...looks sinister today. Something we do every day, like take the stairs to our home, or to work, or to a classroom takes on a darker, deeper resonance after yesterday's Virginia Tech killings.
I live in Los Angeles, home of the LA Riots. The threat of someone going off the rails and shooting at me on the freeway or evading police and crashing into me is part of the landscape. I believe the term "going postal" might have been coined in this city and let's not forget the 1997 North Hollywood bank robbery and shoot out. All of these violent acts and many more contribute to the pervasive caution and unfriendliness of people who live in this area. This city is urban with a capital "U" and only those of us with well honed avoidance skills and short memories can tolerate it. Mayhem is shocking but not uncommon here, but it is uncommon in places like Columbine, Colorado, and Blacksburg, Virginia.
These towns are heartland icons that have had their hearts ripped out and eaten by thrill seeking, suicidal psychopaths. There is no defense against these people. There is no way for ordinary, reasonably well-balanced people to understand these people and that's a fact. Blaming the university, or law enforcement, or anything but the killer is wrong.
Only the money-hungry media benefits from speculating on blame and this blame game inflicts even greater injury on the families of those killed and injured. They get to relive the nightmare on TV, radio, and the internet for days, weeks and even years. Their beautiful children are not people with personalities but "victims" of horror. Their loved ones are not famous for the ordinary and good lives they lived. They are forgotten while the killers are made immortal. We know every detail of the lives and thoughts and writings of the killers, but we know nothing about the accomplishments of those that were shot. This is what the media and those that profit from the media do to our people. We've become a vulture culture. It's all about the biggest bang for the buck and nothing spells m-o-n-e-y like a spectacular death.
Poet Nikki Giovanni, delivered the wisest words today. She suggested that this disaster is as horrifying and senseless as the killing of ordinary people in Baghdad or in Darfur or in tsunami ravaged Thailand. She urged "Hokies" to be strong and resiliant and to continue living worthwhile and beautiful lives. She urged her community to focus on the gifts these people brought to the world before they passed on and to cherish their lives, to comfort their families and transcend the grief. Good advice for the future. Right now, we are all horrified and praying for relief from sadness and fear.
4/19/07 Update: Greiving parent asks us to remember the victims not the killer
