FOOTNOTE NO. 3: Cautionary Notes on Dehumanizing Perpetrators

Snyder explores how public narratives of Dec 14, 2012, account for Adam Lanza, the young man who shot and killed 20 children, seven adults, and, ultimately, himself. In particular, he considers how public narratives often minimize mental health as a contributing factor to such tragedies. He resists such narratives by framing mental health as a social problem, one shared by all in a responsible society. He begins with a media narrative which tells the story of Eric Mueller, a 59-year-old art teacher at a nearby local school, and the roadside memorial he constructed within hours of the shootings. He then turns to a more official narrative: the report of the State of Connecticut's Attorney. He concludes with several cautionary notes that complicate the official narrative of the state's attorney and raises questions about the implications of such dehumanizing storytelling.