"School shooters, often emerging from irony-poisoned, meme-addled online subcultures, tend to perform for one another. The same day Charlie Kirk was assassinated, a 16-year-old apparent white supremacist opened fire at his Colorado high school; one of his TikToks included a picture of Natalie Rupnow, who killed two people at her Christian school in December. Over the last 10 months or so, a frightening new pattern has emerged."
"First, in December, Luigi Mangione became an internet icon after allegedly assassinating the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare in New York City. Messages left on the bullet casings seemingly alluded to the way insurance companies refuse coverage. The sniper who killed Kirk left messages on his bullet casings as well, though in his case they appear to have been a macabre sort of trolling."
Murder often spreads by imitation, with the Zodiac Killer establishing a cultural archetype of a taunting, clue-leaving serial killer that inspired copycats. School shooters frequently arise from irony-poisoned, meme-addled online subcultures and perform for one another. Recent incidents link assassinations and mass shootings through copied behaviors and visible signals, such as images or messages on bullet casings referencing grievances. Alleged perpetrators have become internet icons while authorities note online searches connecting attackers. The national mood after high-profile killings has combined fear and opportunism, and federal prosecutors have begun drafting plans to investigate political foundations as part of a broader response.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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