From the Tower shootings in 1966 to Campus Carry in 2016: Collective trauma at the University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

The first mass school shooting in the modern history of the United States occurred at the University of Texas at Austin on August 1, 1966. A 25‐year‐old student, Charles Whitman, went on a rampage that ultimately left 16 dead and 31 injured. With no prior models for how to respond, public discourse about the tragedy was squelched. Fifty years lapsed before a proper permanent memorial was dedicated – the same day that the Campus Carry gun law went into effect. This article explores the tragedy and its aftermath through the lens of history, rhetoric, sociology, and psychoanalysis. The silence and disavowal after the killings, the perception that Austin lost its innocence, feelings of helplessness and shame, more permissive gun laws, and even the counter‐culture's glorification of Whitman were symptomatic of collective trauma. In the years since the massacre, we learned that collective trauma requires witnessing, discourse, and memorialization for healing to occur.

No more politics over people: The role of helping professions in the prevention of mass shootings and gun-related violence.

“…Massacres cause symptoms of trauma that are prolonged even 50 years later for individuals, families, and communities (Ponder, 2018). Although there have been many different instances within communities, such as with the University of Texas and Virginia Tech shooting, where community support and violence prevention groups were implemented postshooting (Ponder, 2018), this seems to be a temporary fix for a long-standing social problem. These kinds of changes benefit community members as means for emotional support but may not provide preventative action that could address the feelings of fear among victims in regard to another mass shooting from reoccurring.…”

“…Ponder (2018) examined collective trauma as it relates to witnesses and survivors of the well-known University of Texas shooting by Charles Whitman in 1966. She found that even 50 years later, survivors vividly remember the massacre and still experienced trauma-related symptoms, such as repression, anxiety, intrusive memories, and survivor's guilt (Ponder, 2018). When discussing trauma-related symptoms, the concept of fear must be acknowledged.…”

“…This social problem undoubtedly detriments the mental and physical health of victims, families, and communities. Moreover, trauma-related symptoms can exist many years postshooting (Ponder, 2018). When will this unforgiving cycle of trauma end?…”

“…It is important to consider not only the impact on the individual but also the impact on the larger society. Mass shootings inflict trauma on individuals, families, and communities thus leaving victims feeling hopeless and fearful (Ponder, 2018). Resource loss theory acknowledges the interpersonal and intrapersonal variables that arise when victims and witnesses experience a mass shooting (Littleton et al, 2009).…”

“…Along with Ponder (2018), Littleton and colleagues (2009) researched the effect of resource loss theory on victims and witnesses of the Virginia Tech mass shooting. In this study, intrapersonal and interpersonal resources were defined as intimacy, hope, and life direction.…”