Congresswoman Giffords shot in head in rampage...

[Enoch]

Well, given that he didn't have any plans either to get away with his crime or to make this a murder-suicide, he probably contemplated that he would be caught and that his mugshot would be on front pages across the country. A fresh shave might well have been part of his preparation.

 

Although the creepiness of the photo, to me, comes mostly from his smile and the just-slightly-off-the-camera look in his eyes.

[GreasyDogMeat]

Classic tactic of touching up photos of serial killers to make them look crazier, uglier, less humane. I don't know if his eyebrows were shaved off already, but give the man a suit, natural lighting a bit of touch up and he'll look just like many other Ugly But Perfectly Fine Members Of Society.

 

It's good that we are so eager to judge and mock others on appearance when it's safe to do so, though.

He shot up over 12 people, murdering 6 including a 9 year old girl. **** his feelings, or anyone's about how his photo comes out.

[213374U]

Classic tactic of touching up photos of serial killers to make them look crazier, uglier, less humane. I don't know if his eyebrows were shaved off already, but give the man a suit, natural lighting a bit of touch up and he'll look just like many other Ugly But Perfectly Fine Members Of Society.

 

It's good that we are so eager to judge and mock others on appearance when it's safe to do so, though.

Guilty as charged, Your Honor!

 

Yeah, mocking people based on appearance is quite fun, if not always "safe". You should try it sometime, maybe when you stop taking yourself so seriously and lording over peeps. (;

 

Thing is, most members of the Ugly Club don't go around shooting up random public servants and, you know, cheating at online games (!), so spare me. Prickface here deserves no respect from me.

[Walsingham]

Hate! Hate! Hate!

[Humodour]

Classic tactic of touching up photos of serial killers to make them look crazier, uglier, less humane. I don't know if his eyebrows were shaved off already, but give the man a suit, natural lighting a bit of touch up and he'll look just like many other Ugly But Perfectly Fine Members Of Society.

 

It's good that we are so eager to judge and mock others on appearance when it's safe to do so, though.

Guilty as charged, Your Honor!

 

Yeah, mocking people based on appearance is quite fun, if not always "safe". You should try it sometime, maybe when you stop taking yourself so seriously and lording over peeps. (;

 

Thing is, most members of the Ugly Club don't go around shooting up random public servants and, you know, cheating at online games (!), so spare me. Prickface here deserves no respect from me.

 

You said it yourself: most ugly people (and people without eyebrows) aren't serial killers, so why did you bring his looks into this exactly?

 

I don't really give a ****, but it does seem a bit pointless. In fact the whole event fills me with waves of 'meh'. America has too many gun massacres for me to take notice anymore.

[Hurlshort]

The crazy thing about the picture is it was taken right after the shooting. While there are plenty of ugly people out there, most probably wouldn't be grinning like a moron after going on a shooting spree.

 

 

Most also wouldn't go on a shooting spree, I suppose.

[Nihilus5078]

He also seemed to wonder, perhaps randomly, about what life would be like at 60, or why someone who says they would go on a date with him never does.

Okay, so like, I think I might have a hypothesis here:

 

 

Probably being an angry crank with terrible grammar doesn't help either. Yeah, life can be cruel like that. I mean, I'm no Adonis... but I do have eyebrows. Good thing that 99% of all angry basement-dwelling virgins don't have what it takes to turn their online fantasies into actual deeds, otherwise we'd be in some serious ****.

 

Also: Tea Party theories about how this was a leftist loony trying to make them look bad are fun stuff.

 

I think he looks like a hippie.

[Wrath of Dagon]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...3345594508.html

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...d=ITP_pageone_2

[Tigranes]

I have no problem with this guy being mocked, of course he deserves all that and more. I just don't feel good about us engaging in the act of mocking - condemn his actual criminal acts, but what good comes out of mocking his appearances? Does it really make us feel better? *shrug* The 'safe' comment is a more general one, about how we all talk about lookism and condemn it, but when it's socially 'safe' to mock someone for their looks we relish it.

 

Anyway, the media seemed to have tried the familiar "HE IS DESCRIBED BY HIS ACQUAINTANCES AS A VIDEO GAMER", but this time common sense seems to have prevailed, i.e. reading Mein Kampf is probabyl slightly more relevant...

[Calax]

An opinion piece from a man who has an agenda in the case (he's the head of a political group trying to get involuntary treatment into law) and a piece on something that's been going on and well known since the 90's.

 

Go Go Wall Street Journal!

[Humodour]

Uhg, who are these religious extremist morons? They sound like pond scum. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,7559794.story

[Humodour]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...3345594508.html

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...d=ITP_pageone_2

 

I was very surprised and heartened when mental health became a tripartisan mainstream election issue in Australia last year.

 

I like to look on the bright-side a lot of the time. So I'm simply going to say that if an overhaul of mental health treatment in America occurs as a result of this, that will be a very good thing. Americans can't change what has happened, but they can shape what the consequences of this massacre are.

[Calax]

Uhg, who are these religious extremist morons? They sound like pond scum. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,7559794.story

They're the crew that protested comicon because "batman won't save you like god will".

[213374U]

You said it yourself: most ugly people (and people without eyebrows) aren't serial killers, so why did you bring his looks into this exactly?

Well, because he did go on a killing spree and he's an ugly, creepy assdouche pondering why women want nothing with him. His unnatural (read: fugly) looks are almost as obvious as your obsession with me, so I thought I'd just put into words what comes to mind when you look at his pic. So sue me.

 

 

The 'safe' comment is a more general one, about how we all talk about lookism and condemn it, but when it's socially 'safe' to mock someone for their looks we relish it.

That's your problem, then. I don't particularly condemn "lookism", and it's arguably one of the most harmless -isms (hello, communism - we need an icon for that). I know I try to do what I can with my ugly mug because I know that regardless of social trends, looks count. Always have, always will.

 

 

An opinion piece from a man who has an agenda in the case (he's the head of a political group trying to get involuntary treatment into law) and a piece on something that's been going on and well known since the 90's.

 

Go Go Wall Street Journal!

Well, eager as you are to point out the fallacies in people's arguments, you sure are quick to attack someone's credibility in order to bypass addressing the points he makes. Care to try again? Edited January 13, 2011 by 213374U

[Humodour]

You said it yourself: most ugly people (and people without eyebrows) aren't serial killers, so why did you bring his looks into this exactly?

Well, because he did go on a killing spree and he's an ugly, creepy assdouche pondering why women want nothing with him. His unnatural (read: fugly) looks are almost as obvious as your obsession with me, so I thought I'd just put into words what comes to mind when you look at his pic. So sue me.

 

I think you're pretty narcissistic, but I'm not obsessed with you. Though it would make sense for a narcissistic person to believe such.

[Walsingham]

It's pretty pointless demanding that people ignore looks, Krez. That's Buddha level enlightenment. Not going to happen in the mainstream.

 

Besides which I believe that looks are often perfectly sound measures of a man. They don't tell you everything, but they say a lot. For example, are you telling me that if a man walks into a board meeting wearing a hawaiian shirt then that isn't indicative of anything?

[Raithe]

It's pretty pointless demanding that people ignore looks, Krez. That's Buddha level enlightenment. Not going to happen in the mainstream.

 

Besides which I believe that looks are often perfectly sound measures of a man. They don't tell you everything, but they say a lot. For example, are you telling me that if a man walks into a board meeting wearing a hawaiian shirt then that isn't indicative of anything?

 

That potentially he's the annoying guy who owns the company and doesn't have to bother with the company dress code?

[Walsingham]

It's pretty pointless demanding that people ignore looks, Krez. That's Buddha level enlightenment. Not going to happen in the mainstream.

 

Besides which I believe that looks are often perfectly sound measures of a man. They don't tell you everything, but they say a lot. For example, are you telling me that if a man walks into a board meeting wearing a hawaiian shirt then that isn't indicative of anything?

 

That potentially he's the annoying guy who owns the company and doesn't have to bother with the company dress code?

 

Potentially.

 

And if you run into some great hulking meatslab with a lazy eye you can't draw some sound implications?

 

I'm saying all this as a chap who thinks of himself as pretty refined, but the other day my friends pointed out someone who they said was my absolute double, and I swear he was actually an orc. So I hope it's not always true. But if it looks like a loon, and it sounds lie a loon, it's probably a loon.

[213374U]

^Yeah, both extremes are nonsensical, I think. You can't tell everything about a person just by looking at them, but it's pretty silly to think that you can't get any useful information about someone from their physique, the way they dress and groom themselves, etc.

 

 

I think you're pretty narcissistic, but I'm not obsessed with you. Though it would make sense for a narcissistic person to believe such.

Interesting theory, but I've never met anyone who admitted to being obsessed. And your inclination to discuss me over my points or the topic (something of which this isn't the first occurrence) speaks by itself. Can't say I blame you, though. It's perfectly natural to be obsessed with me.

 

But enough about me, let's talk about me.

Edited January 13, 2011 by 213374U

[Orogun01]

^Yeah, both extremes are nonsensical, I think. You can't tell everything about a person just by looking at them, but it's pretty silly to think that you can't get any useful information about someone from their physique, the way they dress and groom themselves, etc.

Still I would advise against acting under those assumptions lest they become a self-fulling prophecy. Maybe what began with a socially awkward person who everyone though he was a serial killer became the latter. Not saying that is the case here but since we are talking about appearances.

[Wrath of Dagon]

Uhg, who are these religious extremist morons? They sound like pond scum. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,7559794.story

They're a small group of sadistic, publicity seeking lunatics, previously best known for picketing soldiers' funerals. I'm not convinced they're religious at all, though if they are they're probably satanists.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...3345594508.html

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405...d=ITP_pageone_2

 

I was very surprised and heartened when mental health became a tripartisan mainstream election issue in Australia last year.

 

I like to look on the bright-side a lot of the time. So I'm simply going to say that if an overhaul of mental health treatment in America occurs as a result of this, that will be a very good thing. Americans can't change what has happened, but they can shape what the consequences of this massacre are.

I'm not holding my breath for anything beyond something symbolic.

Edited January 13, 2011 by Wrath of Dagon

[Deadly_Nightshade]

...though if they are they're probably satanists.

 

Uhhh... No, I'm fairly sure that they consider themselves Christain (you know the whole Baptist Church bit). Not that they represent all members, they don't and I'm not saying that, but to lable them as Satanists because you disagree with them is absurd. If you look into them at all you'll find that they're using their own slant on Baptist and Cavinist teachings.

 

[Wrath of Dagon]

I judge people by their actions, not by what they claim about themselves.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

I judge people by their actions, not by what they claim about themselves.

 

Ahh... So it's the "no true scotsman" fallacy? And, assuming your claim is true for the moment, even if they were not Christains you'd have to proffer some evidence that they were Satanists because I'm not seeing it. But then I'm also typing this on an iPod while on break so it's rather hard to do massive amounts of research at the moment.

 

[Zoraptor]

I have no problem with this guy being mocked, of course he deserves all that and more. I just don't feel good about us engaging in the act of mocking - condemn his actual criminal acts, but what good comes out of mocking his appearances? Does it really make us feel better? *shrug* The 'safe' comment is a more general one, about how we all talk about lookism and condemn it, but when it's socially 'safe' to mock someone for their looks we relish it.

And it's not like there isn't a precedent for absolutely deliberate image manipulation as opposed to the more common choosing the most deranged looking photo from an available selection. Martin Bryant's* (Port Arthur massacre in Australia) images were deliberately manipulated to make him look more crazy- they retouched his eyes to be bright red (!) for example. Personally I would have thought killing 30 odd people might suggest he wasn't a pleasant person without the need for Satan Eyes...

 

Everyone likes to think that they can 'spot' potential homicidal maniacs in some way and in the aftermath of such events there is usually a consideration for not wanting to panic people by suggesting there are more people hiding out there waiting for their chance/ a trigger or whatever who look just like any one of us. Releasing a photo which lets people say 'well, he looks bonkers and I could pick up on that' helps with that very human reaction.

 

In this case though mug shots are intrinsically and deliberately set up to make people look at best plain if not outright ugly. I've got at least one old passport photo which makes me look deranged (taken shortly after I tore a muscle in my neck, so I could only hold my head tipped to the right).

 

*who actually looks rather like Loughner did pre hair cut, at least if he were blond.