Culturebox: Nerd Violence

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culturebox Nerd Violence Never give a sword to a man who can't dance. By Daniel Engber Posted Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, at 7:04 AM ET It would have been newsworthy if Michael Brea, a young actor from the television series Ugly Betty, had killed his mother with a gun. But when he slashed her to death last November in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a 3-foot-long Masonic blade, his crime made the front page: A sword nut gone berserk. Brea's choice of weapon may not have been his greatest derangement--"I didn't kill her, I killed the demon inside her," he insisted afterward--but it was certainly odd. In the United States, at least, murderers tend to shoot people: Two-thirds of the nation's homicides--about 10,000 per year--are committed with firearms. Drug dealers use handguns to protect their turf; athletes keep them in their pants. Among cops, shooting is contagious. When teenagers snap, they bring guns to school. To continue reading, click here. Daniel Engber is a senior editor at Slate. He can be reached at danengber@yahoo.com. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate How One of the Last Soldiers in Iraq Spent His New Year's Eve Weigel: The Political Predictions I Got Wildly Wrong in 2010--and a Few I Got Right Blue Valentine: A Captivating Portrayal of a Fragile Marriage	Advertisement
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