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Comment by noosphr | Hacker News Reader

There should be a name for the phenomenon where people upset about some injustice pick the least plausible example to use as the cause celebre of the injustice.

For a more modern take I can't understand why Daniel Shaver is not the face of police murder in the US. The video is on YouTube, you can find the unedited version with a Google search. There is no benefit of the doubt to give. It was straight up murder done on live cam. The more you read the worse it gets.

But it got buried in a week and no one remembers it.

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It's unfortunate that the shooter was not convicted, but the mere fact that there was an investigation and a trial differentiates it from a lot of police violence causes célèbres.

what, why?

Elijah McCain wasn't allegedly shooting an air rifle at a motel, so I'd reckon they should be the face.

Right?

It’s because there is no controversy. There isn’t anyone arguing that the cop who did it was actually justified. Everyone agrees.

A story lives on when people argue over things. If no one argues the other side of something, the story just kind of fades away.

> no one remembers it.

That doesn't resonate with my experience. People know about the murder, but aren't sure what to do.

The murderer, who clearly had mental health issues (eg, having "you're fucked" on the dust cover of his personal AR-15, which he used to commit the act), was acquitted (in a trial of strange circumstances). It's baffling that none of his colleagues - who saw the message on his weapon - ever pulled him aside to ask if he was OK.

And anyway, what does this have to do with your point of holding up an unlikely / outlying example to demonstrate a phenomenon?

His colleagues likely didn't find the dust cover noteworthy. Within contemporary American gun culture, it would seem like a minor bit of braggadocio akin to a "Protected by Smith & Wesson" sticker or a "Warning: We Don't Dial 911" placard; tacky and unprofessional, but not something to take seriously. There's a whole little industry around AR-15 customization, offering thousands of options for engraved dust covers with all kinds of symbols and messages:

https://midstatefirearms.com/product/engraved-dust-cover-eje...

https://mcsgearup.com/ar-15-ejection-port-dust-cover-engravi...

https://www.wingtactical.com/firearm-parts/ar-15/upper-recei...

https://cordedarms.com/ExoticCovers1

I am not remotely aware of this case. How does those words, or any words, on a gun case/cover relate to mental health issues? This isn't a manifesto; it is more like "guard dog? Beware of owner!" decal, or a Calvin pissing on a coexist sticker. Or truck nuts. These might be distasteful to some but is unrelated to mental health. I'd be more worried about my former neighbor who had an unhealthy love of maglite flashlights and owned like 50 of 'em. _That_ was strange.

The "you're fucked" was written on the inside of the ejection port dust cover so that it would become visible after the weapon was fired. The implication is that he was eager to shoot someone.

I’d say the medium is the message in this case.

People like flashlights. It's a thing. Just like we like computers.

No shade meant towards odd collections nor truck nuts.

As someone who avoids making threats in public, those stickers and whatnot do leave me concerned about the person's mental health.

You find your neighbours torch collection more worrying than aggressive messages left by someone who went on to kill?

> There should be a name for the phenomenon where people upset about some injustice pick the least plausible example to use as the cause celebre of the injustice.

Perhaps 'The Toxoplasma of Rage'? See https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage...

Or you might like https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/04/12/clarification-to-sacre...

Thanks for reminding me of CGP Grey's "This Video Will Make You Angry": https://youtu.be/rE3j_RHkqJc

Now I feel I should rewatch this video annually as a reminder to myself, or maybe monthly.

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