Racism caused gunman to snap

Darly
By Darly

I understand that racism exists, but I can't believe that he killed all those people ;(

His relatives say Thornton, 34, finally cracked after suffering racial harassment in a company where he said he was singled out for being black in a predominantly white work force.

"Everybody's got a breaking point," said Joanne Hannah, the mother of Thornton's longtime girlfriend.

After shooting his co-workers, Thornton hid as police moved in. He called his mother, who tried for 10 minutes to talk him out of killing himself, his uncle Will Holliday told reporters.

"He said, 'I killed the five racists that was there that was bothering me,'" Holliday said. "He said, 'The cops are going to come in so I am going to take care of myself.'"

from MSNBC

By Vegas• 7 Aug 2010 22:50
Vegas

He got caught on tape stealing beer???

Was let go...Not a race issue...

Why they don't just kill self???

By hamadaCZ• 7 Aug 2010 21:43
hamadaCZ

Not really, most of us don't until we get treated "unequally" for some illogical reasons, let it be colour,race,name,religion...etc

By nomerci• 7 Aug 2010 16:59
nomerci

I think everybody here understands what being treated "inferior or superior " means.

By gudone• 7 Aug 2010 16:01
gudone

he mite hav sufferd tht much....

By hamadaCZ• 7 Aug 2010 15:05
hamadaCZ

Very few people understand the term and the feeling of being treated as "inferior" or "superior", only the victims understand it.

By natasha77• 7 Aug 2010 14:51
Rating: 4/5
natasha77

I have never understood what discrimination really meant until i came here and experienced it. Just having a white man or a brown man at work looked through you as if it you don't exist. I can't imagine how other people feel when worst things have been done with them. Thats what we have to endure because we want to work here in the Middle East. When you don't have a choice, you will stay and take the abuse. It's between going back home and die of hunger or go work in the Middle East, send money for your family and take what you have to take. But KILLING is not the answer. If you kill another human being, you are worst than the racist.

By nomerci• 7 Aug 2010 14:27
nomerci

Racism, a term most abused ....so the guy was a thief?

By anonymous• 7 Aug 2010 09:03
anonymous

And I said Racism is a big enough issue to die for or to kill for.

By anonymous• 7 Aug 2010 08:56
anonymous

"just Racism" - if you understood it well, i meant there are more issues on his head other than Racism.

By edifis• 7 Aug 2010 03:51
edifis

Land cruiser & Porche

Thats a mixed Race!

WK That's the way to go @ it.

By anonymous• 7 Aug 2010 03:00
Rating: 4/5
anonymous

Racism isn't so bad, I saw a land crusier out race a porche caynee on the cornice.... it was the best race I saw all year.

By anonymous• 7 Aug 2010 02:44
anonymous

edifis I have said many times that deep down I agree that Indians are racist themselves so we can't really point fingers at anyone for racism. Sometimes I get really really angry when someone passes a comment on me based on the fact that I am Indian and the colour of my skin. I don't trust myself when I am angry but I don't think I will ever kill anyone over racism.

And just like you said, I avoid the racist folks I met in Qatar now since I didn't see any change in their attitude.

By edifis• 7 Aug 2010 00:16
Rating: 2/5
edifis

WK, this is bad. Are you becoming a psycho! Racism can't be as bad as killing.

I have experianced a bit of racism here. But I take it very sportingly. I believe Racism is natural. Each one favors his own kind. And when they see competition they stick to their own kind to fare better. I find it even in my aquarium. The fishes are racist too!

When someone treats me in a different manner because I am Indian I find that the feeling is reciprocal. So that way I am a racist too! When I think deep I find that most Indians including me are racist too.

You can scare someone with a gun or even kill him but you can't cure their racist mentality!

So you can't fight racism with violence.

I think if you are not bothered by racism and treat the agressor with all fairness (try not to be a racist towards him), then inchalla he may tone down the racism and may even be cured! If that doesn't work I try to avoid him as much as possible!

I hope you will agree.

By shapil• 6 Aug 2010 23:41
shapil

RIP...the aggrived and the aggressor.

By drmana• 6 Aug 2010 22:30
Rating: 2/5
drmana

rishi, he won't rot behind bars as he killed himself as well.

But reading the full story, I think it was not only racism but also being found guilty of theft that caused the aggression.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38554795/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

"Omar Thornton sat calmly in a meeting with union representative and his supervisors as they showed a video of him stealing beer from the distributor where he worked."

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 22:05
anonymous

well, hope they get the message..but its roots are too deep to be shaken by 'some more incidents'..

i am afraid, this 'tribe' mentality will be there till the edge of humanity's doom.

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 21:54
anonymous

rishimba all will not have to kill. Some more incidents like this and racists will get the message.

My God I am turning into a psycho, lol.. :P

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 21:51
anonymous

WK, quitting his job would have been better for him than taking the law in his hands...now he will rot behind bars for life.

do you suggest that all such victims should kill the perpetrtors? there are peaceful ways to fight this discrimination..

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 21:19
anonymous

"just racism" you say C4H4.

Racism is one of the biggest crimes against humanity and that's why Millions have died till day fighting racism and you say it is just racism. lol... No wonder this cancer doesn't go away because some people think of it as just racism. what's the big deal..

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 21:16
anonymous

...the guy seemed to had enough of racism. The guy definitely has some issue on his head though to take others lives. I think the issue is more than just RACISM.

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 21:05
anonymous

rishimba why should he quit his job if others are racist?

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 21:02
anonymous

the guy could have quit his job and joined a company which had a few blacks.....his actions shows he was impulsive.

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 20:47
anonymous

You're right, I've learnt so much about different shades of brown and how they are horrible to each other in the middle east than I would have learned anywhere else....

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 20:40
Rating: 4/5
anonymous

It is running both ways here in the Middle east ES.

Some people don't get some things because they are brown

Some people don't get some things because they are white

Even the shades of Brown and White matter, lol..

Someone is going to snap here soon enough, that person could be of any colour.

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 20:35
anonymous

not to mention the brown trash. When will the white people fight back in the middle east when the 'browns' only give jobs to fellow browns, discriminating against more qualified white applicants...

By Dracula• 6 Aug 2010 20:31
Dracula

Why you use guns when you can use a vampire instead! :P

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 20:30
anonymous

As long as the "White trash" exist, that kind of incident will happen again.

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 20:23
anonymous

lol hamada, Brother next time anger strikes me, will give you a call ;)

By hamadaCZ• 6 Aug 2010 20:20
hamadaCZ

If you are interested, I've got an arsenal.

By GodFather.• 6 Aug 2010 20:07
GodFather.

yes we all are.. racism should not be tolerated and taking another humans life for what ever reason should not be considered..

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 20:02
anonymous

ROFL UkEng I am thankful for that every single day :o)

By GodFather.• 6 Aug 2010 20:00
GodFather.

WK glad that guns are not easy to access here compared to the UK.. Imagine what you would have done..:)

By GodFather.• 6 Aug 2010 20:00
GodFather.

WK glad that guns are not easy to access here compared to the UK.. Imagine what you would have done..:)

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 19:58
anonymous

britexpat I am not saying we become killers only because of racism. I am just saying if you keep pushing a man around, eventually he will go over the edge.

By FathimaH• 6 Aug 2010 19:34
FathimaH

While killing the perpetrators is never commendable people should realize how soul scarring the pain caused by racism is.

By britexpat• 6 Aug 2010 19:30
britexpat

Expreriencing racism is one thing, but taking another human life because of it is something else..

By MikaylasMom• 6 Aug 2010 19:30
MikaylasMom

That should be a slogan for here - Qatar; expect the unexpected.

By drmana• 6 Aug 2010 19:27
drmana

Hmmmmm......I totally agree. Anyone is capable of anything. Expect the unexpected :-)

By KHATTAK• 6 Aug 2010 19:25
KHATTAK

WK...we share similar thoughts (Probably for the 1st time) :P

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 19:24
anonymous

drmana every human being is capable of killing. Just don't push people around so much that they snap.

By Darly• 6 Aug 2010 19:23
Darly

Is there racism is Qatar ?

By drmana• 6 Aug 2010 19:23
drmana

WK, should they realise that you can kill as well?? That's scary ;-)

By anonymous• 6 Aug 2010 19:21
anonymous

Some people in Qatar should read this and realise something.

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