Is the Nashville Bomber’s Mental Makeup Similar to Anyone You Know?

(Writer’s note: Trump people, I’m encouraging you not to read this. This content is meant only for the rest of us, along with your caregivers. Also, you are not going to like it. It could possibly upset you. And the one thing we don’t want to do…is upset you.)

So, as I wrote, just a few days after Christmas, the Nashville bomber was obviously a Trump supporter. Now it’s important to note, the FBI did not say that this week, but it’s more important to note what they did say.

They reported, as we all suspected, the fellow was a long time conspiracy theorist with suicidal tendencies. He was the kind of guy who would help his neighbor change their windshield wipers, and then hunt for shape shifting reptiles at night. He was an IT guy who prided himself on being more intelligent than most, and yet would hole up for days searching for information about the 9/11 bombing.

Therefore, as all of us know, this perfectly describes a significant portion of people we’ve come to know the last few years, right?

They aren’t necessarily bad people, they don’t have to be white supremacists, they certainly don’t have to be Republicans, or for that matter, even, Christians, but they are those who believe Trump will somehow save us all.

They don’t hang out together just for the finger foods.

Now, hold on, wait. I understand your need to defend your Uncle JimmyBob or your Aunt SarahMalarkey. And I am not saying we all can’t enjoy a good conspiracy theory or three in our own lives. It’s fun. It’s a mystery. And it always seems somewhat rationally plausible.

Think about it, how much difference is there between a conspiracy theory and a campfire tale about the Lover’s Lane murderer?

Not a lot. Just a leap of faith, coupled with a good ol’ dose of isolation.

In the nineties, I loved the X-Files. To this day, I’m intrigued with Roswell, with Air Force pilots constantly spotting UFOs, and with US Presidents being told they don’t have a high enough security clearance to know about any of this.

The prevailing conspiracy these days is, that yes, the government did come across something alien at Roswell, whether technological or otherwise, and yes, top military or top intelligence agencies have developed it since.

That’s a pretty good conspiracy theory, isn’t it?

Not, I repeat NOT a conspiracy theory!

So why don’t I obsess over it every day? Why don’t I sit at home night scouring the dark web for any clue or conversation about it?

I’ll tell you why. Because this next conspiracy theory devours the last.

What if I were to tell you we had a bomb, no we had hundreds of bombs, that in a moment’s notice could destroy the earth we live upon?

And what if I were to tell you, so does Russia, and so does China?

And what if I were to tell you, that our militaries have come so close, multiple times, from decade to decade and year to year, of mistakenly pulling the switch on all those bombs?

And finally, what if I were to tell you, Pakistan, the country where Osama Bin Laden was hiding, has these same bombs?

You would think I’m crazy, right?

Except of course this is all completely true!

The real world capabilities of humans are a heck of lot, more scary, than the what ifs of shape shifting alien reptiles, QAnon predictions, or a 9/11 domestic hoax.

There are books, yes books on these subjects. Sheesh.

So what is making your friends, neighbors and loved ones disconnect from the actual insane world only to try and plug into an even more crazy world?

The Nashville bomber told a friend it all started when he realized 9/11 was a hoax.

The FBI said he’d became increasingly isolated from his family. Heck, he worked for his mom and dad back in the 70’s, but then left them, took a client, and started his own company. Years later his parents would sue him because he tried to sell his dead brother’s house.

That’s a good way to start your isolation.

In all seriousness, messing with Trump supporters aside, we need to be cognizant of people in our lives who are going down this road.

The crazy world of internet derived information and misinformation is making some of our people crazy. If the first stage is conspiracy theories, the second stage is isolation.

This doesn’t need to be your neighborhood.

You need to be aware. You need to identify. And if any way is possible, you need to alter their isolation. Or otherwise, you’re going to have a similar situation in your neighborhood.

Postlogue: Okay Trump people if you read this, which you weren’t supposed to, go back up about six sentences, where I admitted I was just messing with you guys. But where all of us, including you, need to be on the lookout for our friends and neighbors going down a rabbit hole they may not escape. This is the point of this column. Just so you know.