After my previous annoyance at the dubious linking of metal music as motivation for murder, it has happened in this country yet again. Most of the time it seems as if the media is grasping at straws, throwing in a line or two regarding a killer listening to, or supposedly being inspired by, heavy metal. So often this ‘link’ appears to be made as an afterthought, as mainstream media outlets know that a sensational story will inevitably draw in more readers or more viewers. Truth in journalism is rare, unless you dig to find it. Most people either do not care enough to find it, or simply accept as fact what is put out by media. It’s human nature, which often follows reasonably predictable patterns. When someone breaks the pattern and becomes an outlier at the fringes of society, as is the case with murder cases such as this, most people search for answers. Sometimes there isn’t really an answer, or it takes time to find a satisfactory answer. I’m not immune to cognitive dissonance and bias, but I have a difficult time recalling instances of other genres of music being linked to murders and mental disorders with the same frequency as heavy metal. Metal often seems to be a quick and easy answer, plausible enough to those not involved in the metal scene.
Three RCMP officers were recently murdered in Moncton, New Brunswick, leading to a manhunt for, and ultimately, the arrest of Justin Bourque. It took mere hours (maybe less) from the time this senseless violence occurred for the media to point out that the suspect loved Megadeth and other metal. This came from postings on one of his social media accounts, which is a little questionable in itself. Many people who have no intention of committing any violent acts post song lyrics or references on their social media pages, amongst other (mostly trivial) things.
Without delving any deeper into this case, and not discounting how shocking and upsetting it has been to many Canadians, there is a comment that has come to light that I’m personally glad has been published. One of the suspect’s friends has stated to the media that the music Bourque listened to (specifically Megadeth) had nothing to do with the murders. Those close to the suspect do not yet seem to have an idea regarding the true motives, other than suggesting that Bourque has always had problems with authority. Take what you want from the rumor mill and what has been published by the media, but I think it’s good that someone who knew the suspect actually stated that music had nothing to do with this and this was subsequently published in articles regarding this horrific development.
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