It’s all about him

It’s all about him is an article about mass murder shared by author David Von Drehle. Here

the author talks about serial killers who have killed many people cold bloodedly due to some

reason or the other. The author calls these killers as ‘Raging Narcissists’. He also explains

about the traits of a narcissist.

Narcissist is a personality disorder in which the people have an exaggerated sense of their

own value; they try to draw the attention and admiration of others, distressed relationships

and no empathy towards other. Behind the mask they may look extremely self confident but

they have a fragile self-esteem which is susceptible to the slightest disapproval.

The people with narcissist personality have problems in various stages of their life such as

work, relationships, school and with family. They become miserable and dissatisfied when

they are not given the unique favour or approval which they believe they deserve. They are

even hated by everybody resulting in the rise of arrogance in them.

According to the author, David Von Drehle states that the serial who are killing innocent

people are all narcissists. He has documents and recording of interviews with the serial killers

and states that each one of them fits to be a narcissist.

The few examples which he talks about of the narcissists are Ted Bundy who killed more

than 30 young women and girls. He declared himself to be an actor of life and described other

people to be support and landscape. He had a simple desire which was control and mastery.

He also said that he wanted human lives and nothing mattered more than his desires to kill

them. Whenever anyone noticed his victims, that witness was also vanished. He was only

regretful about his own death.

There was also other serial killer or rather narcissist as recommended by the author, named

Julio Gonzalez. This narcissist killed eighty-seven people in a charred façade of Bronx

nightclub.

Another serial killer named Cho Seung Hui was the mass executioner of Virginia Tech. A

research by some psychologists recognized that it was the self centeredness along with

indulgence with guns, pornography, arrogant games and hateful lyrics which were the things

which encouraged their loneliness and arrogance.

The author also talks about the movies and theatres of serial killing and crimes where Charles

Whitman plays god in his Texas clock tower, Harris and Klebold wearing the serial killer

trench coats and James Huberty shooting someone with gun mercilessly in a California

restaurant.

Freud has described narcissism as the failure to grow up. During infant all are narcissists but

as we grow up we learn that all individuals have their own lives. It’s not the individual’s job

to gratify us, congratulate us or even observe us.

A social critic, Christopher Lasch diagnosed narcissism as a trait and signal disorder of the

American culture. The craze towards celebrity, the promotion of instantaneous pleasure,

disbelief towards ethical system and the politics of victimhood were the symbols of the

society degenerating towards the infant phase. Detectives analysed the causes of narcissism.

During their analysis of the case of Harris and Klebold appearing as alienated misfits and

listening of rough music and playing of violent video games depicts their extreme narcissism

and intention of murder of their teachers and classmates.

It was analysed from the recordings of Cho Seung Hui whose major problem was he always

felt lonely. He didn’t even answer when people said hello. This depicts the state of his mental

condition.

Also, in a film directed by Michael Moore ‘Bowling for Columbine’, where the singer was

Marilyn Manson, suggested that it was not due to listening of her lyrics that crumbled Harris

and Klebold but it was the urge that someone should listen to them.

Hence, the author David Von Drehle suggests that the idea of narcissism arises from the issue

of “It’s all about him” or everything would be fine if the murderers received more and more

attention. Hence, the author suggests that the majority of mass murderers are narcissist, Cho

was a mass murderer and Cho was narcissist.

Although, the fact is that David Von Drehle has stated the last two statements correct but his

first analysis of stating that all mass murderers are narcissist is incorrect. This should have

been replaced with many or most instead of all. Still his unique work for analysing the minds

of mass murderers and his remarkable achievement as a journalist to be at the scene and

collecting reports for analysis aftermath of crimes was worth mentioning.