Anthony (Tony) Polito, 67, was a former associate professor at East Carolina University and had applied for a job at UNLV before going on a murderous rampage and killing 3 people yesterday. In his LinkedIn profile, Polito listed a PhD from the University of Georgia and an MBA from Duke University. He listed himself as a "semi-retired university professor." AP article at Yahoo News
According to the reports, Dr. Polito had applied for a position at UNLV and was rejected. From other articles, I gather there may have been other positions for which he applied and was not chosen. Perhaps a string of rejections, and worsening financial position, plus whatever other personal and professional difficulties he faced, fuelled rage and the attack. Likely, another case which, unfortunately, lacked earlier recognition of the problem and an intervention that may have saved lives. I don't think the quote from Acts is in any way relevant to this case In those days, I think those few who could write, often did so with a too-broad brush - blanket statements, as here. I don't take much stock in Divine Inspiration. I do believe in hysteria. My take: We make too much, sometimes of ancient advice. That was then, this is now. I doubt Dr. Polito's mental crisis assuming there was such (and I think that's a fairly safe assumption) was caused by the stress of earning a degree he has now held for years. People here had to tell me, a while ago, that we don't have a rush of PhD's on welfare. Neither does a PhD itself make a person insane - at least once the comps are passed, the diss is accepted, and the viva voce is over. Before it's all done - maybe. Not usually, years after.
