Another risk of setting off a psycho

[peacefuljeffrey]

Watch, as a result of this kind of thing, everyone's going to be afraid of giving someone a poor work evaluation.

In this age of protecting everyone's self esteem and feelings, even if they truly deserve to be criticized for doing a poor job, we're probably all going to be warned that if we tell the truth and the truth hurts, it might "cause" someone to "snap" and so we'd better just soft-pedal what we say to everyone.

You know, no one these days wants to condemn the guy who snaps; they want to blame the people who treated him so wrongly that he had no choice but to go on the violent rampage.

I really wonder what the fallout from this will be.

Oh, and doesn't it appear to be yet another case of "only the bad guy broke the rule about bringing a gun to work"? More proof of the oh-so-effective utility of "gun-free zones."

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Anubis]

You know, no one these days wants to condemn the guy who snaps; they want to blame the people who treated him so wrongly that he had no choice but to go on the violent rampage.

From what I've read, there are usually plenty of warning signs from someone long before he snaps. In most cases, these signs are ignored by those who know the snapper.

Oh, and doesn't it appear to be yet another case of "only the bad guy broke the rule about bringing a gun to work"? More proof of the oh-so-effective utility of "gun-free zones."

Yes it does. And the flip side: it's another case of a bunch of people who decided, probably unconsciously, that obeying the rules is more important than maximizing their chances of staying alive. Everyone weighs risk against reward. Everyone picks the principles for which he is willing to risk his life.

[Hopyard]

Watch, as a result of this kind of thing, everyone's going to be afraid of giving someone a poor work evaluation.

In this age of protecting everyone's self esteem and feelings, even if they truly deserve to be criticized for doing a poor job, we're probably all going to be warned that if we tell the truth and the truth hurts, it might "cause" someone to "snap" and so we'd better just soft-pedal what we say to everyone.

You know, no one these days wants to condemn the guy who snaps; they want to blame the people who treated him so wrongly that he had no choice but to go on the violent rampage.

Too many supervisors and employers fail to appreciate the deeper meaning of the word "livelihood." A job is more than what a person does during an 8 hour daily period.

It is very easy (and too easy) for employers or supervisors to think of "positions" and "economics" and "right staffing," and forget that for the employee, the job is a "livelihood."

That isn't to say that there aren't legitimate reasons for firing people, or that firing must be avoided for reasons of fear. Rather, those making such decisions need to introduce some sense of proportionality and humanity into what they are doing.

Recently, I saw a Glen Beck interview in which he expressed remorse for having once fired someone because they guy brought him the wrong pen.

There are plenty of overbearing, heartless, and even psychopathic supervisors; the wonder is that these incidents don't occur more often.

We don't know enough about the relationship and behaviors of the two men killed in the NASA incident to understand fully what really happened.

[ccw9mm]

Another risk? No. That risk has always been there. Always.

Nothing sets off psycopaths. They do that for themselves. There is little to blame outside that.

Now, others are involved, claims are made that a variety of "causes" contributed, the devil made 'im do it. Malarkey. This is real life. It's a contact sport. It takes adult wiles to succeed. Screw that up, and you screw it up ... generally speaking, due to nobody's fault but your own.

That said, sure there are going to be folks that will be less willing to be honorable and truthful in their dealings with others, folks who review performance of people included. I can't control what others will do. I can only control what I do. The reality is, psychopaths have always been out there. Many have been willing to take it out on innocents or to seek retribution. Let them come. It's no more likely now than last week or last year. All I can do is be prepared in the event it does happen. The rest is karma.