Gunman with Three Names: Difference between revisions

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The paranoid assertion above, as it turns out, is more or less true (much more so than the ones Gibson comes up with on his own time, certainly). For reasons that are not entirely clear even to themselves, news media in the United States (print as well as television) go out of their way to make sure every lone gunman and solitary crazed killer is identified by his full name, regardless of how he is called by relatives, friends and neighbors.

According to at least one broadcast journalism writing textbook, the reason for this is that a person is more likely to have the same two-part name as someone else than the same three-part name. So it lets John ''Henry'' Booth or Mark ''Daniel'' Chapman not have to wonder why everyone is looking at him funny. TV reporters also generally read the police report verbatim, figuring they can't be sued for slander if they merely report what is in a public document. Also note that this might be an American ~~thing -- in~~ most European countries, middle names aren't that common, or used even if people have them, and people in Hispanic countries often have ''four'' names. Naming conventions in non-western countries are a whole different topic altogether. Furthermore, in many European countries middle name is often associated with sophistication, so it usually does not suit common criminals, though it can be a part of a [[Professional Killer]]'s image.

According to at least one broadcast journalism writing textbook, the reason for this is that a person is more likely to have the same two-part name as someone else than the same three-part name. So it lets John ''Henry'' Booth or Mark ''Daniel'' Chapman not have to wonder why everyone is looking at him funny. TV reporters also generally read the police report verbatim, figuring they can't be sued for slander if they merely report what is in a public document. Also note that this might be an American thing—in most European countries, middle names aren't that common, or used even if people have them, and people in Hispanic countries often have ''four'' names. Naming conventions in non-western countries are a whole different topic altogether. Furthermore, in many European countries middle name is often associated with sophistication, so it usually does not suit common criminals, though it can be a part of a [[Professional Killer]]'s image.

Note that this isn't the case for just any handgun-wielding punk who makes the news. It takes a special crime that catches the public's attention. "Ordinary" ~~shooters -- as~~ well as the rare sympathetic ~~figure -- are~~ accorded less formal (and less obsessive) address by the media.

Note that this isn't the case for just any handgun-wielding punk who makes the news. It takes a special crime that catches the public's attention. "Ordinary" shooters—as well as the rare sympathetic figure—are accorded less formal (and less obsessive) address by the media.

An interesting case in point would be that of New York's so-called "Subway Vigilante" in 1984. When his actions were still viewed as a shocking unmotivated attack, the news media consistently referred to him by his full name, "Bernhard Hugo Goetz". However, as his story came out and public opinion shifted more and more in his favor, the news programs began calling him just "Bernhard Goetz" and finally "Bernie".

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* A running reference in Chuck Shepherd's ''News of the Weird'' column is that there seem to be an awful lot of murderers with [http://www.newsoftheweird.com/wayne.html the middle name "Wayne"].

* Mehmet Ali Ağca, who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981 and previously murdered journalist Abdi İpekçi.

* Jerry Seinfeld, on the allegations that his wife was plagiarizing another author's cookbook idea (each book happens to be about making ~~healthy -- yet~~ inconspicuously ~~tasty -- meals~~ for their kids; Missy Chase Lapine's is "The Sneaky Chef", while Jessica Seinfeld's is "Deceptively Delicious"). Seinfeld, in his wife's defense, appeared on talk shows joking around at how he's noticed assassins tend to often have, like Lapine, three ~~names -- Mark~~ David Chapman, James Earl Ray, etc. (This, naturally, caused a bit of a [http://gawker.com/5072344/jerry-seinfeld-devastates-wifes-rival-by-calling-her-an-assassin stink].)

* Jerry Seinfeld, on the allegations that his wife was plagiarizing another author's cookbook idea (each book happens to be about making healthy—yet inconspicuously tasty—meals for their kids; Missy Chase Lapine's is "The Sneaky Chef", while Jessica Seinfeld's is "Deceptively Delicious"). Seinfeld, in his wife's defense, appeared on talk shows joking around at how he's noticed assassins tend to often have, like Lapine, three names—Mark David Chapman, James Earl Ray, etc. (This, naturally, caused a bit of a [http://gawker.com/5072344/jerry-seinfeld-devastates-wifes-rival-by-calling-her-an-assassin stink].)

* Christopher Wayne Hudson, who shot three people in the Melbourne CBD in 2007, killing one.

* John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the Washington, DC snipers in 2002.

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** Curiously, the victim in this case is also usually known by three names.

* In Presidential assassins it's 50/50, but the three-named ones are a ''lot'' more famous:

** John Wilkes ~~Booth -- assassin~~ of President [[Abraham Lincoln]]

** John Wilkes Booth—assassin of President [[Abraham Lincoln]]

** Lee Harvey ~~Oswald -- assassin~~ of President [[John F. Kennedy]]

** Lee Harvey Oswald—assassin of President [[John F. Kennedy]]

** Leon ~~Czolgosz -- assassin~~ of President [[William McKinley]] (had no middle name)

** Leon Czolgosz—assassin of President [[William McKinley]] (had no middle name)

** Charles J. ~~Guiteau -- assassin~~ of President [[James Garfield]] (his middle name was Julius, but he never used it)

** Charles J. Guiteau—assassin of President [[James Garfield]] (his middle name was Julius, but he never used it)

* Sara Jane Moore, who attempted to assasinate President [[Gerald Ford]].

* Robert William Pickton, a Canadian pig farmer convicted of [[Disposable Woman|killing 6 women]] and charged with killing 20 more.