The horrific shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech this morning isn't all sorted out yet. Early reports put the death toll at 21, or 22 counting the gunman, though it's not clear whether he was shot by police or whether he killed himself. Then it was 26, then 27, then 32, not counting the shooter.
Coverage at this point in the media lifespan of a tragedy is a very strange thing. There's misinformation and speculation, along with attempts to mark the events as somehow unprecedented. In this case, early reports called it the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history, topping the famed University of Texas clock-tower murders in 1966, which claimed 16 victims before the gunman, Charles Whitman, was shot to death by police. The reports are also comparing today's Blacksburg massacre with the Columbine killings in 1999, in which 12 students and a teachers were shot to death, along with the two teenage gunmen. Then there was the 1991 Luby's Cafeteria massacre in Killeen, Texas, in which 23 people were killed and 20 others wounded. That wasn't on a campus, and so, for as long as the Blacksburg count was 21, that was still the worst mass shooting in American history. Now, it looks as though Blacksburg has topped Killeen.
This comparison business is a strange phenomenon. The Blacksburg shootings, obviously, are the worst shootings in American history for anyone even remotely involved: anyone who will end up with victims in their family, with friends who had victims in their family, faculty and staff at Virginia Tech, and even college-age students currently enrolled, who will feel a great deal of reflected terror and sorrow. But there's a need in media to comparatively weight things. Is this better or worse than the incident last September when a man killed himself and his two sons at a West Virginia college? Better or worse than Kent State? How are these things measured, anyway? By the stark casualty count? By the numbers of families affected? By the total amount of psychic pain? By the long-term effects on the communities? There is an entire industry -- Critical Incident Stress Management -- that handles assessment and treatment after these kinds of events. Is there any point in comparing them? And if not, why does the media do it? Is it just to bulk up ratings, or is it a professional version of the human phenomenon of not knowing exactly what to say?
Mo Rocca has appeared on a bunch of shows, including 'The Daily Show,' 'I Love the 80s,'...
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The Weight of Tragedy
Posted Apr 16th 2007 2:08PM by Ben Greenman
Filed under: Breaking News, Crime
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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
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Reader Comments ( Page 13 of 13)
181. Quit placing the blame..Cant we just get along? ..i wish for 1 thing in life..to lose the word..HATE..& RACISM...Life is to short..
Help your neighbor and be thankful your alive today.
Delaware at 9:12AM on Apr 18th 2007
182. should we really be surprised when a troubled young man takes the messages he hears everyday to heart? We've got college professors ranting daily against the "wealthy" and the evil rich "steaking from the poor".
In a Texas professor's essay, he said Bush carried the "symbol of evil-the spoiler's ax".
A Wisconsin professor tells students that our president is "evil", like "Hitler" and the cause of bringing down the twin towers.
No doubt, a kid with mental issues might be likely to think he's doing something heroic. Maybe he considered himself Ismail's ax, taking down the so-called evil rich.
So, take note of who's speaking the next time you hear someone taking potshots against the wealthy.
LN at 3:35PM on Apr 30th 2007
183. I would like to know is this activity carried out by men a result of this culture? Does this happen in europe france england or is it perticular to the U.S. What a tragedy but it happens here and again and again
Tony Ellison at 5:20PM on Apr 22nd 2007
184. I think that the body count, in conjuction with the age of the victims to be the key factors in determing the severity of the slaying. One may even consider the type of death; poisoning would be rather horrific. Jonestown still sends shivers down my spine. That and the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, Australia.
madelyn at 10:49AM on Apr 18th 2007
185. I dont feel we can put the blame on anyone,ie: the campus security , the police department. As we know from 911 .....we can do only all we can to protect our citizens but,if someone has it in their minds to cause tragedy , they will find a way. sad as it is. I guess 911 really opened my eyes to how vulnerable we all truly are. I don,t doubt anythiing anymore
I also dont feel we should be comparing to past tragedies. We should allow these people whose lives were lost and their families this time for their own grief and grieve with them. We did for the past tragedies.Whether 1 person or 32, all are as tragic as the next.
forrest at 10:53AM on Apr 18th 2007
186. #4 is an idiot!
Nelson at 9:53PM on Apr 18th 2007
187. WELL MY HEART AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE FAMILYS THAT CHILDERN WERE KILLED. AND TO HUSBENS AND WIFES THAT ALSO WERE KILLED. BUT WE NEED TO LEARN FROM THIS TRAGEDY. WE NEED TO ARE SCHOOL SAFER AND LETS GET TO KNOW THE PEOPLE THAT ARE KIDS GO TO SCHOOL WITH. IF YOUR CHILD SAYS TO YOU ABOUT HOW SOME ONE ACTS LISTEN TO THEM AND DO SOMTHING. THERE IS SO MANY PEOPLE TO BLAME BUT THE ONLY WE WE SHOULD LOOK AT IS ARE SELF BECOUSE THERE WERE SIGHES AND STILL WE DID NOTHING SO FOR ALL THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE BLAMING THE PRESENTED PLEASE STOP.THANK YOU SANDRA
SANDRA at 7:11PM on Apr 18th 2007
188. The whole thing is sad...and it happens in the Middleast and Baghdad, in Afghanistan. We are not conditioned for this and persons in the places I've listed above have been for years. I don't want to be conditioned and numb to this level of madness!
I tell you now, wake up!
Nelson at 10:01PM on Apr 18th 2007
189. never ever believed that something like that is possible...
a memoriam and condolence site you'll find here: http://www.blacksburg-massacre.info
Thanks for joining and helping build up this memoriam site.
Thomas at 11:43AM on Apr 19th 2007
190. I am sad by the tradegy in VT. I am not surprised. In fact I am surprised that it did not happen more often. And the public and media has skillfully avoid the CORE issues. If anyone think this is nothing to do with race, he or she is either blind or deaf. The ABC channel 7 reported that Mr. cho was in the 1% American elite class. His Parents live in nice townhouse in suburban, and he went to VT. This troubled young man just told you that one can not live by materials alone. His action is really an ecoes to many Asian American, may be to other race of immigrants as well. Let me give anatomy as one Asian American to another.
Immigrants lured by the freedoms that the Constitution promised. But underneath that freedom in America society is a layer of subtle, cut-throat,hypocrit,evilish, occultish practice' of discrimination. And it is all skillfully done under the name of Jesus, Moses, Christanity, God,Supremism,Purity, etc. And as the Buddhism started to flourish in the West, Yes, under the name of Budda as well. If you do not belive me, just go to any Western Buddhist Centers. Yow will find that Western buddhists are a bunch of thieves.They stole teachings and skillfully kicked off the NON WHITES, including Non whites teachers. So where would a young Asian Amercan man find justice? What about finding happiness through a girl friendS? Forget about it. They all want to sleep with whites and or riches. This is what he meant, NO JUSTICE, NO CHANCE. BUT SUICEDE.
My heart goes out to the victims and the families. But there are many many more troubled and wounded souls everywhere. I am saying , STOP dennying that it is not a racial issue. It is a racial and Zen issues.
berni at 2:14PM on Apr 19th 2007
191. Reorts of Cho burnig a room at cmpus dormitory. Two women accused Cho of stalking them in 2005, and was referred to mental health services for suicidal behavior, was detained in jail, but later released,wrote some of the most horrified plays that was nothing but a warning sign of his character. I regret certain things went unnotice by his family, people in the community & the teachers at the college and I believe some of the people were literally scared of this creep. This very sick animal made violent or hostile type videos, shot up a couple of individuals took a break and went to the US Postal Service to mail package, then came back to the college campus about an hour or two later just resume the shootings. Some of these people for example like his parents must have saw signs, unusal behavior and was affraid to speak out. Very sad after the first shooting that the college did not shut the school/campus down. In the days to come it will play out how all of this was handle and just be on the look out for law suit to come. By the way media is still scandolous as ever. It's not worth Cho's manifesto. Now I wonder if Timonth McVeigh & Cho ever friends!
u2ez69 at 7:58PM on Apr 19th 2007
192. I do not know any of the victims or families of the Virginia Tech tragedy,personally,but in America we are strong people,and when one mourns....we ALL mourn. We hold each other up....we keep our prayer appointments with God at night. If God wakes us to pray for any of these families at night, thats exactly what we do.We know that only God has the power to help every one of these families for healing in their sorrow. Lets bind together, and hold these families up....night and day with prayer.Thats what makes us a strong nation.
Alice Weaver at 6:58AM on Apr 21st 2007
193. Who controls are press? Can't people see the pattern? Every time democrats get into office, the powers that be try to erode are rights as citizens with new laws like the Brady bill or the newly considered bills by congress to require states to give information on citizen's private lives for gun control. When republicans get into office, they fleece the country and enact laws like the Patriot act which further restrict our freedom.
Few see that what happened in Virginia is due to a general trend of hard heartedness pervasive in this country. Hardheartedness based on greed of those that run the press, big business and the government. Hard heartedness manifested in the Brady bill which gives no second chances. That assumes that a judicial system designed and run by men is so perfect that rights given by the constitution and the wisdom of our fore fathers can be taken away permanently without even the seven year forgiveness that the past writers of law tried to write in the law. A forgiveness based on the bible.
As for the mental health system, psychiatry is a science which even many practitioners, which I am one, realize lacks validity. We may have reproducible results in that you can get two psychiatrists to agree, but we lack validity in that there is usually no objective test that really determines rather a person in mentally ill. As is well documented, psychiatry is known for its abuses.
In addition what is the wisdom in using the civil case level of proof, as committing someone for mental reasons requires, to counteract the highest law, which the second amendment of the constitution is. Civil court does not require that you prove a case beyond reasonable doubt. On this basis I think must of the gun control laws involving mentally ill should be unconstitutional.
It all comes to the definition of freedom. Freedom is being defined by those who have wealth and power as their freedom to do and take as they please. How dare we interfere with this? We must be punished for our insolence. The new wave of punishment will come from there exploitation of this present situation. Many will feel okay to remain acquiescent because they do not feel threatened. But injustice is like a cancer. Although it is growing quietly, only a fool does not fear that it will not latter metastasize to affect the whole organism.
mfran at 4:29PM on Apr 22nd 2007