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By now pretty much everyone has heard of what has happened this morning on the campus of Virginia Tech University. First off, I would like to say that my heart goes out to all the victims, the families of the victims and even to the family of the person resonsible for this act.
This story is of course all over the news. This I understand.
On every single channel, this I understand.
What causes someone to go and do such things? This I don't and never WILL understand. Frankly, I am not all that sure that I want to. As of now, the authorities either do not know or simply have not released the name of the person responsible. Personally, although I KNOW it is wishful thinking on my part, I hope like hell they never EVER do. There are plenty things wrong with this whole situation. There will be plenty of people that will point to all kinds of reasons for it. In truth, in my opinion at least, there simply isn't one.
Want to blame it on video games?
Want to blame it on his parents?
Want to blame it on violence on Television?
Show me a three year old kid doing such things, and I will agree with that logic. Hell, show me a ten year old doing these things and I will at least listen.
But Teenagers? A grown man or woman? Hogwash!
How many Video games in America are sold each year?
How many young kids grow up playing these games?
Watching these movies?
Seeing these videos?
I know I did and still do. I have probably shot and blasted 4 billion different aliens, people, dogs, cats, and everything else while playing them at some point or another. I have seen countless movies like Scarface with endless violence in them. So have millions upon millions of other people who don't turn around and go shoot up a school, or the local walmart.
How many unfortunate people grow up with parents that don't care about them? If they then turn around, grew up, had children and likewise didn't care about them, then I could see placing part of the blame on the parents. If they grow up and shoot innocent people I blame THEM!
How many kids grow up with fathers beating the hell out of them or their mother for no good reason? If THEY then grow up to be abusive parents/spouses, I agree with putting part of the blame on the parents. If they grow up to blow up builidings or shoot innocent people, I blame THEM!
How many kids grow up with parents who spout the 'n' word, believe women belong in the kitchen , and kid's should be seen and not heard? If they grow up doing the same things I agree put some of the blame on their ignorant parents. When they grow up and shoot innocent people for no apparent reason, I blame THEM!
I highly doubt this guy's parents or the parents of the jackasses in Columbine, or the idiot responsible in Oklahoma city went around shooting people or blowing up buildings. If they did, by all means, you can place part of the blame on them. Until then, let's blame the Piece of shit that DID it. HE did it. Not his parents. Not the video game makers. Not the producers of violent movies. HIM and in this case(as far as we know of right now) HIM ALONE!
In the upcoming days I am guessing, that this story is just going to piss me off even more. In the upcoming days I am guessing they will release his name and it will be plastered all over every television channel,blog, and news website there is. In the coming days, I am guessing there will be stories about this guy's background and we will find out everything there is to know about him. We will make him famous, and call ME crazy, but I think in some way that is EXACTLY what he wanted. In the coming days, weeks, months I am guessing we will see stories outlining just how he did it and probably just how easy it was to do. How often do we see someone blow up a building, and then some news story recreate the crime and show us(and the CRAZY people out there by the way) just how they did it? Just how easy it was?
I do beleive that this upcoming week marks the eight year anniversary of the Columbine shooting that most of us remember so well. Let me ask you a question. Can you name any of the shooters in the Columbine shooting? I know I can name two in a heartbeat and if I thought about it for a minute I could name them all.
There! Done. It took me exactly eight seconds of thinking about it before I came up with them all. Why?
Because we made them famous that is why.
Can you name the guy responsible for Blowing up the Federal building in Oklahoma City? I can.
Why? Because we made him famous that is why.
Now let me ask you another question. how many of the victims at columbine can you name? How many of the victims of Oklahoma City can you name? If you can name ONE you are ahead of me. Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with that? We make the people doing wrong famous, and totally forget about the victims.
Think becoming famous like that didn't enter their minds eight years ago? Think this asshole today didn't see all that coverage and at some point think 'hey I can do that?' Don't you think ,"EYE can grab the spotlight and after this complete and utter loser of a life, I can go out like SOMEBODY!?"
Don't get me wrong. I GET that the news has to report the news. I don't however think they need to plaster his name all over every single channel and give him the fame he wants.
Refer to him as 'the piece of shit'.
Refer to him as 'Psychotic bastard'.
Refer to him as 'the loser'.
Refer to him as 'the unnamed shooter' if you like, but don't give him the satisfaction of seeing his name in lights.
Don't get me wrong I don't blame the media for what happened today or what happened back in Columbine. I don't blame violent video games, bad parenting, or any of the other miriad of excuses you will see trotted out over the following months. I place ALL of the blame on the piece of shit that did this today. I place ALL of the blame on the pieces of crap that did the shooting back in Columbine eight years ago. That is as close as I will come to naming ANY of them on this blog however. I will NOT have any bit of a part in naming them by name and adding to their fame. I hope others will join me in NOT naming them as well.
I have no doubt that they are burning in the pits of hell. As such, I refuse to allow them a moment of enjoyment as they look up and see their names splashed across my blog. I know getting the media to play along with this thought as well is impossible, but hope reading this will keep the names out of at least a few spotlights. Unfortunately there are OTHER pieces of shit out there looking for this kind of attention as well.
Climbing off of my soapbox
BD
Monday, April 16, 2007
Tragedy at Virginia tech
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14 comments:
Great blog--ditto those sentiments.
i'm with you. i will not ~ever~ type their names. anywhere. or speak them on the show. (this is why the thinking blogger award buddy. stuff like this.)
It really IS sad how we remember the assholes' names and not the innocent victims. And it happens all the time, everywhere, giving them their 15 mins of fame.
Very well written post and I agree with your sentiments on this one.
I wholeheartedly agree with you. These people deserve no recognition. It's another sad day. And guns? God. I am so glad we don't have them here on the broad scale like the US does. =(
Same here Alynda. Have any of you ever seen Bowling for Columbine? Very interesting!
Why is it so easy for people (and kids) to get their hands on guns over there?
Nice post. I couldn't bring myself to write about it. I also hate that as soon as something like this happens we hear from the gun lobbyists in a preemptive strike that it's not the fault of him having guns and that this shouldn't infringe on their rights. I already heard one person on the radio today say that this person would have done the same thing even if he hadn't had access to guns. I don't mean to make this a pro gun anti gun statement. It's more a matter of the topic being brought up before the mourning is done that bothers me.
I live 1.5 hours from there. One of my best friends from high school lives in the town. She just quit at the hospital where they took most of the injured. It's strangely surreal. It's a thing people are talking about all over the place but I don't want to hear another word.
Some things hit too close too home.
While I agree wholeheartedly with your anger and feelings about the misplaced blame (read Excuses) for the behavior and actions of these individuals, it comes down to the fact that there will always be individuals that fall far outside society's norm. It just happens, and the only way to solve it is to bring everyone as close to an acceptable norm as possible, so that those that fall outside of is won't be SO FAR OUTSIDE that shit like this happens. My theory, anyway. But I have to disagree with Dagromm. Look who opened the firing on the "guns" question in this blog. Two commentors have already set in their mind that this is the result of too easy access to guns in this country. This is one tiny cross section. Could there be a reason that the gun lobbyists feel they have to make a preemptive strike? I don't want to drag this off subject either. But I'd like to discuss it more at your leisure, Dagromm.
Sometimes the body is still alive and breathing, but the spirit is dead...
I pray for those families.. My heart goes out to them in there times of heartache...
Life is sooo precious...I feel blessed...
Just telling it like it is told it for me. Brave post.
Briliant! Well said BD.
I heard an NPR report that struck a nerve for me. One of the surviving students spoke of the sound of gunfire, followed by loud lunatic laughter. She said that the laughter ended after the last gunshot. That's errie. I cannot imagine the terror. Those poor souls and grieving parents and friends.
It takes great arrogance to think you have the right to steal someone's life. Or deep despair. All around, a very, very sad event.
Good post BD...i agree. No excuses.
This was one of the best Va Tech posts that I have come across, BD. Excellent writing, thought, and emotion all rolled into one.
Chris
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