Germanwings

Everyone else is guessing, so why can't I?

As I'm sure you're aware there was a plane crash in the Alps on March 24. During the early stages of the investigation it emerged that this was not only a tragedy but also a travesty. The cockpit recorder showed the copilot had locked the pilot out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane.

The world has had some difficulty coming to terms with this because the reasons are a complete mystery... and the absence of evidence has left many people eager to fill the void with their speculations.

Terrorism was ruled out as soon as the prosecutors tested the copilot's skin tone against a paper bag. It seems to have been a good call, though, despite the haste. No manifestos or anything have emerged.

Depression is the next most popular speculation, divided into two camps. There are who think he crashed the plane because of depression... to them the solution would be to ban all pilots with untreated (or even treated) depression from flying. And there are also those who think he crashed the plane because he feared losing his job if his depression became known... this seems a little more plausible, given the torn up doctor's note. But still unproven.

These two causes would have the exact opposite solution. Just to make things fun.

The MRA's came out with a ludicrous theory, as usual (you'll feel better if you don't read that). And there's an opposite there as well: perhaps he was just an angry dude. Like, Elliot Rodger angry. Neither seems likely, though the latter has the advantage of being, you know, sane.

Perhaps he hated his employer and went postal.

At this point finding a manifesto might be the only way to untangle his motivations. But my favourite theory is one I haven't seen mentioned anywhere... maybe he just wanted to be remembered. To be famous. It's an idea I first read about from David Brin, back in 1999. And it's popped into my head ever since then, with every terrorist attack, mass murder, school shooting... there have been lots of things to remind me. That's why I've been careful not to use his name here.

You'll go down in history.