Guns Don't Kill People, Kids Who Play Video Games Kill People...
Title
Guns Don't Kill People, Kids Who Play Video Games Kill People...
Description
April 18, 2007
<i>I apologize in advance for the tone of this piece. I thoroughly appreciate the devastating gravity of the situation, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to those families and friends affected.</i>
Blacksburg, Virginia.
Less than a week ago, nothing would have sprung to mind. In fact, many would not even have known this small town existed.
Now, for obvious reasons, it's on the map.
The events of April 16 serve as a reminder - a reminder that society is imperfect; that society is unpredictable; and that society is unprepared.
In fairness to those involved, the events at Virgina Tech could not have been predicted with any ease. What happened was not a commonplace, run-of-the-mill, every-day happening.
I won't even go so far as to say that what happened could have been prevented - there is no reasonable way of knowing that. What I will do, however, is take a few quick shots at the aftermath.
Everyone has their own concocted theory on how to respond to this type of situation. Pat Brown, for example, argues that whoever was the owner of the weapons used in the attack should be held accountable for the deaths of each and every student and professor on Monday. She believes that somehow, this would prevent a psychopath from acquiring the weapons they would choose to employ for such causes.
The real world begs to differ, Pat.
What we need to take away from the Virginia Tech Massacre is very simple - there are people out there that need help. Guns didn't kill those students; the Asian man didn't kill those professors; what transpired at Virginia Tech is exactly what happened at Columbine, Taber, Montreal, and every other mass shooting.
These people were neglected.
Do I believe in any way that whatever circumstances the shooter may have been put through justify his actions? No. Reciprocity, particularly when it involves violence, solves nothing.
With that said, however, how do we take ownership of Monday's events? Do we pretend that this was an isolated incident - a single student lashing out at random? Did this man wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and decide that morning to take the lives of 32 innocent people?
I don't think so.
Society perpetuates the attitude and the atmosphere that leads these people to commit horrendous acts. If this young man had been cared for, appreciated, respected, and amongst friends, would there still be 32 innocent people dead? Would the thought ever have even crossed his mind that he could be capable of such an atrocity?
These murderers are not the product of their own tendencies - they are products of society, as are we all. Maybe they needed medical attention, or maybe they had deep-rooted psychological issues; that could absolutely be a contributing factor.
At the end of the day, however, someone pushed this young man over the edge, and was repaid in the most horrific kind.
DO NOT fool yourself into believing that we are not responsible for what happened. Each and every one of us, through our thoughts, words, or actions, could spur or prevent the next Virginia Tech. We point fingers at the school's administration, the local police, the county flower... ultimately, we must all hold ourselves and one-another accountable for the citizens we are.
Blacksburg, you have our thoughts and prayers. If nothing else, remember:
This too shall pass.
In mourning, this is BSPM, signing off.
Posted by keh619 on April 18, 2007 05:08 PM
--
Original Source: <a href="http://blogs.usask.ca/politics/2007/04/guns_dont_kill.html">http://blogs.usask.ca/politics/2007/04/guns_dont_kill.html</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0</a>.
<i>I apologize in advance for the tone of this piece. I thoroughly appreciate the devastating gravity of the situation, and I extend my heartfelt condolences to those families and friends affected.</i>
Blacksburg, Virginia.
Less than a week ago, nothing would have sprung to mind. In fact, many would not even have known this small town existed.
Now, for obvious reasons, it's on the map.
The events of April 16 serve as a reminder - a reminder that society is imperfect; that society is unpredictable; and that society is unprepared.
In fairness to those involved, the events at Virgina Tech could not have been predicted with any ease. What happened was not a commonplace, run-of-the-mill, every-day happening.
I won't even go so far as to say that what happened could have been prevented - there is no reasonable way of knowing that. What I will do, however, is take a few quick shots at the aftermath.
Everyone has their own concocted theory on how to respond to this type of situation. Pat Brown, for example, argues that whoever was the owner of the weapons used in the attack should be held accountable for the deaths of each and every student and professor on Monday. She believes that somehow, this would prevent a psychopath from acquiring the weapons they would choose to employ for such causes.
The real world begs to differ, Pat.
What we need to take away from the Virginia Tech Massacre is very simple - there are people out there that need help. Guns didn't kill those students; the Asian man didn't kill those professors; what transpired at Virginia Tech is exactly what happened at Columbine, Taber, Montreal, and every other mass shooting.
These people were neglected.
Do I believe in any way that whatever circumstances the shooter may have been put through justify his actions? No. Reciprocity, particularly when it involves violence, solves nothing.
With that said, however, how do we take ownership of Monday's events? Do we pretend that this was an isolated incident - a single student lashing out at random? Did this man wake up on the wrong side of the bed, and decide that morning to take the lives of 32 innocent people?
I don't think so.
Society perpetuates the attitude and the atmosphere that leads these people to commit horrendous acts. If this young man had been cared for, appreciated, respected, and amongst friends, would there still be 32 innocent people dead? Would the thought ever have even crossed his mind that he could be capable of such an atrocity?
These murderers are not the product of their own tendencies - they are products of society, as are we all. Maybe they needed medical attention, or maybe they had deep-rooted psychological issues; that could absolutely be a contributing factor.
At the end of the day, however, someone pushed this young man over the edge, and was repaid in the most horrific kind.
DO NOT fool yourself into believing that we are not responsible for what happened. Each and every one of us, through our thoughts, words, or actions, could spur or prevent the next Virginia Tech. We point fingers at the school's administration, the local police, the county flower... ultimately, we must all hold ourselves and one-another accountable for the citizens we are.
Blacksburg, you have our thoughts and prayers. If nothing else, remember:
This too shall pass.
In mourning, this is BSPM, signing off.
Posted by keh619 on April 18, 2007 05:08 PM
--
Original Source: <a href="http://blogs.usask.ca/politics/2007/04/guns_dont_kill.html">http://blogs.usask.ca/politics/2007/04/guns_dont_kill.html</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0</a>.
Creator
keh619 / Tales of a Back Seat Prime Minster (blog)
Date
2007-07-09
Contributor
Brent Jesiek
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0
Language
eng
Citation
keh619 / Tales of a Back Seat Prime Minster (blog), “Guns Don't Kill People, Kids Who Play Video Games Kill People...,” The April 16 Archive, accessed November 21, 2024, https://april16archive.org/items/show/670.