DBK: How is your view the school shooting in Graz?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: First, I would like to express my deepest condolences to those affected and wish them much strength to get through this terrible time.
I believe it’s too early to look for causes of this complex issue, which, although it may sound tactless in this context, fortunately happens very rarely.
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We need to examine two perspectives: that of the victims and that of the perpetrator, who must have also seen themselves as a victim. Back then, I started working with borderline patients because there was no real support system for people with personality disorders at the time. Austria still has some catching up to do in terms of defining and providing help for mental health issues in various areas.
DBK: Can we assume the perpetrator was borderline?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: Investigations will clarify this in about a week once the environment and the cause of the act are established. Generally, there are two types of borderline: one type is more of a victim and, in this case, would likely punish themselves with suicide; the second type is outwardly aggressive, likely already a repeat offender, making access to a weapon quite difficult. Then there’s a small percentage in between that could be relevant, as well as patients with schizophrenia or other disorders. Currently, the facts for such an assessment are not yet clear.
DBK: If we consider the perpetrator’s perspective, who may have been a victim of bullying, how should we address this issue?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: The individual didn’t target a specific person but a collective. When this happens, it’s often a critique of a society that’s drifting apart rather than standing together. Usually, it’s precisely these circumstances, triggered by such an incident, that bring us back together. Parents talk to their children, hug them, and are grateful they’re there. In families where this happens year-round, not much will change, only in those where this contact has been lacking. Think back to social distancing, when people with differing opinions clashed, and politics drove a wedge into society.
We’re witnessing a transformation of society into a borderline society, driven by highly polarizing politicians who think in black-and-white terms, incapable of objective judgment. Look at the example here, which could again fuel polarization for political gain instead of solving the problem.
DBK: What solution would there be for this problem?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: We need to come together more, not let politics pit us against each other, and allow different opinions and perspectives. We must also include those in the middle who might feel excluded because they’re ignored or not taken seriously.
We need to seek solutions without populism, not turning the consequences into the problem but addressing the root cause.
When I hear conservative politicians talking about installing security systems in schools, I wonder if they’ll later want to build a wall around schools when students are no longer at risk inside but when leaving. Shifting the attack zone from inside to outside doesn’t really solve the problem.
DBK: Should gun laws be revised instead?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: Definitely a better step, and it shows that Europe has fewer armed incidents than the USA. Logically, it doesn’t fully solve the problem, as Austria knows from letter bomb attacks and other biological assaults.
Attacks can never be fully prevented, but we need to listen more to what seems odd. If something feels unbalanced and consistently leans toward an extreme without engaging with other views, that’s radicality. This can be right or left (good or evil, black or white, God or devil; absolutism is a borderline disorder) and is often found online.
Wars, in particular, try to pull us to one side or the other. The current propaganda, especially driven by those drawn to borderline thinking, is already evident in the media. Do media, politics, and the church have borderline traits? YES
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In certain situations, the media is overwhelmed by reality and tries to avoid embarrassment or looking foolish for not following the mainstream. In school, this was called peer pressure—fear of standing against a group and questioning its stance. Ninety percent of the time, the media has to uncover scandals they themselves buried, having fallen for populists.
We no longer have a societal middle ground; everyone must conform to a current to belong. Even if the other side has a good idea, we have to discredit it and destroy its supporters, as if we’re socially at war.
DBK: In your opinion, does politics have a major influence on society’s transformation?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: Extremists always try to build a glass dome around their world to keep it untouchable, as we’re currently seeing in the USA. No matter which side takes over, they want to enforce a narrative to prove they’re stronger.
The cost of this bitter political mudslinging is borne by citizens. Obama introduced nationwide healthcare; Trump repealed it. Or take Austria, where the Greens and SPÖ approved the Lobau Tunnel, only for the federal Greens to halt construction and support a renaturation law without a majority. The FPÖ bought horses that later had to be sold. Extremism and borderline go hand in hand, and I wonder why Austrians seem so drawn to borderliners, given we’ve already experienced the worst part of our history through them.
DBK: What advice do you have for politics?
Jogy Wolfmeyer: If politics returns to the center, the population will follow. Politics has a responsibility and isn’t a playground for the mentally ill. Narcissists, right- and left-wing extremists, self-promoters, and scammers have no place in politics.