The victims
I noticed something incredible as I was browsing news sites today. The pictures of the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech massacre were replaced with pictures and lead stories about the victims. Reading through some of those stories, I was struck by how these people were regarded by their friends, family, classmates, and faculty. These people, most students, were part of our collective future, but no more.One person interviewed made a comment that struck me particularly deeply. He said "My focus now is getting on TV and taking time away from [Cho]. Every minute I can get on is one less minute he'll be on." Hopefully this will become a trend whenever an incident like this takes place.One of my memories from the Columbine incident is how much the media focused on Harris and Klebold, for months and even years, to the point where they became underground symbols of the ultimate revenge of bullied and misunderstood teens. Cho made reference to them in the materials he sent to NBC. Some of the other perps of school shootings have also claimed to have taken inspiration from those two. It’s scary to think that young people bent on revenge against their peers have been delivered blueprints via the media obsession with the basest of our society.As a culture we’re fascinated with psychos, with violence, with turning personal tragedy into public spectacle. We thrill to the mistakes and missteps that affect people and take them to their lowest point. Anna Nicole, Britney’s shaved head, Lindsey Lohan, COPS, any reality TV show, and the list goes on and on. Somehow we let these things divert our attention from the things that really matter.Clearly, this kid had a lot of problems. Signs were evident and not always acted upon. A man with a history of mental illness was allowed to legally buy a gun. I’m not taking a position right now on whether or not guns should be legal, but there’s obviously something wrong with the system when a person with this kind of background can walk into a gun store and walk out with a weapon.There will be investigations, commissions, and recommendations as time goes on. Some people will lose their jobs and new policies will be put in place. But what will those policies do, really? Will they be knee-jerk reactions, superficial measures like what have been put in place in our airports since 9-11? Will we have the equivalent of duct-tape and plastic sheeting in the paranoid responses that will come out? Or will there be a real call to rehabilitate the multitude of systems that failed and resulted in the unnecessary ending of 32 lives?I’m thrilled to see that the family and friends are demanding time with the media to celebrate their loved ones. I’m ecstatic and surprised that the media is going along with it. The cynic in me wonders for how long, but at least for today, these 32 people get the attention. These 32 people’s faces are in our view. These 32 people take up our thoughts and our time. These 32 people are the story.
P
pkjensen
(view)
I noticed something incredible as I was browsing news sites today. The pictures of the perpetrator of the Virginia Tech massacre were replaced with pictures and lead stories about the victims. Reading through some of those stories, I was struck by how these people were regarded by their friends, family, classmates, and faculty. These people, most students, were part of our collective future, but no more.One person interviewed made a comment that struck me particularly deeply. He said "My focus now is getting on TV and taking time away from [Cho]. Every minute I can get on is one less minute he'll be on." Hopefully this will become a trend whenever an incident like this takes place.One of my memories from the Columbine incident is how much the media focused on Harris and Klebold, for months and even years, to the point where they became underground symbols of the ultimate revenge of bullied and misunderstood teens. Cho made reference to them in the materials he sent to NBC. Some of the other perps of school shootings have also claimed to have taken inspiration from those two. It’s scary to think that young people bent on revenge against their peers have been delivered blueprints via the media obsession with the basest of our society.As a culture we’re fascinated with psychos, with violence, with turning personal tragedy into public spectacle. We thrill to the mistakes and missteps that affect people and take them to their lowest point. Anna Nicole, Britney’s shaved head, Lindsey Lohan, COPS, any reality TV show, and the list goes on and on. Somehow we let these things divert our attention from the things that really matter.Clearly, this kid had a lot of problems. Signs were evident and not always acted upon. A man with a history of mental illness was allowed to legally buy a gun. I’m not taking a position right now on whether or not guns should be legal, but there’s obviously something wrong with the system when a person with this kind of background can walk into a gun store and walk out with a weapon.There will be investigations, commissions, and recommendations as time goes on. Some people will lose their jobs and new policies will be put in place. But what will those policies do, really? Will they be knee-jerk reactions, superficial measures like what have been put in place in our airports since 9-11? Will we have the equivalent of duct-tape and plastic sheeting in the paranoid responses that will come out? Or will there be a real call to rehabilitate the multitude of systems that failed and resulted in the unnecessary ending of 32 lives?I’m thrilled to see that the family and friends are demanding time with the media to celebrate their loved ones. I’m ecstatic and surprised that the media is going along with it. The cynic in me wonders for how long, but at least for today, these 32 people get the attention. These 32 people’s faces are in our view. These 32 people take up our thoughts and our time. These 32 people are the story.
