Listen to Episode 840 of Slate’s The Gist:
Subscribe in iTunes ∙ RSS feed ∙ Download ∙ Play in another tab
Slate Plus members: Get your ad-free podcast feed.
On The Gist, we’re thinking about the mass shooting in Las Vegas and the errors we make when we attempt to explain the motives of an attacker. Author Masha Gessen says it’s all part of our desire to reassure ourselves that we won’t fall victim to a bomb blast or a spray of bullets. “As soon as we find an explanation, we set it aside and we’re reassured that it’s not going to happen to us.” Gessen went in search of an explanation for the Boston Marathon bombing in her book, The Brothers. She’ll be back soon to talk about her latest book, The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.
In the Spiel, Mike found the perfect metaphor for our familiar reaction to a mass shooting.
Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.
Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook.
Email: thegist@slate.com
Twitter: @slategist
