Avenger Syndrome

I've been around long enough to know that many things can influence and possess our thinking. Most learn not to absorb extreme negative influences, but not everyone. There are some who don't have that mental filtering and those are the ones that can be easily manipulated. They can often be the immature or mentally ill, not just those on mind altering substances.

I started thinking about this after watching a movie that had graphic violence. It was about a man on a mission of revenge for an injustice that occurred to his family. That's when it struck me that there are movies being made that glorify the main movie character who feels he/she has been pushed too far and decides to fight back - even if murder and mayhem is involved. In our minds, these movies make people heroes/heroines. We applaud their decision. We even fight, emotionally, with their cause. We don't care about the other side, because, after all, they're the enemy. 

However, along comes real life people who may see a ton of these movies, may not have any moral beliefs of right and wrong, have no foundation of reality and believe they can live out any fantasy they want. They have no fears, lack empathy, and may feel they too have been pushed to the point where they need to get justice over a perceived wrong. They psych themselves into believing they could be a hero/heroine by fighting for their cause.

In their fight for justice, they may feel they will be vindicated in martyrdom. They decide to fight back. They create mayhem and murder. But, instead of being glorified, they are vilified. They are killed or imprisoned. You see, to an unbalanced mind, these types of movies, etc., may be what indoctrinates and desensitizes them. To them, they see that chaos needs order and they may see themselves as the righteous chosen... the avenger. What I term the Avenger Syndrome.

I feel that this is what we've been seeing, for many years, with some serial killers or mass murderers. Yes, we've had similar things occur throughout history, of people wanting retribution at all cost, without today's influences, but they still had something that influenced them - something that pushed them over the edge - something that made them feel they had to be an avenger. But now, it's as if, in their unbalanced mind, they've been handed a justifiable reason on a silver platter: "well, it was okay to do it in the movies."

Of course, this may be only one issue with those we deem mentally ill - perceived avengers who commit horrendous crimes - but how do we ever move beyond it? I know that finger pointing doesn't help, especially when we're all to blame to some degree. After all, what can we expect when a society constantly promotes us to be or do whatever we want, with some stretching that idea to infinity and beyond? Yes, some think that means anything - without repercussions.

I've also learned that denying other's rights, catering to a small few, isn't a positive path to take either. Which is why I believe this will continue unless we really start listening to their grievances and working with them, taking their fears seriously, and removing any harmful programming. For instance, "no you cannot be an avenger and murder people, there are serious consequences!"

Of course, extreme steps to take would be locking them away so they cannot harm themselves or others. History shows that didn't always bode well either, but desperate times may call for desperate measures.