Apr 17, 2007

The Blame Game

Against my good judgment, I'm going to blog about a current event.

I just went to a section of BBC.com where readers can post comments about the Virginia Tech shootings. As I scrolled through the comments, I saw a few condolences for the victims and survivors. I saw a lot of America-bashing and pro- and anti- gun control rants.

Why is it that when a tragedy makes world headlines, people IMMEDIATELY fling accusations and blame around? People seem unable to just sit and absorb the news. A disturbed man murdered 33 innocent students. This is not the fault of the students, the school faculty, the senators, the NRA, America, or TV and video games. It's the fault of the guy who locked students in a building and shot as many as possible. Please, assign blame where it's due. He deserves your anger. He's dead, but that doesn't make him any less guilty.

3 comments:

Padre Cohen said...

Abby, I feel the same as you. Today's instant news coverage doesn't allow us time for historical perspective.

Pundits are trying to make sense of a bit of meaningless human behavior. Politicians are trying to find someone to blame for the horror. Everyone is afraid to face the truth: someone is guilty, but all are responsible.

Joe said...

I would add that Cho is probably as much a victim as his victims were, in that his obvious paranoid schizophrenia went unnoticed and untreated. That doesn't excuse what he did, of course, but, as Padre Cohen said above, there's enough blame [for not getting the guy the help he so desperately needed] to go around.

David Lyman said...

It's all your fault!
"Let's put violence back into the cartoons where it belongs and get it off the streets!" John K.