It Could Happen Here Executive Disorder: White House Weekly #31
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Aug 29, 2025 The discussion tackles the recent school shooting in Minneapolis, focusing on the shooter's troubling obsession with mass killers. They analyze Trump's efforts to undermine the Federal Reserve's independence and the potential consequences of increased political control. The hosts delve into the unsettling connection between capitalism, rising violence, and the desensitization to tragedies in society. They also explore provocative ideas like renaming the Department of Defense and consider the impact of medication and obsessive fandom on behavior.
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Memetic Fandom Drives Copycat Shootings
- The Minneapolis shooter exemplifies a memetic 'true crime community' fandom that fetishizes past mass killers and borrows memes rather than coherent ideology.
- This memetic maximalism flattens meaning and encourages imitation by turning atrocities into aesthetic artifacts.
Aesthetic Obsession Trumps Ideology
- Many recent shooters borrow aesthetics and references from prior attackers, treating violence as cosplay or performance rather than ideology.
- That pattern links Nashville, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Minneapolis attacks into a recognizable neo-Columbiner subculture.
Columbiner Fandom Evolved From Tumblr
- Robert Evans recounts the evolution of Columbiner fandom from early Tumblr-era obsession to modern, viral online communities.
- He cites how fans collect objects and reenact sites, turning atrocity sites into pilgrimage destinations.