Letters to the Editor
Feel shame for placing blame
Dear Editor,
I learned about the shootings at Virginia Tech in Centennial, right before my fitness test for my health class. "Do you know anybody at Virginia Tech?" the physical therapy student asked me as I filled out my questionaire on my current fitness habits. Although somewhat random, I was delighted at the idea of conversation during this awkward event, and I went on to tell him that I had actually stopped at Virginia Tech to visit some buddies on the way to a skiing resort last month.
What he told me next, of course, completely twisted my state of mind; that 31 people were currently dead due to a school shooting. Lots of things went through my head. "Are Joey and Idi okay?" was the first, followed by why would someone do this, was this another depressed psychopath and what is it that is causing our generation to become more violent? But mostly, I was thinking of those in loss and in need, and wondering what I could possibly do to help that community in their time of loss.
I was appalled when I came home and turned the news on. Before the dust had even settled, before the names of these massacred students were known by their own parents and before logical things such as the size of the town and the efficiency of a lock-down were even considered, the news stations were attacking the school for its security failure and blaming the culprit’s actions on video games.
Is it just me, or did we completely skip the supportive role of remembering those at Virginia Tech with peace and dignity? It’s like we treated the situation like a Hillbilly funeral; arguing over the will and the reasons before honoring a family member’s untimely death. To their advantage, certain security measures could be taken to help minimize the chances of this happening again.
Regardless, we can point our fingers all day; we can install security alarms and prepare for lockdowns and put metal detectors in every door; but what alarms me more than the increasing frequency of these random and violent attacks or gun control issues is the fact that no one seemed to stop and wonder about the source enough to try to help him.
This man was so mentally demented that he was not only thinking, but actively planning to kill several human beings on innocent grounds, along with killing himself. A deeply troubled individual was THIS mentally twisted and no one among his roommates, classmates, friends or even family investigated enough to realize that this was a very dangerous problem. It’s one thing to be a loner; it’s another to be a premeditating self-destructive psychopath.
Of course, it is not our responsibility as a community to tend to each and every person’s personal problems. I just find it hard to believe that this man was someone’s son, someone’s roommate or even someone’s friend, and the seriousness of his condition was not discovered until it manifested in his violent cry for attention. Would you ever let someone you gave birth to, were related to, cared about, or even live with, continue in this state? If someone you knew carried this much disdain for the world and life itself, would you be concerned or walk away?
Maybe it’s possible to take another approach besides the blame-game and heightened security; maybe we should look inside ourselves and take more time every day to reach out or at least be a bit more observant. You never know when you may come across a person who feels they mean nothing to their friends and family and no one to tell them otherwise.
Sincerely,
Nicole Collier
Nursing
Junior
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Aug 3 2007. Filed under Letters to the Editor, Opinion.
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