Madness and Violence: The Rhetorical Construction of Motive After Mass Shootings in the United States Between 1949-2012

Abstract

This dissertation project offers an historical perspective on news media response to mass violence. More specifically, my dissertation traces associations between mental illness and dangerousness as articulated in the aftermath of rampage shootings. Drawing from rhetorical and reception history methodologies, I investigate the discursive aftermath of four notable rampage shootings: the 1949 neighborhood shooting in Camden, New Jersey; the 1984 McDonald’s shooting in San Ysidro, California; the 1991 Luby’s shooting in Killeen, Texas; and finally the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. An analysis of news media reports in the aftermath of these shootings reveals the extent to which journalists used fear and stigma associated with the mentally ill as a justification or explanation for the violence. Over time, watching for signs of mental illness became the primary narrative in responses to mass shootings in contemporary American culture. As such, mental illness links the public’s desire to know, or understand, mass violence with the public’s desire to control, or prevent, mass violence. The case studies presented in this dissertation demonstrate that for the American news media and its audience, mental illness has become one of, if not the, primary warning signs of mass shootings. Ultimately, however, accusations of madness and stigmatization of the mentally ill often prevent effective policy change. I believe it is the job of rhetorical scholars to recognize, investigate, and expose the political and ideological commitments underpinning cultural understandings and policy decisions. Indeed, the pervasive use of mental illness in news media as the justification for violence suggests that any benefits of advocacy campaigns and other anti-stigma initiatives cannot be fully realized without substantive changes in news media production habits.