Couldn't have said it better myself

VIRGINIA TECH Shootings: As a nation, are we just plain bored with death?
Current mood: depressed
Category: News and Politics

I haven't blogged for awhile, but I'm feeling very sad and I'm wondering if any of you are, too.

This Virginia Tech school shooting is so haunting. The day of the shooting, my friend Brian and I were saying one of the things we remember most about college was the feeling of safety when we were in a classroom among our peers. The rest of the world could be falling apart, but in class, reality seemed suspended for the 45 minutes we spent soaking our brains with knowledge. If I was still in school, I'm sure that feeling would be forever altered.

I've listened to the biographies of these young people and some not-as-young professors: people just makin' their way like the rest of us.....so many lives ruined for nothing.

One of the things I find most troubling is there is no clear-cut answer as to why or how to prevent this in the future. This kid--like all the other school shooters--had written foreshadowing papers for his teachers....papers that were ignored. But so many young people go through periods of darkness and find writing a great source of release. So do we pull aside each one of those kids and treat them like potential killers? Do we risk silencing their warnings altogether if we do that?

And what about security on campuses? Do we make them all like prisons to assure our kids won't be mowed down while learning Shakespeare? The concept is preposterous.

Certainly, actions need to be taken much sooner than the 2 hours it took these school administrators, but exactly what does that entail?

Doing nothing to try to protect our youth is a crime, itself.

Another thing I found troubling today and yesterday was the number of people not talking about this. Maybe it's because I'm in California--the state that thinks it's in a protective bubble from the rest of the real world. A co-worker of mine walked into work today asking why the flags were flying at half-mast. I said, "For the shooting, of course." She said, "Oh. What shooting?"

I remember the morning of Columbine and it was the only topic of the day. Fifteen people died that day.

On Monday, 33 people were murdered in the worst shooting in U.S. history. Have we grown so used to deaths in the thousands from Iraq that 33 is a good day?

I don't understand. I feel so helpless. Massacring young people in a place of learning is about the deepest you can cut our nation.

Has anybody else had any thoughts on this the past few days?


Responses:

Posted by Jason on Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at 1:49 AM
I tried to find out if there was ever worse bloodletting on our soil. (not counting wars) I found out soon enough that it was the worst ever. Is it true? Do we all just accept the fact that school shootings happen? I must admit that I'm not as shocked as I was in the mid-1990's when they started happening ... when I was working in high schools as a student teacher.

I have no good answer for you. In my job as a local news reporter in a small market, we had a good year as far as fatalities. Then, in these last two weeks, we have had five. I had to be on the scene for four of them as the only television reporter covering them. So much for the good year. Since then I've given my notice. I don't like it anymore.

I agree with you. I can't remember feeling more safe than in my college classroom ... even moreso than in the high school classroom. In college, I knew everyone on a different level, or at least thought I did. It felt more adult. It felt more safe.

It's not fun. I don't like it. I don't have a good answer for your questions. But I am glad you blogged about it.



E-mails


Browsing through myspace profiles, one student named Jonathan wrote a blog about cherishing life and not sweating the small stuff. But the ironic thing is he wrote it 3 hours BEFORE the shooting. Here are our e-mails.

Date: Apr 18, 2007 10:43 AM

Jonathan,

Amazing that you wrote that blog just hours before the shooting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and everyone at your school from the west coast. ~Juliana


His reponse:

Apr 17, 2007 11:13 PM

Dear Juliana, It is amazing that I did write that blog not so long ago, and this tragic event just reinforces the entire message of that blog exponentially. I sincerely thank you for your thoughts and prayers - it's been unreal and shocking here at VT; we are devastated. The Virginia Tech community and I really appreciate your prayers, and we are strengthened by the goodness in people in light of these tragic events. I have been getting messages like yours from all over the world, as far as Japan. Your message means a lot to me. Thank You, Jonathan Vin Murphy Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA


Apr 17, 2007 11:59 PM

Dear Jonathan, Thank you so much for writing me back. I graduated from college not too long ago. And one of the things I remember most about college is feeling safe when I was in a classroom with my peers. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to go back to class now. Do you feel like your sense of safety will never be the same? On the news, we keep hearing that the school administrators did not do enough. Do you feel like they could have done more to prevent the second shootings? ~Juliana
He read it, but did not respond.



Next one.


Apr 18, 2007 12:16 AM

Betsyboo,

Please know the nation is thinking about you and wishing there was something we could do to fix it. ~Juliana
Her response:

Apr 18, 2007 6:45 AM


You don't understand what messages like this mean to us students. It is unreal how many people are praying, and how much we mean it. Thank you so much for taking the time for the note, it is truly amazing. Please take care and just be sure to tell your loved one how much you love them, you never know what the day will bring. Love, Betsy



That's all for now.


And, oh. I love you.