In the 1970s, streakers became a problem in sports.
Once TV stopped showing them and the broadcasters stopped feeding the attention, the copycat behavior lost its reward and died down. The streakers weren’t doing it for the act itself, they were doing it for the audience and notoriety. Remove the audience, and the incentive goes away.
The same logic can apply to this upswing in mass shooters. Social media and mainstream outlets often turn them into household names, dissecting their lives and motives for days, even weeks.
Some even have fan clubs helping promote them to get parole. Other crazies want to marry these killers, thereby joining in with these killers new found celebrity.
That can inspire others seeking notoriety to imitate. If media shifted away from showing their names, faces, and personal manifestos, it could strip away the “celebrity” effect altogether.
This doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, but it does mean handling it responsibly.
A cultural shift, much like MLB’s decision with streakers, could make a real difference.
Copycat behavior thrives on recognition. Remove the reward, and the cycle weakens.
Just as streaking faded when the cameras turned away, so too could this darker trend if media and platforms chose discretion over spectacle.
Stop the madness in the media and the madness in society will simmer down.
c 2025 Chu The Cud
All Rights Reserved
Chu The Cud 