Why Are There So Many Mass Shootings Today?
Hannah Arendt predicted that violence and social unrest would surge in a modern age that deprived humans of the ability to act.

Widely considered one of the twentieth century’s greatest thinkers, she escaped Germany during the Holocaust

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/why-are-there-so-many-mass-shootings-today

I thought the answer to 'why are there so many mass shootings today?' was that there aren't. These events are very rare and that is why they gather so much attention. If there were many such shootings they would be commonplace and uncommented on.

To add to what Ben said, there's a very incorrect perception that mass murders are a recent phenomenon. Three counter-examples, from the early 20th century:

* 1906 Los Angeles Times bombing: 21 dead, 100 severely injured.

* 1020 Wall Street bombing: 38 dead, 143 severely injured, hundreds of others with lesser injuries.

* 1927 Bath School massacre: 44 dead, 58 severely injured.

It is worth noting that, with the exception of the perp's spouse in the Bath School massacre, none of this was done with guns; it was all explosives and pyro.

I thought the answer to 'why are there so many mass shootings today?' was that there aren't. These events are very rare and that is why they gather so much attention. ~ Ben at October 4, 2017 6:34 AM

That's gotta be part of it.

Another part is that mass killings shock us because they could happen to us. Chicago loses in one month more people than killed in the recent Vegas event. But few of us will ever venture into the Southside of Chicago, or The Tenderloin or Compton or any other 'hood where violence is a daily event.

So, those killings are "there." But a mass shooting at a country music concert is "here." A suburban school getting shot up is "here." A popular nightclub getting shot up is "here."

The distance is bridged with these events. They could happen to "us."

So 14 years and then 7 years apart? Really? How about on average of every 2 months right now?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bX4qUsgHa4Y

Ya know that bit where conservatives fume about George Soros funding all kinds of skullduggery and people laugh it off as paranoia?

Tax records reveal who's funding the 'resistance'.

Some would be population increase, fame/infamy increase in a world based on fame, news increase, copycat factor.

Pop increase:
Lets say that just from random genetics there is say 1 person about to snap in 10 mill of population.
100 yrs ago there would be 10 in the country
50 yrs ago it jumped to 20
currently over 30.
Tripling in 100 yrs.

But that's just on the attacker side, it would also increase on the victims side by population density. Say each went nuts in an average park, getting everyone in it.
If 100 yrs ago say 5 people in the park horrible but would it get counted as a mass murder. Not by today's standards.
50 yrs ago the park would on average have 10 people, yeah would get counted as mass murder.
Now it's 17 people for the same park, definitely be counted as mass murder.

Add to that Social factors (we could argue those for weeks), weapon tech increases partially countered by medical advances. Note the dead/wounded ratio Cousin Dave dug up vs now.

Next factor in the news/fame/copycat factors. of those 10 in 1917. when they snap only two has the bright idea of doing a mass killing, the some papers pick it up, but only some (remember 5 killed) so the other 'snapped' never heard of doing something like that and do something else crazy.
Now every person 'snapped' has heard of it many times and the idea is bouncing in their mind when they snap.

Gooseegg,

So we have a 'mass shooting' every two months? Ok, then why does anyone care about Vegas? There are a lot of issues with the video you presented. And that is fine. After all, it is pushing a specific viewpoint. But as for 'these types' of incidents happening every two months, what as the one in July? Or the one in April? I don't recall them in the news. In recent times you had that guy shooting Republicans in DC. That was back in July if I recall correctly.

As Conan pointed out there is good reason to separate the Vegas type incident from drugs and gang related incidents.

According to Mother Jones, which tracks mass shootings (an attack involving four or more people killed indiscriminately in a public place), there have been seven mass shootings so far in 2017.

This figure is slightly higher than the annual average between 2012 and 2016 (5.8), a figure that, in turn, is nearly three times the annual average (2.0) from 2000 to 2011. As an additional point of reference, during the entire decade of the 1980s there were eight mass shootings, according to Mother Jones.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/mass-shootings-mother-jones-full-data/

So.. Glaucoma or Prostate Cancer? Decisions, decisions.

A 2016 study in European Eurology found that men who ejaculate 21 times or more per month were less likely to develop prostate cancer than those who ejaculated 4-7 times per month. This was a follow-up study from a 2004 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study which reported similar results.

https://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2017/10/03/studies-suggest-if-men-ejaculate-more-theyre-less-at-risk-for-prostate-cancer/

Taking a look at Mother Jones now and noticing # victims is 3 for most of the 2017 ones, the increase may be because of an apparent change to the counting or definition of mass to be 3 people.

In my population example, I was assuming the 'definition' of mass shootings was around 10, not 3.

For the next minimum wage debate, a little wisdom from many years ago:

"A man who hasn’t had much experience, and doesn’t think, is apt to measure a nation’s prosperity or lack of prosperity by the mere size of the prevailing wages: if the wages be high, the nation is prosperous; if low, it isn’t. Which is an error. It isn’t what sum you get, it’s how much you can buy with it that’s the important thing; and it’s that that tells whether your wages are high in fact or only high in name." ~ Mark Twain (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court)

A 2016 study in European Eurology found that men who ejaculate 21 times or more per month

What about 21 times a day?

What about 21 times a day?

Blindness.

What about 21 times a day?

That's pretty much one stroke away from getting a stroke.

From February of this year:

The Left Hates You. Act Accordingly.

Interesting.

Sheriff: Did Las Vegas Shooter Stephen Paddock ‘Get Radicalized’?

Yup, it's our fault.

Jimmy Kimmel Doubles Down on Gun ‘Nuts’: ‘You Bear Some Responsibility’

Well my eye sight is now 20/400 and getting worse

What about your foresight Lujlp?

Jimmy Kimmel Doubles Down on Gun ‘Nuts’: ‘You Bear Some Responsibility’