Despite Being a ‘Lone-Wolf’ Shooter, the Buffalo Gunman Had an Online Pack

The mass shooting in Buffalo, NY has once again seemed to follow an all too familiar path of online radicalization and planning leading to violence.  In this case the shooter acted as a lone wolf, but despite not have a direct collaborator, he had an online pack.  The shooters ideology is shared by others, whether it be those who subscribe to the Great Replacement theory or creators of the memes that influenced him.  Juliette Kayyem, former assistant secretary for homeland security, joins us for how despite acting solo, the shooter is not alone.

Next, when a tragedy like the one in Buffalo happens, questions arise of possible warning signs and why action wasn’t taken sooner.  In this case, the shooter was reported to police for a possible threat of violence and had a mental health evaluation in 2021.  There are also questions about writings and plans he had posted online and how one becomes radicalized.  Aaron Gregg, reporter at the Washington Post, joins us for the troublesome trail that led to terror.

Finally, it is the dominant model of modern parenting, and it might be time to quit it.  Intensive parenting, also known as helicopter parenting, is a model where parents try to overextend themselves in trying to maximize their child’s success, but research shows that it can lead to parental burnout and harm a child’s competence and mental health.  Elliot Haspel, early-childhood policy expert and contributor to the Atlantic, joins us for how to get away from anxiety-driven intensive parenting.

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