Insight is most useful in our struggles to work puzzles, mazes, math problem, logic problems, and other complicated bits of thinking. A prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support. The idea of a triangle, which is neither oblique nor rectangle, neither equilateral, equicrural, nor scalenon, but all and none of these at once does not seem logical because any actual triangle must be one of these types and cannot possibly be all and none of them. We think in generalities, but we live in detail. What makes any idea general is not any abstract feature that may be alleged to belong to it, but rather its being used to represent all other ideas that are like it in the relevant respects. Thus, if something that is true of a triangle of one of these types is not true of it because it is of that one type, then it is true of all triangles whatever. Nothing exists but what is particular, and particulars ideas become general by being used as representatives of others like them. Generally, we might say, is a symbolic device, not a metaphysical status. One whose vision is defective always sees less than those with good eyesight; but one who is hard of hearing always hears something extra.  #RandolphHarris 1 of 9

Nothing exists but what is particular, and nothing can exist on its own except what can be sensed or imagined on its own.  In the area of human relations, we find generalizations going on all the time. And while we can sit back and say it is unscientific or silly, nonetheless it goes on and it is the cause for a lot of serious conflicts between people. Anthony Edward Sowell was born 19 August 1959, in Cleveland, Ohio USA. Anthony Sowell spent seven years in the Marine Corps and received a Good Conduct Medal with one service star, a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, a Certificate of Commendation, and a Meritorious Mast, and two Letters of Appreciation. However, in 1989, Anthony Sowell started acting strange. A woman who was then three month pregnant went to hang out with Anthony Sowell at his house and when she tried to leave, he bound her hands and feet with a tie and belt, then gagged her with a rag, and choked her real hard, until her body started tingling. She thought she was going to die. Anthony was charged with kidnapping, rape, and attempted rape, and he eventually pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted rape, and served 15 years in prison. He was released in 2005 and displayed good behavior while incarcerated.  #RandolphHarris 2 of 9

After release from prison, Anthony Sowell lived in a Victorian duplex at 12205 Imperial Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio USA. It was a nice three story craftsman bungalow style house. Anthony Sowell would lurk around the neighborhood looking for women to prey on. He would usually pick up young, attractive women, who had self-esteem issues and hardships while growing up and charm them, invite them back to his house, get them hooked on drugs and then choke them to death. Several women in the community came up missing and there were reports of foul smells in the area of Anthony Sowell’s house, but Ray’s Sausage Shop was located next door to the residence, so people just assumed it was the butcher’s shop stinking, and the owners thought so, too and dug up the sewer lines and had then replaced, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars. Anthony Sowell preyed on women who people thought were drug attics and prostitutes because if they went missing for a while, people would think that they were getting high and would return when they ran out of money. Nonetheless, one woman reported that Anthony Sowell choked her and tried to rape her and dragged her into his house, but no one believed her, so there was no investigation.  #RandolphHarris 3 of 9

Insight is like a sudden flash of light flooding into a darkened room, a quick and spontaneous illumination that provides the answer to the problem we are working on. The entire community knew something was wrong because women would go into 12205 Imperial Avenue all the time and no one would ever see them again. On one occasion, a man called the police when he saw Anthony Sowell push a woman out the second story window, as she laid on the ground. Anthony Sowell even went to the hospital and said they were doing drugs and she fell out of the window and police thought nothing of it. Although several women had reported being attacked, and went missing, and there was a foul smell near the house, police were told not to waste resources investigating because the women were prostitutes and drug attics. Even when police would investigate the disappearances, the police said they were not welcomed, the families did not care, and so they did nothing further. Anthony Sowell eventually killed 11 women. All they could find of one woman was her head in a bucket in the basement. And the house was full of bodies, as well as the garden and the butcher’s shop suspected that Anthony Sowell even used their dumpster to discard of the bodies. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9

Is it not in the dark that one best perceives the light? When people are free to do what they want, they usually imitate each other. In September of 2009, Anthony Sowell invited a woman he knew to his house for a drink. On 22 September 2009, she reported to police that after a few drinks, he became angry, hit her, choked her, and raped her as she passed out. On 29 October 2009, when police arrived at Anthony Sowell’s house with a warrant to arrest him for the alleged rape, he was not there at the time, but police found two bodies on the floor in the living room, and four other women were found in the basement. Most of the eleven victims were killed by manual strangulation and many still had ligatures or gag on their bodies when they were discovered. Anthony Sowell had raped at least three other women, who got away, but never reported the attacks because of their prior drug history or for other personal reasons. Anthony Sowell was known as a drug user in the community, and had lived at the house of four years when he was arrested. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9

After being apprehended by authorities, Anthony Sowell tried to play mentally unwell and say that he was dreaming and had no idea what he was doing, but could remember the dreams and that he had a hard life growing up and could not be held responsible for his crimes. This was a ploy so he could escape the death penalty and spend the rest of his life in a state mental institution.  However, the judge noted that Anthony Sowell had a good track record in the Military and when he was in prison the first time, so he knew this man knew how to behave, and although Anthony Sowell had some psychological problems, he could control himself and was aware of what he was doing. Anthony Sowell was charged with eleven counts of aggravated murder and over 70 counts of rape, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but later changed his pleas to simply not guilty. On 22 July 2011, Another Sowell was convicted on all but two counts against him and is currently on death row at Chillicothe Correctional Institution, and the community had his house torn down. A memorial for the victims is supposed to be constructed on the land, but nothing has been erected yet.  #RandolphHarris 6 of 9

People are not triangles, when we generalize about someone, apply that attitude of people “like him,” or “like her,” and use that generalization as the image or symbol for a whole group, that is stereotyping. Generalizing is a handy way of lumping things together for easy reference; we all do it at one time or another. We may even fall into the easy temptation of identifying all members of a particular ethic group, community, racial group or by gender or profession by the oversimplified symbols of a stereotype. This type of stereotyping gave Anthony Sowell a license to kill and get away with rape. The entire community knew what was going on, but no one would do a thorough investigation until eleven women had been killed and one escaped and lived to tell her story, even though a woman had reported him to the police in the past, before the body count was so high. However, that other woman was dismissed because she was labeled as a drug attic and prostitute and the number of missing women was not as high at that point. All lives are of equal value and if the cases had been investigated, these women would still be alive.  #RandolphHarris 7 of 9

Even if someone is a drug attic and a prostitute, when they go missing that means something is wrong. In the state of Ohio, five people a day have fatal overdoses from using heroin. By 29 August 2016, 174 heroin overdoses were reported in six days. That is alarming. A lot of this heroin is mixed with elephant tranquilizers and is said to have caused 60 overdoes across two states in just 48 hours. In the year 2016, there were 65,345 deaths from opioids. Opioids are classes of drugs that include the illicit drug heroin, as well as the illicit prescription pain relievers oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine, fentanyl, and others drugs. I bet some of these people who are labeled as drug attics and prostitutes wish the police had come looking for them or that their family cared enough to make phone calls and knocked on doors to find out where they were because they would still be alive. Nonetheless, even privileged men, women, and children are victims of overdoses from drugs and other crimes. And many of you think weed (marijuana) is cool, but it is not. A lot of people who deal marijuana end up getting shot and robbed. And there is marijuana out there that is laced with other chemicals and one hit from a joint could cause permanent brain damage or death.  #RandolphHarris 8 of 9

 For many people, they want to get high and traditional marijuana is not enough for them anymore and that is why it is called a gateway drug. It opens the door for people to want to try different drugs or be around people who will influence them to try something new. And now there is a drug that is called “Shatter,” which is a weed concentrate that is far more intense because it packs up to 80 percent more cannabinoid content. Serious drug users who have tried Shatter, said after three hits, they felt like they were moon walking. And Shatter is extremely dangerous to make because of how it is processed and the production can cause an entire city block to explode. So, just think about stereotypes and drugs before you do them. And, be aware that even assuming good stereotypes about a person could leave you at a disadvantage to get hurt or suffer a loss of property. Some of our social perceptions actually cause people to act in certain ways.  Anthony Sowell is now known as the Cleveland Strangler, and maybe some of those women just needed someone to believe in them and love them unconditionally. Some people live up to stereotypes because it is easier or more profitable to go along with what is expected.  #RandolphHarris 9 of 9