Academic

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: What Motivated Arizona Shooting Suspect? The investigation of the inc?

By Glenn Reynolds

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: What Motivated Arizona Shooting Suspect?

The investigation of the incident has clearly not finished, and new revelations are sure to come. But at this early stage, no clear links have emerged between Loughner and the current political climate. Rather, acquaintences and criminologists point to a convoluted worldview that appears largely incoherent ? ranging from a fascination with dreams to an apparent penchant for nihilism.

His writings merge everything from the Communist Manifesto to discussions of the gold standard to the government’s oppression by use of grammar.

And reader Andy Kohl emails:

According to Loughner, ?The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar.?

I refer you to Samuel Delany’s Babel-17, in which one character is driven to assassinate a politician by precisely this method (See Sapir-Whorf). Therefore, by Underpants Gnomes logic, Loughner’s actions can be blamed on a vast conspiracy of Black Gay Dyslexic science-fiction authors. Beware!

It all makes sense now . . . .

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on January 11, 2011 (boomark / email).