Again, playing devil's advocate,
(yes, there's
always something
wrong with someone who doesn't run with the pack, follow the herd, or obey all current social conventions, isn't there???- or so they would have us think)
Randomly displaying weapon with no reasonable context to do so
(perhaps, but an observer may not be privy to the context, so it might not be random, or without reasonable context to the person doing it.)
(is there anyone among us who has never been bullied?? If so, then congratulations. For most of us it's a fact of life, somewhere, sometime, to some degree. I don't see being bullied as a general causative factor. It might have an added effect, or be the straw that breaks the camel's back, but I think being bullied in and of itself doesn't matter as much as how one deals with it. And tis other factors that shape that.)
Is looking at a catalog for knifes
(which is why they are printed, for people to look at...)
Mimics slicing his teaches throat
(ok, this is a bit disturbing, but kids "play act" all kinds of things without any serious intent, all the time. Might mean something in a specific individual case, but as a general "warning sign" context matters hugely in making a correct interpretation.)
Watches Knife demonstration videos
(again, that's why people make them. Maybe its a sign, but maybe not.)
(ok, this is a bit worrisome, but again lots of "rebel teens" turn out ok. Some don't, sure, but many do. So this alone, again, can be an indication for an individual, but its not guaranteed proof.
Does that sound like a nice stable young man we should just leave alone because there's just nothing indicating there may be an issue with him ?
To me, it sounds like someone we should know more about before passing judgment. I knew several people who fit about everything on that list (though not specifically knives) to one degree or another. The one who was a dedicated amateur chemist, (and made some dandy EXPLOSIVES) wound up with a full ride scholarship to MIT, and later became a lab tech working at Walter Reed hospital. Another became a cop, another a registered (male) nurse, another an ordained minister. Another went bad and went to jail for a long time, and yet another got in trouble with dope, saw the light, reformed and became a drug counselor.
The point here is that what someone LOOKS like (acts like) MAY or MAY NOT mean they are going to turn out bad. And there is a difference between someone who fits a certain profile at a glance, and what they actually are.
It's a common human trait, I have to agree, lumping everyone into categories, but we really shouldn't use it for the basis of judgment (and actions), unless/until the individual actual does something unequivocal.
Does ever sports fan who ever shouted "kill 'em!" really mean they want the other team dead?? Not hardly.
OK, the weird loner might be a ticking time bomb. Or he just might be a weird loner. Making a snap judgment (especially based on a scripted video) isn't fair to him, or to you and I.