What's Happening in America?
175: Nashville, Crime, and Mental Health in the USA
We have a whole range of finance posts to drop over the next week or so but we wanted to spend some time speaking to the tragedy that the US endured earlier this week in yet another mass shooting event.
The United States was shocked and saddened yesterday by the news of yet another school shooting in at a Christian elementary school in Nashville Tennessee.
A former student Audrey Hale who identified as transgender drove to the school on Monday with three firearms — an AR15 style carbine, a Kel Tec 9mm, and a Smith & Wesson handgun, before shooting out the glass to the entrance doors and proceeding inside. She shot and killed 3 children and 3 adults — murdering them in cold blood before being shot and killed by responding officers from Nashville Metro PD.
Children Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs were killed along with school head Katherine Koonce, 60, Mike Hill, 61, and Cynthia Peak, 61. Initially police have suggested that resentment could’ve been a driving factor here but the details are still unclear.
Hale had a manifesto that has yet to be released and a series of DMs were released to social media showing that the attack was premeditated. Hale allegedly had plans to hit another school but held back given the school was more secure and protected. Law enforcement has made it clear that Hale likely surveilled the school ahead of her rampage indicating there was a degree of planning involved.
This tragedy marked the country’s 130th mass shooting of 2023.
Crime is up in this country, homelessness is up, and we are seeing a more and more disturbing trends relating to violent actions by disturbed individuals.
Just yesterday I watched a video of a man stab and murder a father outside of a Starbucks in Vancouver.
The man helplessly bleeds out as onlookers stare doing absolutely nothing. The POS who did it walks in and out of the Starbucks casually as the man’s wife and family wail in disbelief. A young man takes a selfie style video exclaiming that he just watched a man die.
Truly gut wrenching and end of times stuff. When did this become normal or acceptable?
Why are lunatics repeatedly targeting children in schools?
How have people become so laissez faire about murdering other people?
Today we’re going to give an overview of some of the root causes we believe are amplifying this disturbing trend in behavior nationally as well a as walk through:
Why we think it’s going to get worse
How we can counteract what’s going on
The truth is, North America is suffering from a deep mental health crisis that has been exacerbated by a number of catalysts including the Covid 19 Pandemic, Political Division, Social Movements, and the breakdown of key components that contribute directly to a healthy and normal functioning society.
According to Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated numerous social stressors that we know can increase the risk of both substance use and mental illness."
A recent poll by the Wall Street Journal details some troubling trends in the US. Since 1998. Patriotism, Religion, Having Children, and Community Involvement are all trending down in a significant manner. Money is the only indicator that has seen an uptrend.
This data isn’t troubling in segments or single pieces but when combined to together we think it indicates a material change in the attitudes and sentiment within the United States that is contributing to the social unrest, mental health decline, and violence we are seeing.
We’re not saying that everyone needs to be Amish and move to the country side to have 7 children while flying 17 flags from their farm where they practice christianity — but history shows us that when the above areas see the kind of change we are witnessing — society suffers directly. It’s not far fetched to imply that when all of these priorities fall (especially Community Involvement, Children, and some of the benefits religion drives in communities and homes) the mental health and happiness of youth suffers.
Nashville PD interviewed Hale’s parents after the shooting and uncovered deeply disturbing parental oversights.
Hale was already under care for an emotional disorder and had legally bought seven firearms that were hidden at home, Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake said Tuesday.
“The parents felt (Hale) should not own weapons,” the chief said.
On Monday morning, Hale left home with a red bag, and the parents asked what was inside but were dismissed, Drake said (CNN).
Red flag much?
Nobody is looking our for their neighbors or families anymore. People are busy filming selfies and videos when violence breaks out in our communities and cities. Fights are breaking out in elementary schools and being celebrated.
The family unit has likely been attacked by a strong institutional and social force that wants to make people (and women) more dependent on the government as opposed to families or father figures. The goal is to divide people making them less of a force to reckon with.
People are lacking a common factor or sense of national unity in this country — we’re seeing it everyday with the growing political division and animosity in public.
Fertility rates are dropping, divorces are soaring, couples are buying cats instead of having children, and people are adopting extremist attitudes towards their political opponents, people with different beliefs, and others of varying religious beliefs, creeds, and races.
These symptoms are indicative of a much larger culture rot and decline of the West and now we are faced with the repercussions of our reality.
What is driving people to violence and unspeakable acts so casually in this country?
Today’s post may be an uncomfortable read but it’s necessary given the frequency and nature of these repeated attacks that keep happening in our country and the broader trends we see contributing to the problem.