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Originally posted by: wandering
(too serious for the funhouse?)
Not at all.
In this day and age its very easy to gain attention by being an alarmist [spolier]sup al gore. The mass media runs on this method of delivering news, as it grabs the attention of the audience. And once it has the audience, it has to deliver more news that grabs the attention. Its a vicious cycle.
What disappoints me about the shootings was how quickly everyone was looking for an excuse for the tragedy. Sure, the shooter was ID'd pretty early on, but after that it looks like everyone went on wild goose chases searching for that single elusive item that links everything together. I'm sure JT will claim that he was just expressing his opinion of the matter (correct or otherwise) but his attitude towards the incident was disgusting. He trumpeted that video games produce murderers because he could spout examples from the past. He spent more time rambling then answering questions.
My opinion of the event is that it was a terrible tragedy. Like most people, I wanted to know why Cho decided it was time to slay his fellow students. When I heard that the shooter had mysterious words tattooed on his arm, i tried to understand what those words may mean, as I believe the shootings were his way of sending a message to the world (as morbid as that is). But once I saw his videos being broadcast around the world, which consisted of the angry rants and hateful message of a disturbed person, I didn't want to know any more. He managed to gain attention by manipulating the media and justifying what he did.
He knew what he was doing. And that is why I don't believe the shootings can be blamed on mental problems, as it was a premeditated and devastating act.
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A friend of mine was just, today, involuntarily committed to a mental institution for evaluation, for something he wrote in class. That may not have happened if there was one rational voice out there pointing out that school shootings are very rare occurrences, and much less of a threat than, say, cars or cigarettes.
On the contrary, you look at this like its painting your friend as a psychopath. On the flipside, there is a process that goes on once he is at the institution. Its not like a hotel, you can't stay there unless you have mental problems. And even if he does, he's getting help at the place at least, rather then letting the problem manifest into various forms like we have seen.
For example, the worst shooting in Australian history was done back in the mid 90s. No-one saw it coming, not even his girlfriend. He had mental problems for most of his life (but no-one noticed), collected and stashed away guns guns (he had a couple of rifles and a shotgun at the time) and one day decided to go on a murderous rampage. Much like Cho did. But unlike Cho the authorities arrested the culprit and he's now serving 35 life sentences.
I know you are obviously angry at what happened, but mental problems are very different to cars and cigarettes. Keep us posted on how he is.
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