I’ve been thinking about the Virginia Tech shootings, but haven’t been able to figure out what to say. It’s horrible. Almost unbelievable. And the media treatment is even worse, turning a tragic event into a circus and a chorus of trying to blame someone, anyone. It’s absurd to suggest that VT should have shut down the campus (equivalent in size to a small town) after the first shooting, when reasonable belief pointed to a domestic dispute. And is it really necessary to publish the shooter’s hyper-violent writings and broadcast his “manifesto” to the world? And why must the news keep harping on the fact that this was a new school shooting “record” — are they trying to encourage someone else to go out and shoot even more? It makes me so angry.
But mostly it just makes me ache. Carter put into words what I’ve been thinking pretty well. I went to a tech school. Most of my friends went to a tech school. Georgia Tech, MIT, and plenty of other schools with large engineering departments… We’re geeks, we’re nerds, and yes, we’re weird — even the English majors, like this guy. The number of students at Georgia Tech that could have been described as “strange” or “a loner” or “sullen” or even “emotionally unstable” was not small. There were plenty of strange kids. People who never left their dorm rooms. People who always seemed angry. Could they have been pushed over the edge? I don’t know.
It seems easy to look back now and see the warning signs. But there’s still a huge difference between writing angry, violent literature and deciding to kill 32 people. There’s still a huge difference even between needing psychiatric care and being so messed up that you think going on a shooting rampage is a solution to your problems. I don’t know how anyone is supposed to be able to predict something like this. And if you can’t predict it, how can you prevent it?
I just don’t know.
very well said!
I totally agree. The whole idea of a “lock-down” on a college campus doesn’t make any sense to me. It’s not an elementary school with a PA system and everybody is in class all day. I think the students at my school probably would have rebelled at the whole idea, especially considering I don’t see how the campus authorities were supposed to conclude that this guy was going to kill more people.
When I lived in the dorms, there was a guy that lived in my dorm who definately fit all those descriptions. He talked to himself, never interacted with anyone, and I watched him chase ducks around a campus plaza for 20 minutes once. He actually did kind of disturb us, but does that mean that he shouldn’t have been at school? Maybe he was autistic or had some other mental issue that I don’t know about. I always gave him the benefit of the doubt. And locked my door at night.
I disagree with you about shutting down the campus. If they shut down a college every time someone was shot and killed, you could probably count on your fingers the number of times it would have occurred. School shootings are highly unusual.
When there was a shooting on Mercer Island, where I used to live, with a population about the size of VT it was immediately publicized and highways closed. (the only way on or off the island other than boats)
Agree on both counts. I heard a law enforcement officer say that when you have a shooting anywhere else you don’t lock down the area for blocks in every direction, but that is what they expected the school to do? Doesn’t make sense. I think they would have complained no matter what the school did.
I think maybe tied with the engineering department is the music and fine arts department. I’ve had (heck still have some days) my moody sullen times. Just because someone is having problems mentally or doesn’t fit societal norms doesn’t mean that they are going to shoot up a school.
And to clarify in regards to Jennifer’s comment. Closing down roads and locking people up in buildings are two different things.
I don’t think a lockdown is feasible. I would hope they wouldn’t close a university and send everyone home any time a gunshot is heard or a shooting reported.
I think VT should have taken prompt action to inform the faculty and student body that there had been a shooting and that the shooter had not been caught. That’s really the only sensible precaution until you have evidence to the contrary. If people had been on the lookout, this man might have been spotted and possibly stopped when he was acting suspicious outside the German classroom.
Yeah, when I said I thought people would have rebelled at a lock-down, I meant like they do at elementary and secondary schools. Lock the doors to the classrooms and don’t let anybody leave kind of thing. Roadblocks and checkpoints are totally reasonable.