Shooting at a Finnish school

[Netko]

Anyway, what was the shooter's motivation?
From the little I read, he seemed to me a total nutcase who slipped through the mental health cracks.

Here's his manifesto from the link Oberleutnant posted:

Natural Selector’s Manifesto

How Did Natural Selection Turn Into Idiocratic Selection?

Today the process of natural selection is totally misguided. It has reversed. Human race has been devolving very long time for now. Retarded and stupid , weak-minded people are reproducing more and faster than the intelligent, strong-minded people. Laws protect the retarded majority which selects the leaders of society. Modern human race has not only betrayed its ancestors, but the future generations too. Homo Sapiens, HAH! It is more like a Homo Idioticus to me! When I look at people I see every day in society, school and everywhere... I can’t say I belong to same race as the lousy, miserable, arrogant, selfish human race! No! I have evolved one step above!

Naturality has been discriminated through religions, ideologies, laws and other mass delusion systems. Individual, who is going through his/hers natural power process and trying to live naturally, but is being told that the way he acts or thinks is wrong and stupid, will usually have some reactions which might be considered as "psychological disorders" by the establishment. In reality they are just natural reactions to the disruption of natural power process. They will have some of the following (depending on individual's personality): feelings of inferiority / superiority, hostility, aggression, frustration, depression, self-hatred / hatred towards other people, suicidal / homicidal thought etc... and it is completely normal.

Humans are just a species among other animals and world does not exist only for humans. Death and killing is not a tragedy, it happens in nature all the time between all species. Not all human lives are important or worth saving. Only superior (intelligent, self-aware, strong-minded) individuals should survive while inferior (stupid, retarded, weak-minded masses) should perish.

There is also another solution to the problem: stupid people as slaves and intelligent people as free. What I mean is that they who have free minds, are capable of intelligent existential and philosophical thinking and know what justice is, should be free and rulers... and the robotic masses, they can be slaves since they do not mind it now either and because their minds are on so retarded level. The gangsters that now rule societies, would of course get what they deserve.

Of course there is a final solution too: death of entire human race. It would solve every problem of humanity. The faster human race is wiped out from this planet, the better... no one should be left alive. I have no mercy for the scum of earth, the pathetic human race.

Collective Deindividualization: Totalitarianism & Delusions Of Democracy

Collective deindividualization is a phenomenon where individual will be trained as part of the mindless herd controlled by state, corporation, church or some other organization, group, ideology, religion or mass delusion system and adopt it's rules, morality and codes of conduct. This phenomenon has been familiar in all despotic, authoritarian, totalitarian, monarchist, communist, socialist, nazi, fascist and religious societies troughout history. Also, the modern western democratic republics have the same phenomenon. It is just done so that people will think they are free and don't realize they are being enslaved. Majority of people in society are weak-minded and ignorant retards, masses that act like programmed robots and accept voluntarily slavery. But not me! I am self-aware and realize what is going on in society! I have a free mind! And I choose to be free rather than live like a robot or slave. You can say I have a “god complex”, sure... then you have a “group complex”! Compared to you retarded masses, I am actually godlike.

Totalitarian governments rule people through education system, consumerism, mass media, monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force (police, military) and laws discriminating people who think differently than the majority. Democracy... you think democracy means freedom and justice? You are wrong. Democracy is a dictatorship of the moral majority... and the majority is manipulated and ruled by the state mafia. Modern western democracy has nothing to do with freedom or justice; it is totalitarian and corrupted system. Laws are made over the heads of the people and people are being brainwashed to support the system and connected to the institutional structures immediately after their birth. Societies are being ruled by manipulative and charismatic politicians who only care about the interests of majority, and who do not base their decisions on reason but emotions and feelings of the masses. These masses let the authorities of state to make all the important decisions for them. The masses will get an education, they study, get a job, go to work and vote in elections. They think they are free and don’t criticise or question the system. They have become robots. It is like a constructed mechanism in mind, that leaves little choice for an individual to think, talk and act independently.

Three Kinds Of Humans

There are three kinds of human personality types in this world:
1) individualistic human (3% of the world population)
2) manipulative human (3% of the world population)
3) mass human (94% of the world population)

#1 & #2 type of personalities are intelligent, creative and self-aware. They have chosen bit different paths paths. #3 type of personalities are less intelligent and less creative, weak-minded people controlled by #2 type of personalities. The percentages are only estimations though but are based on Gaussian distribution and history of human race and how humans have organized into societies. And this is the way it has always been ever since humans started to organize into communities.

Another way how to divide people is bit different but is based on the same facts, human nature and history. The division is based on the level of intelligence and quality of mentality:
1) intelligent (3% of the world population)
2) slightly retarded, so called “normal people” or “robots” (94% of the world population)
3) highly retarded, “vegetables” (3% of the world population)

Total War Against Humanity

Hate, Im so full of it and I love it. That is one thing I really love. Some time ago, I used to believe in humanity and I wanted to live a long and happy life... but then I woke up. I started to think deeper and realized things. But it was not easy to become existential... knowing as much as I know has made me unhappy, frustrated and angry. I just can’t be happy in the society or the reality I live. Due to long process of existential thinking, observing the society I live and some other things happened in my life... I have come to the point where I feel nothing but hate against humanity and human race.

Life is just a meaningless coincidence... result of long process of evolution and many several factors, causes and effects. However, life is also something that an individual wants and determines it to be. And I'm the dictator and god of my own life. And me, I have chosen my way. I am prepared to fight and die for my cause. I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection.

You might ask yourselves, why did I do this and what do I want. Well, most of you are too arrogant and closed-minded to understand... You will proprably say me that I am “insane”, “crazy”, “psychopath”, “criminal” or crap like that. No, the truth is that I am just an animl, a human, an individual, a dissident.

I have had enough. I don’t want to be part of this fucked up society. Like some other wise people have said in the past, human race is not worth fighting for or saving... only worth killing. But... When my enemies will run and hide in fear when mentioning my name... When the gangsters of the corrupted governments have been shot in the streets... When the rule of idioracy and the democratic system has been replaced with justice... When intelligent people are finally free and rule the society instead of the idiocratic rule of majority... In that great day of deliverance, you will know what I want.

Long live the revolution... revolution against the system, which enslaves not only the majority of weak-minded masses but also the small minority of strong-minded and intelligent individuals! If we want to live in a different world, we must act. We must rise against the enslaving, corrupted and totalitarian regimes and overthrow the tyrants, gangsters and the rule of idiocracy. I can’t alone change much but hopefully my actions will inspire all the intelligent people of the world and start some sort of revolution against the current systems. The system discriminating naturality and justice, is my enemy. The people living in the world of delusion and supporting this system are my enemies.

I am ready to die for a cause I know is right, just and true... even if I would lose or the battle would be only remembered as evil... I will rather fight and die than live a long and unhappy life.

And remember that this is my war, my ideas and my plans. Don’t blame anyone else for my actions than myself. Don’t blame my parents or my friends. I told nobody about my plans and I always kept them inside my mind only. Don’t blame the movies I see, the music I hear, the games I play or the books I read. No, they had nothing to do with this. This is my war: one man war against humanity, governments and weak-minded masses of the world! No mercy for the scum of the earth! HUMANITY IS OVERRATED! It's time to put NATURAL SELECTION & SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST back on tracks!

Justice renders to everyone his due.

- Pekka-Eric Auvinen (aka NaturalSelector89, Natural Selector, Sturmgeist89 and Sturmgeist).
I also use pseydonym Eric von Auffoin internationally.

It's also interesting to note his likes and dislikes:

What do I hate / What I don’t like?
Equality, tolerance, human rights, political correctness, hypocrisy, ignorance, enslaving religions and ideologies, antidepressants, TV soap operas & drama shows, rap -music, mass media, censorship, political populists, religious fanatics, moral majority, totalitarianism, consumerism, democracy, pacifism, state mafia, alcholohics, TV commercials, human race.
What do I love / what do I like?
Existentialism, self-awareness, freedom, justice, truth, moral & political philosophy, personal & social psychology, evolution science, political incorrectness, guns, shooting, BDSM, computers, internet, aggressive electronic and industrial rock & metal music, violent movies, , FPS –computer games, sarcasm, irony, black humour, macabre artm mass & serial killer cases, natural disasters, eugenics

Hmmm, yeah, a social darwinist idiot kid with delusions of grandeur - I'm shocked, shocked I tell you. Why can't those morons just off themselves in a public performance to promote their ideas rather then going on a self-terminating killing rampage?

[Kanastrous]

Do Finns screen for mental health as part of their permit-issuing process?

[Rye]

I'm intrigued as to how he thought shooting schoolchildren and teachers would further any cause realistically.

The language he uses and the youtube vids he posted seem to imply the desire for celebrity and self aggrandisement, mixed in with the nihilism that Nietzsche himself railed against and dreaded.

Be interesting to see what his musical tastes are, black metal by the sounds of it.

[Edi]

I'm intrigued as to how he thought shooting schoolchildren and teachers would further any cause realistically.

The language he uses and the youtube vids he posted seem to imply the desire for celebrity and self aggrandisement, mixed in with the nihilism that Nietzsche himself railed against and dreaded.

Be interesting to see what his musical tastes are, black metal by the sounds of it.

Insanity and sociopathy don't make distinction between children and adults.

As far as his music tastes go, there are a lot of people in Finland who listen to heavy metal of all stripes. The best seller charts for records are seriously skewedin that direction, so it doesn't say much at all. Though I do know you of all people are not reading anything to it anyway.

[Edi]

CNN article

HELSINKI, Finland (CNN) -- At least eight people were killed when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at a school in Finland Wednesday, according to Finnish police. The shooting appeared to have been planned out in graphic videos posted on Internet file-sharing site YouTube.

At a press conference this afternoon, police confirmed the dead numbered two girls, five boys and the school's headmistress at Jokela High in Tuusula, a quiet town around 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Helsinki.

The shooter, who police named as Pekka Eric Auvinen, is in a critical condition at Toolo Hospital, Dr. Eeero Hirvensalo told CNN. Police believe he tried to take his own life.

At least 12 people sustained minor injuries and "are in no danger now," Hirvensalo added.

The shooting, believed to be the first of its kind in Finland's history, was the work of Pekka Eric Auvinen, who police said is from Tuusula and who acted alone. He had no previous criminal record and had never threatened anyone from the school before, they added.


Auvinen published a manifesto online demanding war on the "weak-minded masses" and pledged to die for his cause.

YouTube appeared to have removed 89 videos linked to his account, many of them featuring Nazi imagery, shortly after the incident.

Finnish media reported someone posted a message two weeks ago on the Web site, warning of a bloodbath at the school.

A video posted earlier Wednesday, by "Sturmgeist89," was titled "Jokela High School Massacre - 11/7/2007." "Sturmgeist89" identified himself as Auvinen, and said he chose the name "Sturmgeist" because it means "storm spirit" in German.

The video showed a picture of the school, which then disintegrated to reveal two images of Auvinen against a red background, pointing a gun at the screen.

The clip is accompanied by the song "Stray Bullet" from rock band KMFDM. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the students behind the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, also cited that group's lyrics.

Another short video clip, called "Just Testing My Gun," showed Auvinen loading and cocking a handgun. He fired and hit several pieces of fruit in a wooded area; the camera then showed a close-up of the destroyed fruit, and then a full-screen shot of him again. He waved at the camera and then walked out of view.

The site indicated that the youth appeared to be fascinated with killing. As well as video footage of the Columbine school shootings, it also included clips of the 1993 Waco siege in the United States, the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo, and bombs falling on Baghdad during the 2003 invasion.

Many showed victims being wheeled away or people running for their lives. Throughout all of this, the single word "DIE" constantly flashed across the screen. Other video clips included Nazi-war-criminal footage.

In the rambling text posted on the site, Auvinen said that he is "a cynical existentialist, anti-human humanist, anti-social social-Darwinist, realistic idealist and god-like atheist.

"I am prepared to fight and die for my cause," he wrote. "I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection."

The police said at this afternoon's press conference that they had been fired at when they arrived at the school at 11.45pm local time (9.45am GMT).

They described the scene as chaotic, with some of the 460 students, ranging in age from 12 to 18, breaking windows in an attempt to escape.

When the police's special SWAT unit entered the high school they found the gunman unconscious and in critical condition in the lower lobby of the building with a gunshot wound to his head. Police assume he tried to take his own life as no officers fired at him.

Several bodies were also found in the same location, where the shooting is believed to have begun, they added.

They could not confirm comments by some students that Auvinen was firing through doors.

Police also said that the gun Auvinen used, which was fully licensed, had been purchased less than a month ago on October 19. The legal age limit to own a gun in Finland is 18, which Auvinen passed in June of this year.

He had a recommendation from a shooting club when he obtained the gun, police added, and practised sharp-shooting as a hobby at a shooting range.

Finland, which enjoys a strong tradition of hunting, has a high proportion of gun ownership, with two million firearms owned in a nation of only five million.

The Associated Press reported comments from Kim Kiuru, one of the school's teachers, on radio station YLE.

Kiuru described how the headmistress used the public address system around noon to tell pupils to stay in classrooms.

He said he locked his classroom door, then waited in the corridor for more news.

"After that I saw the gunman running with what appeared to be a small-caliber handgun in his hand through the doors towards me, after which I escaped to the corridor downstairs and ran in the opposite direction, " Kiuru said.

The agency reported Kiuru as saying that he saw a woman's body as he fled the school, before telling his pupils to leave the building through the windows.

BBC article on the subject

[His Divine Shadow]

Do Finns screen for mental health as part of their permit-issuing process?

They only look for past issues, seeing if someone is crazy right now isn't really a feasible option after all.

[Glocksman]

Do Finns screen for mental health as part of their permit-issuing process?

They only look for past issues, seeing if someone is crazy right now isn't really a feasible option after all.

Apparently he 'slipped under the radar', since I'll bet his problems developed over a period of years.
After all, one just doesn't become a full blown psycho overnight.
Are juvenile criminal and/or mental health records looked into when getting your permits, or are there privacy laws in place to seal them?

[Dooey Jo]

What a shocker. Precisely the type of angry loser completely full of himself I thought it would be.

I can’t say I belong to same race as the lousy, miserable, arrogant, selfish human race!

My my, isn't that a highly ironic statement, coming from someone who claim to hate hypocrisy. "I'm not arrogant, I just believe I'm in the 3% of the world population that can think for myself, and that makes me so much better than everyone else that I can kill them if I want to. I'm not miserable, I'm just totally unhappy with my life. I'm not selfish, I'm just blaming my unhappiness on the dumb masses and the corrupt system."

I wonder if he blew those brains he claimed to possess out because he finally realised just what a homicidal fuckhead he was. I hope he survives as a vegetable and that the bullet repaired his broken mind, making him able to feel empathy for the supposedly worthless lives he just ruined...

[Kanastrous]

They only look for past issues, seeing if someone is crazy right now isn't really a feasible option after all.

I wouldn't mind a mental-health screening, as part of the purchase process for a deadly weapon. Even though it would slow down the system.

As it was, when I worked for an arms dealership, we'd sometimes make judgments at the counter, as to whether or not we were willing to complete a transaction. And that's really better left to professionals...

[Lord Poe]

Apparently, the Amazing Atheist called this one, and even argued with the guy on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIKUWgsIncg

Check the links on the sidebar.

[Kanastrous]

I hope he survives as a vegetable and that the bullet repaired his broken mind, making him able to feel empathy for the supposedly worthless lives he just ruined...

Hardly fair to the Finnish taxpayers who would be subsidizing his medical care.

[His Divine Shadow]

They only look for past issues, seeing if someone is crazy right now isn't really a feasible option after all.

I wouldn't mind a mental-health screening, as part of the purchase process for a deadly weapon. Even though it would slow down the system.

I would mind, I would find it offensively useless and ineffective at stopping even these statistical abberations, a profound waste of time and money.

[Edi]

Are juvenile criminal and/or mental health records looked into when getting your permits, or are there privacy laws in place to seal them?

Not sealed for that purpose. This guy had a completely clean past and since his online activities were by all indications not prominent or known to his friends and acquaintances, they did not suspect he had been unhinged.

[Gunhead]

If you want to gain a permit for a semiauto .22 long pistol in Finland all you need is: A clean record, 18 years of age and a reason what you're going to use the gun for. Simply stating for target practice would suffice.
You can get a permit if you're 16 or over with parental consent. This guy was also a member of a gun club according to the news which is considered to be a good thing when applying for a licence. Then you pay a 32e fee and they'll send the permit to you by post in about two weeks. This is the permit you use to buy a firearm and it's good for 12 months. Unused permits have to be returned to the police. After you've bought the gun, you have 30 days to present it at your police station where they'll check the serial number and confirm that you've bought a gun allowed by your permit. In about two weeks from that you can pick up your plastic permit from the police station.

I really hope this little shit-for-brains survives but is permanently paralyzed from the neck down. Dyings too fucking good for him.

-Gunhead

[Kanastrous]

Nope.

Just died.

Good riddance.

[Rightous Fist Of Heaven]

He's dead Jim.


My condolences go to the parents and friends of the victims. I just hope that this doesnt give any other would-be young revolutionists silly ideas of following the example set by this little turd. I can just imagine the bullshit that the leftists will be able to spin around by using this fuckbag's actions as an example.

[Broomstick]

What the hell was the head teacher thinking? Wouldn't it be better to GET THE HELL AWAY from the danger zone instead of hoping the shooter wouldn't try to break into a room?

Depends on how the building is constructed. If the walls/doors are heavy enough staying inside and barracading the door may either halt the shooter or delay his entry long enough for the police to arrive. It may also delay a shooter's entry to a room long enough for the occupants to escape through windows.

And it's already been pointed out that crowd control when a panicked mob is exiting a building can also cause problems and injuries.

[Broomstick]

What do I hate / What I don’t like?
Equality, tolerance, human rights, political correctness, hypocrisy, ignorance, enslaving religions and ideologies, antidepressants, ...

(emphasis added)

Makes me wonder if perhaps he'd had some direct experience with them.

It is not unknown for depression in men to manifest outwardly as rage. Men are slightly inclined to lash out, women are slightly inclined toward self-destruction (exceptions abound, of course). Puberty is also a time when mental illness is more likely to manifest than at other times in life (my sister's depression started in high school, as an example). If such brain dysfunction does kick in, in the late teens the downward spiral can be quite rapid.

[Alerik the Fortunate]

Unfortunately his manifesto seems ready-made material to be spun into the usual diatribe that belief in evolution or atheism implies social darwinism implies nihilism, etc, and destabilizes young minds to the point of murder. I imagine if it's even discussed here in the U.S. that's the direction things will take.

[Sidewinder]

<snip>

Oberleutnant, where did you get a copy of this letter? And how old was the shooter, anyways? Is he another angry teen? (I doubt anyone above the age of 20 would be spit that much bullshit from his/her mouth, but...)

[Kamakazie Sith]

Unfortunately his manifesto seems ready-made material to be spun into the usual diatribe that belief in evolution or atheism implies social darwinism implies nihilism, etc, and destabilizes young minds to the point of murder. I imagine if it's even discussed here in the U.S. that's the direction things will take.

Fortunately, we have plenty of examples of the "righteous" doing exactly the same thing, but in the name of jesus. Thus, anyone who does that is very stupid, and ignorant of history.

Unfortunately, this won't be the last mass murder. We just have to hope that as each one happens we learn from it, and reduce the damage the next one causes.

[Dooey Jo]

<snip>

Oberleutnant, where did you get a copy of this letter? And how old was the shooter, anyways? Is he another angry teen? (I doubt anyone above the age of 20 would be spit that much bullshit from his/her mouth, but...)

He was 18. That's why he ended all his screen names with "89", because that's when he was born...

Also, according to the "Amazing Atheist" from Poe's Youtube link, he had recently lost his girlfriend. Funny that. It was the first thing that came to my mind when I read this part:

Due to long process of existential thinking, observing the society I live and some other things happened in my life... I have come to the point where I feel nothing but hate against humanity and human race.

So yes, another angry teen.

[Rye]

I got a press release from the German metal band Sturmgeist in my inbox today:

Today an 18-year old man shot seven people in a high school massacre in Tuusula, Finland. The killer referred to himself as "Sturmgeist89" on YouTube. Sturmgeist is not only the name of my band, but also of a character in the video game "Medal of Honor". As of yet, it is not established wherefrom the murderer took the name. Understandably, journalists keep calling me, eager to prove a link between my band and the massacre. However, as an artist, I can neither control the actions of my fans nor be held responsible for them.

It is my firm conviction that if somebody wishes to go down as the cause of a massacre like that in Tuusula, explanations beyond music must be sought. In an interview with the Oslo-based newspaper Dagbladet today I argue that although extreme metal as a genre deals with topics such as isolation, misanthropy and despair, blaming the musicians is both wrong and unfair. It is people that kill people. Not music.

Extreme metal has a potential both for social comment and personal katharsis, given its dealing with problems ordinarily shunned by mainstream society: suicide, madness, pollution, violence, warfare and drug abuse all occur regularly in extreme metal lyrics, mostly subject to critical scrutiny.

I do recall how lonely and isolated I felt as a teenager, how strong an impact music had on my life. Extreme metal helped me channel my aggression in a constructive way; where Slayer's album "Seasons in the Abyss" described the psychology of a mass murderer, Cannibal Corpse's "The Bleeding" gave graphic accounts of extreme violence. Even though I adored both albums, I did not go out and kill people.

Knowing the boundary between fiction and reality was always a prerequisite for dealing with dark matters in music, literature, film and video games. It seems obvious that the Tuusula murderer was ignorant about this boundary.

The lyrics of Sturmgeist do contain topics both sinister and martial. Topics such as WWI & WWII ("Triumph", "Enigma"), the war in Iraq ("Shock & Awe", "Iron Hammer"), Viking battle ("Army of Odin"), a victim exerting revenge on his tormentor ("Ruger"). I readily admit it. Saying anything else would not only be a blatant lie; worse, it would be betraying the music I love and believe in.

I am most shocked by the tragic event in Finland, and mourn the victims of the crime. I believe that the victims could have been alive today, if youngsters on the edge were given more attention by the proper instances. I extend my compassion and my condolences to the families of the deceased.