Don't let the media hype over the VaTech murders suck you into the culture of irrational fear. The odds are still on your side.
On Monday Cho Seung-Hui decided to move on from writing violent revenge fantasies in English class to express his rage more publicly in an orgy of bullets, blood and death. He ended his own life and the lives of 32 others, and earned a place in the record books as one of the most successful mass murderers in history of the United States, passing George Hennard (1991 Killeen Luby's massacre) for the most firearm killings in a single incident.…
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Dave Nalle
Interesting take on the situation, ZZ. I hadn't thought in terms of all the hype having the effect of desensitizing us to real threats, but that's certainly a real danger worth considering.
Dave
27 - Clavos
Sort of a contemporary version of crying wolf...
28 - MBD
Cho Seung-Hui was a walking time-bomb. There were enough indications of his anti-social behavior to justify involuntary incarceration as an inpatient in a mental hospital.
The law makes this difficult because most psychiatrists shrink away from going before a judge and testifying to a clear and present danger. This guy left enough clues around for a couple of years so it wouldn’t take Sherlock Holmes to see a likely outcome.
The law should be changed to facilitate getting people like this the help they need and get them off the street.
It’s not a Second Amendment issue.
29 - Les Slater
"Les Slater said something nice about Bush."
What nice things have I said about Bush. I think he is scum. I don't think he is a fascist or that you can blame all bad things on him.
30 - Dave Nalle
Les. I thought we cleared this up earlier. Didn't you say that you loved Bush and wanted to bear his child?
No. Actually I mistakenly used your name when I meant Lee Richards. Sorry for the confusion.
Dave
31 - steve
The underlying problem is that the liberals have created another anti-hero...the leftist media caused this blood to spill. Glamourizing the Columbine shootings years ago instigated Cho's desire to replicate their crimes and thensome.
32 - zingzing
ah-ha. it was liberalism what done it. steve, that's idiotic. the media has always glamourized killers. it didn't start with columbine.
...otherwise, you could blame columbine for the shootings of john lennon and ronald reagan. see where this is going?
mass murder (well, this one) isn't a political plot, or the fault of those who report on it afterwards. you just came up with an easy answer (probably regurgitated from the media, eh?)
33 - Lee Richards
#31:
Anyone who uses this tragedy to promote ANY political agenda--left, right or sideways-- has no sense of decency and is beneath contempt!
34 - Les Slater
"Anyone who uses this tragedy to promote ANY political agenda--left, right or sideways-- has no sense of decency and is beneath contempt!"
Are you saying that this has nothing at all to do with how our society is organized? What values we hold?
Politicians of all stripes are telling us that we need to be protected. We need to outlaw guns. We need to do more psychological profiling and we need to act on these profiles. We need more cops, more jails, more psychological hospitals (prisons). We need stricter schools. We need to segregate those that are different. Maybe we should profile all people, testing and DNA. We can lock them up before kindergarden. Medical insurance companies are doing similar now to deny insurance.
Do we really want to live in such a society? That is a political question.
35 - bliffle
Jeezus freekin' christo, Dave, don't go all soft on me! What are you doing, taking night courses at the ever-lovin' liberal nightschool of loony sociological excuses?
Just let that weenie freaker Cho try to cross the Dead Zone between my defense perimeter and the Safe House and I'll drill him with a .45-70 slug from this 42inch barrel Edwards buffalo gun. Hasn't lost any punch in the last 150 years and still good enough to deprive an indian of a buffalo meal. Big enough hole for the newsboy to toss a rolled up newspaper through.
Get back on track, Dave, I've refereed a whole bunch of Righteous Citizns to you for firepower suggestions.
And for chrissakes cover that bald pate with something respectable and cut down the McDs to lose those jowls. You're starting to look like Algore!
36 - MCH
"MCH, Les Slater said something nice about Bush. Why don't you attack him too? It's not a crime to note Bush's good qualities when he displays them."
- Dave Nalle
Nor is it an "attack" to note the sentiments of families of those killed in Iraq.
37 - troll
bliffle - that is an excellent rifle - !
38 - Clavos
Nor is it an "attack" to note the sentiments of families of those killed in Iraq.
It certainly isn't, and significant numbers of the families (likely the majority) support the President.
39 - ZZ Bachman
To what extent is today's instant mass media playing a unwitting reinforcing role in making this behavior attractive to the next wanna be mass murderer? I resent the MSM providing such stats and commentary which sounds like there is now a new Guiness Book of World Records out there for the next lunatic to go after. It sickens me. Just today there is was some more news of someone who made claims to do just that. "Break this new record".
The media needs to chill out now and let the impacted families have their quite space! Editorial boards better start showing some control and civic responsibility. If not, they will be threatening the very fabric of free speechj by virtue of a backlash against their poor judgement. At least that's my opinion.
40 - MCH
"It certainly isn't, and significant numbers of the families (likely the majority) support the President."
I disagree, Clavos. I believe the majority of Iraqi KIA families are in opposition to the war.
41 - STM
MCH: "Tell that to the families of the 3200-plus killed in GW's cluster-fuck in Iraq."
Emmy, seriously, what the hell has this got to with the War in Iraq? I know you don't like Bush, but really, how on Earth are you tieing the two things?
42 - Clavos
emmy only has one topic, Stan.
43 - STM
A bit like our mate "Jack"*. Opposite ends of the spectrum though, but still no place for anyone who might sit closer to the centre.
I suppose that makes me wishy-washy.
44 - Clavos
C'mon in, the water's fine...
45 - Dave Nalle
Have you folks seen the latest media frenzy about the Cho video 'manifesto' and how evil NBC is for releasing it. I've never heard so many talking heads spew so much hypocritical shit since Terry Schiavo. Sickening.
Dave
46 - Michael J. West
Rush Limbaugh yesterday gleefully announced that "this kid who perpetrated this act was obviously a liberal, because he railed against the wealthy...."
Speaking of sickening....
47 - Michael J. West
Actually, I shouldn't even say sickening. Stupid.
I don't want to simply sound like a partisan in condemning Rush here, because so many would just take his comments and say "typical right-wing garbage" or something similar. But I can't conceive that anyone, right or left, with any brains or decency could possibly think like that. Rush's comment wasn't political spin - it was just idiocy. Nothing more or less. And I can't bring myself to judge any group by a person who would make such a statement.
48 - troll
Michael - in his position of media exposure it was both idiocy and political spin - these are far from exclusive categories
49 - Michael J. West
Troll - what I meant was, I didn't want to elevate it to the status of political spin. It's beneath the (comparatively) high standard of political spin.
50 - troll
yup - and I'm saying that (as he knows) the talking HEAD's statements no matter how idiotic influence the political thinking of the ditto people
51 - Michael J. West
The "ditto people" is a loaded phrase, though, Troll - Rush doesn't influence anyone who wasn't predisposed to thinking that way in the first place.
52 - Dave Nalle
Rush's comment wasn't political spin - it was just idiocy.
More likely it was a sarcastic jab aimed at the left. In effect saying, because this guy holds beliefs shared by some on the left, that shows how foolish/psycho those leftists are.
Dave
53 - troll
lots of political spin is directed at 'the choir'...as for 'ditto people' as a loaded term- their prideful self reference is 'dittohead'
54 - MCH
STM;
I was responding to Bobby's praises of GW, re comment #15. A genuinely "good and decent and truly compassionate man" doesn't send 3200(plus) soldiers to their deaths in an illegal invasion/occupation under false pretenses.
55 - Clavos
Rush doesn't influence anyone who wasn't predisposed to thinking that way in the first place.
Quoted for Truth.
And the same goes for Al Franken and ALL the talking heads, right or left.
They're all preaching to their respective choirs.
56 - Michael J. West
More likely it was a sarcastic jab aimed at the left. In effect saying, because this guy holds beliefs shared by some on the left, that shows how foolish/psycho those leftists are.
Given the context of the monologue, I doubt it - but if you are right, it doesn't make the comment less stupid.
57 - zingzing
he was also a firm believer in the right to bare arms, eh? so does that make him a conservative?
no! it makes him middle of the road! straddling the fence, able to see both sides! what we have here is the next american president.
58 - MCH
Re Rush Lardbaugh;
Ninety percent of what Lardbaugh says is purely to make money. He preaches family values, and yet he's been married and divorced three times. He preaches national security, and yet he dodged the draft during Vietnam with a medical deferment for a pimple on his ass. He preaches self- righteousness and against drug use, and yet he was hooked on oxycontin, which he purchased on the black market.
59 - Clavos
Ninety percent of what Lardbaugh says is purely to make money
Really?? Are you sure??? That's awful!! Throw him off the air!!
60 - Michael J. West
Ninety percent of what Lardbaugh says is purely to make money.
Um...
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of what everybody in the media business says is to make money. Show me one person on television, radio, or print that isn't first and foremost out to sell themselves, I'll show you one person who is lying about being out to sell themselves.
61 - Dave Nalle
Quite correct in #58. Ones own personal failings don't disqualify one from commenting on the failings of others. To the contrary, his personal experiences should really make him an expert in these fields. Better the experienced critic than the self-righteous and inexperienced fool.
Dave
62 - STM
MJ says: "ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of what everybody in the media business says is to make money. Show me one person on television, radio, or print that isn't first and foremost out to sell themselves".
Geez, that's a bit harsh, ain't it. What about those of us who do it because we believe the importance of the right to know far outweighs the loose conspiracy to keep you from knowing??
63 - Clavos
What's wrong with doing anything just for the money?
Since when did working for money become something bad?
64 - Clavos
BTW, in #63 I'm referring to LEGAL activities.
65 - SonnyD
I have been waiting for someone to express what I've been thinking about this event, but no one has. Some have come close when they wonder why this man wasn't given the mental health care he should have been getting. But the problem is, the mental health community is barely out of the stone ages. Physical health, on the other hand, has made great strides. Heart by-pass surgery and organ replacement are saving thousands of lives every year. Many areas of physical medicine have made enormous advances.
What advances have been made in mental health? A few new drugs on the market? Then funding for mental health facilities are cut off and patients are thrown out to live on the streets when they can't take care of themselves. You can call those places prisons if you want, but at least sick people were warm and dry, fed and clothed, and prevented from harming themselves or others.
I wish people would stop using this as an excuse to promote their favorite political agenda such as gun control and put as much effort into demanding more and better research into mental health problems.
66 - STM
My suggestion to anyone getting into the media in the hope of earning a big quid: don't bother, because very few do. For every front man/woman on a $500,000 package, there are are two hundred people earning a lot less than that.
You'll be comfortable, mostly, but not rich.
My advice: find a proper job ...
67 - Zedd
Dave and Clavos
It's like watching a Laurel and Hardy act with you two sometimes.
The fact that you are discussing the deaths of the heroic individuals means that the media has discussed it. The fact that you know enough to feel as if the individuals are inspirational says you KNOW and HEARD the story from THE MEDIA.
Dave this story has been on daily, endlessly. To say that the Imus idiocy has more relevance to the MSM is shameful. Imus' story was perpetuated by none mainstream venues like BC. It was perpetuated by White males who felt like VICTIMS (snicker) all over our great land.
68 - STM
"It's like watching a Laurel and Hardy act with you two sometimes".
Another fine mess you've got me in to, Stanley!
Which one's which, though Zedd. Who's the straight man?
69 - Zedd
Michael
Rush is on drugs. His comments are not political. He is high! His provocative, unencumbered, nerviness is induced by illegal substance abuse. His senses are dulled by drugs and he feels free to say whatever he likes because he feels unencumbered. Free as a bird like those hippie liberals that he so envied when he was a chubby square in his youth.
70 - Zedd
STM
I don't want to insult further. You know who is who.
71 - Zedd
Clavos
sed "What's wrong with doing anything just for the money?"
The problem is the "ANYTHING" part I think. Switch it with "something" than it is much more ethical.
72 - Michael J. West
Geez, that's a bit harsh, ain't it. What about those of us who do it because we believe the importance of the right to know far outweighs the loose conspiracy to keep you from knowing??
How many of you/them are doing it for free?
73 - STM
OK, granted ... I DO get paid, and I get paid a reasonable whack, and I've been getting paid for it for the past 35 years. But then most people expect to be paid for doing a job. However, there's a big difference between that (and loving what you do) and having as your primary motivation the desire to sell yourself above the desire to inform.
It's not my motivation, that's for sure.
Still, you are partly right: I do think a lot of talking heads don't have much idea of what's going on ... even in their own brains.
74 - Dave Nalle
Dave this story has been on daily, endlessly. To say that the Imus idiocy has more relevance to the MSM is shameful. Imus' story was perpetuated by none mainstream venues like BC. It was perpetuated by White males who felt like VICTIMS (snicker) all over our great land.
What the hell are you talking about, Zedd? I never said anything like this.
What I said is that this story was more deserving of heavy coverage than the Imus story was because it was a real tragedy, not a media-contrived one.
I don't feel at all victimized by the Imus situation, except that it kept other more interesting stories out of the news. I never liked Imus in the first place. Him going off the air harms me in no conceivable way.
Dave
75 - Michael J. West
STM:
It's not my motivation, that's for sure.
So if you stopped getting paid, would you keep doing it?