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11:09 AM - MY THOUGHTS THE DAY OF THE VT SHOOTINGS
Current mood: Somber
Category: Somber News and Politics
Today will forever be remembered in all of our hearts and minds. This was a sensless act. How could anyone do such a thing? Over the next few weeks this will certainly be analized over, and over. Every facet of it will be talked about over, and over. You can bet that the shooter will be made to look like a "victim" somehow, and he will be given superstar treatment. Publishers are salivating and waiting for the first chance at the book rights to this. And, as usual, the gunbanners will come crawling out of their holes. Instead of talking about what can be done to recognise people who fit the pattern of the shooter, they will rant and rave about how terrible guns are, and how many rounds the shooter's weapon held, and the caliber, the type of bullet. Everything but how the oncampus culture could have adversely affected him. There will be many things written about the "desperate" need for "tougher" gunlaws, and proposals to ban a litany of different types of firearms and ammunition. But hardly a word spoken about the cultural elements in this. The very ones screaming the loudest for more gunlaws think nothing of entertaining themselves with violent movies and music. We need to take a very hard look at our culture in this country. We are degenerating into nothing more than heathen savages. Every movie made now seems to be more violent than the last. Or else, it has so much sexual content it is borderline pornography. Television is hardly any better. Traditional boxing matches are giving way to "street brawling" matches, with few rules. Popular music these days, especialy heavy Metal, Rap, and Hip-Hop glorifies thes kinds of acts. Our culture is saying it is OK to do this. Am I saying censor music, movies, and video games? No, but I am saying we need to ask ourselves, if it is so terrible for these kinds of acts to be carried out in real life, then why should we entertain ourselves by watching them? Also, how can students come together to change the culture oncampus. I remember when I was in school, there were different "cliques" and a sort of caste system. There were the elite preppy types at the top. then, the popular people who had lots of friends, and at the bottom were the geeks and nerds. There was no asociating with anyone above your social status. Those above you, wouldn't want to lower themselves. If a student doesn't "conform" to the preconceived "ideal" image that is popular, then they are shunned by the others. And often, ridiculed and made fun of. Also, if a student is an introvert, and not popular, then often they will gravitate to the "outcast" types of music and movies, and begin to align themselves with it's negative and destructive message. The two Columbine shooters are textbook examples of this. Bullying is another thing that needs to be addressed, and it too is a factor in driving an at-risk person to do something like this. Would tougher gunlaws have worked? The Virginia Tech campus was a "firearm-free" zone. No one, except campus police, was allowed to have any type of firearm. It is insane to think that someone who has made up their mind to do something like this would have any regard for laws prohibiting firearms on campus. Instead of punishing innocent law-abiding gun owners, and trying to censor the entertainment industry, let's do some soul searching as a nation, and decide weather or not to show more care and concern for our fellow human beings, or continue to degenerate into bloodthirsty savages.
David D. Poston, Pineville, LA |