Positive Sociology

A video of Psi's "Gangnam Style" is going viral again.  Only this time, the video isn't just a cheeky pop song.  The video is apparently from a wedding party in Yemen.  Guests at this wedding are dancing to "Gangnam Style."  At the start of the video, you see a man firing celebratory gunshots from his AK-47.  Nobody seems to mind.  People keep dancing and the mood appears light and festive. One minute later, the gunman rattles off another series of rounds.  The dancing and music continue for a few seconds and then some revellers recoil in horror as they discover three people dead on the ground.  I did some digging around the internet and couldn't find a reliable report on this event.  But, from the looks of it, the gun was accidentally discharged in the direction of other party-goers. I've never really understood "celebratory gunshots."  I know that it's a popular pastime for some people on the 4th of July and New Years in the US,...

One of my students just tweeted a heartbreaking murder-suicide story.   Merrick McKoy, shot and killed his 18-month daughter, Mia McKoy-Phanthavongsa, and then turned the gun on himself . In a nutshell, McKoy was upset that his girlfriend was going to leave him.  He then announced the murder-suicide on social media.  He wrote to his estranged girlfriend on Facebook, "I told u I can't live without u lol u thought I was just joking now me n Mia out this bitch." He then took a selfie with his daughter and killed her and then himself. This story has stirred up so many feelings in me.  Part of me wants to understand McKoy's mindset.  He must have been in a terrible place.  Love and heartbreak can make us all do stupid things that we regret.  But, I've never heard of something quite like this. I also can't imagine the pain that McKoy's estranged girlfriend, Kim Phanthavongsa, must feel.  What kind of guilt is she feeling?  What kinds of sup...