How much is too much media?
Okay,
I've gone into Virginia Tech tragedy overload. It's not about the stories of the 32 victims, it's the endless reports about Seung-Hui Cho. What he was like as a child, his anti-social behavior, his violent plays, what Steven King thought about his plays and so on. Yes, I read each article, trying to make sense of how someone could become so evil and waste all those lives. Then the video was discovered. This is where I need to draw a line. Was it necessary to show the video? Everywhere I went or logged on, there was countless, repeated shots of Cho brandishing weapons, grimacing at the camera and wielding hammers. Even my town's newspaper had two thirds of the front page devoted to this. I couldn't escape it. Neither could the families, friends and the rest of the country.
Our love affair with crime has a lot to do with this. We watch movies about serial killers. I'm not talking about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter but "The Zodiac Killer," "Unsolved Mysteries," (which used to be a cool program about paranormal happenings until they switched topics) all three "CSI"s, Court TV and countless other programs that show crime. We also have countless news channels, news Web sites and newspapers reporting about every crime, taking every angle. I even read an article that one scene of Cho's manifesto reminded people of a Korean film. He was a sick person. I don't know what happened to him. I almost hope something did happen to him to make him that way so I don't lose my faith that someone could be that cold, calculating and downright evil just because he was.
Another thing I noticed about this week... all the anniversaries of horrible deaths like Columbine, the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas, The Oklahoma bombings and now this. Coincidence? Not sure but it sure is weird. Humans tend to group like things together to try to make sense of events. Maybe that's all it is.
I dedicate this post to the 32 people who lost their lives this Monday, April 16, 2007. I also ask anyone who reads this post to take seriously the ravages of mental health. If you know someone who's having a tough time, don't tell them 'they're weak, it's all in their mind.' Just listen and realize, yes it's in their mind but it's as real as a heart attack.
Peace out,
Bugz
I've gone into Virginia Tech tragedy overload. It's not about the stories of the 32 victims, it's the endless reports about Seung-Hui Cho. What he was like as a child, his anti-social behavior, his violent plays, what Steven King thought about his plays and so on. Yes, I read each article, trying to make sense of how someone could become so evil and waste all those lives. Then the video was discovered. This is where I need to draw a line. Was it necessary to show the video? Everywhere I went or logged on, there was countless, repeated shots of Cho brandishing weapons, grimacing at the camera and wielding hammers. Even my town's newspaper had two thirds of the front page devoted to this. I couldn't escape it. Neither could the families, friends and the rest of the country.
Our love affair with crime has a lot to do with this. We watch movies about serial killers. I'm not talking about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter but "The Zodiac Killer," "Unsolved Mysteries," (which used to be a cool program about paranormal happenings until they switched topics) all three "CSI"s, Court TV and countless other programs that show crime. We also have countless news channels, news Web sites and newspapers reporting about every crime, taking every angle. I even read an article that one scene of Cho's manifesto reminded people of a Korean film. He was a sick person. I don't know what happened to him. I almost hope something did happen to him to make him that way so I don't lose my faith that someone could be that cold, calculating and downright evil just because he was.
Another thing I noticed about this week... all the anniversaries of horrible deaths like Columbine, the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas, The Oklahoma bombings and now this. Coincidence? Not sure but it sure is weird. Humans tend to group like things together to try to make sense of events. Maybe that's all it is.
I dedicate this post to the 32 people who lost their lives this Monday, April 16, 2007. I also ask anyone who reads this post to take seriously the ravages of mental health. If you know someone who's having a tough time, don't tell them 'they're weak, it's all in their mind.' Just listen and realize, yes it's in their mind but it's as real as a heart attack.
Peace out,
Bugz
Labels: 32 victims, Crime, killings in April, media, Mental Health, Seung-Hui Cho, Virginia Tech
posted by Bugz at 9:04 PM
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