warfare 2 for training and not for entertainment. For enterainment he played rpgs like mass effect, fallout, dragon age and by watching movies.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Eh...not being a psychiatrist, nor having met him, I can't say anything about him being insane or not.

I can say I don't like the way people automatically assume violent criminals have to be insane. It's too easy to dismiss people who commit murder (say) as being insane, inherently different from you or me. Lots of truly terrible things are done by people we'd otherwise judge to be sane.

Though, again, can't speak for this person in particular, could well be your stereotypical madman, for all I know.

 

[NLS]

Eh...not being a psychiatrist, nor having met him, I can't say anything about him being insane or not.

I can say I don't like the way people automatically assume violent criminals have to be insane. It's too easy to dismiss people who commit murder (say) as being insane, inherently different from you or me. Lots of truly terrible things are done by people we'd otherwise judge to be sane.

Though, again, can't speak for this person in particular, could well be your stereotypical madman, for all I know.

They've conducted several interviews by 2 persons and from this, written a 240 page report on him. 240 pages, yes. As one of them stated during a short interview on TV "There have been cases where people have managed to lie about being insane, but this is not such a case. There's a certain limit on how long you can talk without showing your real personality.". I'd say those 240 pages should be evidence enough that he's "loco en el coco".
Also; being forced into therapy, they can hold him for the rest of his life (but also for just 3 years, if he turns out mentally well and not a danger to the society anymore, but that won't happen). In addition to this, they won't have to deal with other in-mates trying to kill him every other day.
All in all, this is safer for us, safer for him, and if he ever should come out, he shouldn't be a danger anymore.

 

[Gammayun]

Yet again the mainsteam media has pie on there face by blaming video games.

 

[Simalacrum]

Just hang him and be done with it, jeez.

The death sentence is considered barbaric in most European countries.

OT: I think the insanity case is fair enough really. Just make sure he doesn't walk the street again; prison or psychiatric hospital, either way that man will likely lose his freedom for the rest of his life.

 

[Sofus]

Anders Breivik is a terrorist and a traitor who isn't worth keeping alive. The way I see it he forfeited his right to live the day he decided to carry out these murders.

Why should we have to pay to keep him alive. Not to mention whatever amount of money they will waste in their attempt to cure him.


Just dump him off at the south pole or in the atlantic ocean and let nature take care of the rest.

 

[Iron Mal]

Is it just me or should no-one even be remotely suprised that the person who shot and killed 77 people may have possibly been mentally unhealthy?

Anders Breivik is a terrorist and a traitor who isn't worth keeping alive. The way I see it he forfeited his right to live the day he decided to carry out these murders.

Why should we have to pay to keep him alive. Not to mention whatever amount of money they will waste in their attempt to cure him.

So you opt for the 'eye for an eye' train of thought when it comes to criminal justice, that murderers deserve to be killed for their crimes?

Doesn't this technically mean if we're being fair that rapists shoud be repeatedly violently raped, thieves should have everything taken away from them and left homeless and that arsonists should be set on fire?

I know I'm going over the top there but the point I'm trying to make is that is it morally right for us to respond to a crime by just simply comitting the exact same crime ourselves in retaliation?

 

[imnot]

Wait, that happened on July 22?
Wow... just now I realize he did it on my birthday. Slowpoke's got nothing on me!

So this just means not games made him do it but games caused his psychotic illness. If you want to link it, there's nothing to stop you.

He did it in July?! How did time happen so quickly!

 

[Xan Krieger]

Seemed appropriate.

Just hang him and be done with it, jeez.

The death sentence is considered barbaric in most European countries.

Sad but true, Europe for the most part has yet to catch up to America when it comes to the death penalty.

 

[Simalacrum]

Seemed appropriate.

Just hang him and be done with it, jeez.

The death sentence is considered barbaric in most European countries.

Sad but true, Europe for the most part has yet to catch up to America when it comes to the death penalty.

"catch up"? Maybe I should have used a different word other than "barbaric": "primitive", "old fashioned", or "savage" may also suitably replace the word "barbaric"

Did I mention that I'm also European?

 

[DoanDavid]

Well, as a Norwegian I've been following this case in the papers recently. If Breivik really is found to be mentally ill and psychotic he will be transferred to a mental hospital somewhere in the Oslo region. At the mental hospital he will be able to be with the other patients, participate in activities, play video games and browse the internet.

I had two friends at Utøya (both of them survived)so I have mixed feelings about this case.

1. I am glad to see that his actions didn't change our values or principles as how we treat our convicts.

2. I am getting the feeling he might be getting away a bit to easy, especially with what he will have access to at the mental hospital, but then again, we want to treat even the most barbaric murderer with humanity and help them towards a better life if it's possible.

 

[NoNameMcgee]

He knew exactly what he was doing. The whole thing was meticulously planned and for reasons which (to him) were for the greater good, which is one of the reasons I find him so fascinating, and scary, because he's one of the only spree killers in recorded history to be acting with clear motives rather than just "wanting to go out with a bang" or having a hatred of everyone and everything. Breivik was so calm, cold, calculated about everything he did, I don't think hes a purely evil person, I think he really believed he was doing the right thing, and the "right thing" to him was to blow up some people and shoot dead over 60 teenagers. Scary stuff; I think I'd prefer it if I thought he was insane.

But although he may have some kind of mental illness, I don't think he is insane. This is extremism not insanity. He does need to go to prison for life, not some mental health care unit where he will get special priveleges.

 

[Superior Mind]

Due to the light Norwegian jails and sentencing - which I agree with in principle - it's probably better that he be declared insane and gets sent to a mental facility indefinitely. I don't see it as a matter of blaming this factor or that factor for what Breivik did, it's a matter of simply trying to understand what would make someone do such a thing.

Not a fan of the death penalty but I would be content if the Breivik saga ended with a brick to the back of the head.

 

[Strazdas]

This just in:

Violent games make people psychotic!

At least that is what the news outlets are going to spin this into.

If that where the case the United States would have become a real life battleground between people who own modern warfare and people who own battlefield and those that didn't would have been killed in the opening shots.

It did:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114128-Modern-Warfare-3-Nutcase-Threatens-to-Blow-Up-Best-Buy
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/114117-Modern-Warfare-3-Fan-Fends-Off-Really-Stupid-Thief

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

*sighs*

This again.

Would the literal billions of people who play video games please stand up.

Ok. Would the Billion or at least high millions of you who play video games please remain standing. All the rest can sit down.

Of those of you standing, please sit down if you committed an absolute horror in human history, killing scores of innocent people a.) because a video game lead you to do it and/or b.) you used it as training.

I think it's fair to say out of those millions, there are probably... what, thirty people in human history still standing?

Great reasoning, old people. Point to the one thing you don't understand when the numbers are as clear as day. Before video games, people supposedly heard messages in the tv to kill this guy and that. But since YOU old people were apart of that, it obviously couldn't be and they were just scapegoating.

If people are so keen on blaming someone, let's blame ourselves. Let's blame how we let someone like this slip through the cracks. But turning our attention to a red herring will not prevent another tragedy from happening again.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

he still needs the death penalty.....which you guys dont have, just a maximum of what? 25 years?

Which is why he's gonna be shuffled through mental institutions for the rest of his life. In this case it's actually better to have him declared insane rather than claiming he was fully aware of his actions, because if he was then you'd have been right and we'd have had to let him go in less than 20 years. (A norwegian jail year isn't even a full calendar year -.-')

OT: I really wish we could, just this once, take a step away from civilized methods of dealing with criminals. Or at least we could try making the rest of his life hell in some way, but no, apparently we're supposed to be better than that (not that i think he deserves any better).

 

[Xan Krieger]

Seemed appropriate.

Just hang him and be done with it, jeez.

The death sentence is considered barbaric in most European countries.

Sad but true, Europe for the most part has yet to catch up to America when it comes to the death penalty.

"catch up"? Maybe I should have used a different word other than "barbaric": "primitive", "old fashioned", or "savage" may also suitably replace the word "barbaric"

Did I mention that I'm also European?

Doesn't matter which word you use, Europe is still behind the US on this issue.