Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Sunday, June 06, 2004

Here are some follow-ups to the bulldozer rampage Friday

'Dozer rampage driver found dead

Shattered town grapples with uncertain future

(Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought of Mad Max when I heard about it; the writer of the second story compares the man's machine to those of the movies.)

It's very scary when things like this happen; they're rare but spectacular, and really can happen just about anywhere, regardless of weapons laws and seemingly 'peaceful' surroundings. In this case, it's also sad because he apparently became unhinged and did so much damage, then took his own life.

In men, I think (and most of these rampages are done by men), anger can be an expression of depression. Many large businesses have employee assistance programmes that help employees deal with such issues before it comes to a head. But I'm not sure if those who are self-employed have that sort of net. I wish mental healthcare were easy to obtain, free, and not so taboo-laden, because really a lot of problems such as this might be averted.

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