The shootings at V. Tech.

[tachiKC]

What are your thoughts on all of this? And where were you when you heard about it?

Mine are mixed. I wonder why they didnt keep the kids inside the dorms after the initial shooting. They say that they just thought that it was a domestic dispute at first, but I would still think that they would keep people inside for awhile atleast while they looked for the suspect.

Also, they waited I think 2 hours to even send out an email warning people, and by then he was killing again.

I was actually in class at the time when a student ran in and told everyone what had happened. The professor then just stopped the lecture and turned on the TV so we could all watch.

[Kei]

[color=darkblue][size=1]You are correct in your assumption that the administrators at Virginia Tech waited two hours after the first shooting to send out an e-mail. According to sources, their reasoning was that they believed the gunman had already fled the campus.

As far as my personal reaction to all of it... it's horrible to say the least. I feel sorry for the families that lost loved ones in the incident, but I know this is going to brew a firestorm of angry parents across the nation asking what the schools are doing to protect their children from something like this, just like they did after Columbine and other similar incidents. Not only that, but seeing as the shooter was in VA on a student visa (I'm assuming from what I gather of the reports), it'll likely put some form of strain on the international education programs at universities as well.

Speaking as someone that works for the International Department at a college, I can tell you right now that's something we don't need. There are already enough hurdles for international students to cross before they can come over here. They don't need any more.

To see MSN's coverage of the story, [url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18138369/]click here.[/url][/color][/size]

[2010DigitalBoy]

[COLOR=DarkOrange]There's already a 10-page thread (debate) about this over on Megatokyo... it's disgusting. As usual, everything's been politicized, dragged out of focus... we've got the pro-gun and anti-guns, the people sifting through blame cards trying to figure out who to yell at, the whole 9-yards.

i'm not one to get into this sort of mess. I don't really have strong opinions on these issues -- nothing I feel passionate about enough to back up with any substance.

I will say this, though. As one who lives in Virginia, where VA Tech is the most popular college choice, it's a sort of surprise hearing about this in my own backyard. I can't claim to have been frightened -- the world was already scary enough as it was... this is just more fuel on the fire.

My only thing is that the minute I hear 'video games' or 'music' on the news, I'll be the next one on a rampage.[/COLOR]

[Morpheus]

[QUOTE=2007DigitalBoy][COLOR=DarkOrange]There's already a 10-page thread (debate) about this over on Megatokyo... it's disgusting. As usual, everything's been politicized, dragged out of focus... we've got the pro-gun and anti-guns, the people sifting through blame cards trying to figure out who to yell at, the whole 9-yards.

i'm not one to get into this sort of mess. I don't really have strong opinions on these issues -- nothing I feel passionate about enough to back up with any substance.

I will say this, though. As one who lives in Virginia, where VA Tech is the most popular college choice, it's a sort of surprise hearing about this in my own backyard. I can't claim to have been frightened -- the world was already scary enough as it was... this is just more fuel on the fire.

My only thing is that the minute I hear 'video games' or 'music' on the news, I'll be the next one on a rampage.[/COLOR][/QUOTE]
Fox had Jack Thompson on for 20 minutes yesterday. Why, in the midst of a tragedy, must we listen to someone without any sort of qualifications to analyze the situation? He just got on, said his usual blasphemous speech on how video games are corrupting our youth, and left. That's not helping. He belittled the massacre by putting his own agenda behind it. It's been 8 years since Paducah, and no one believed him then, and they certainly don't listen to him now that he latches onto every single one of these tragedies. It is disgusting in every way imaginable.

Here's a thought: They all take place at schools. Maybe analyze that aspect sometime, Mr. Thompson. School is very stressful, and people can be horrible sometimes. Saying that they play video games is like saying that they killed because they eat at McDonald's, drive cars, or have access to the internet. It's ludicrous at best.

[eleanor]

[color=dimgray] This was already a horrible incident, but what makes me angrier are the douche bags who think they're hardcore making fun of the whole thing already. 4chan needs to **** off and die already. [/color]

[Sazumechan]

The whole incident was just horrible! I had just gotten home from school and mom had turned on the news thats when I first saw it.It was Ms. Joyce all over again!(Ms. Joyce was a bus driver and a friend of mine's mom.She was shot a year ago trying to pick a kid up on the way to the school)So I know how it feels when it comes to hitting close to home.I am like most people angry with the police for not taking better measures.But you have to remember they were only doing what they felt was right.So I just what to ask people to not be too harsh or say bad things about this tragic situation.Thanks

[Anakoni Stark]

[SIZE=1] I first heard about it yesterday, I shrugged it off.
them I heard about it twice this morning [in history and criminal justice] I shrugged it off, again. my intial reaction was: " Dude, I've heard [spoiler] **** [/spoiler] like this from the middle east for quite awhile now, it's just the same crap...with fewer gunners and it's domesticated."

then this afternoon while I was hanging out with a friend, he was like: "what if that happened at our school, dude?"

that changed the entire perspective....a little bit. I mean there's gun violence at my school nearly everday, but no one ever goes through with shooting anyone here.

after alot of strenous thought, it hit me: "what if my older sister is going to go to that school? what if this happened at my older brother's school? what if...?"

now, I feel bad about what had happened to the victims.
I just dont feel lucky that it wasnt my school.

[B] Now:[/B] The Prayer
[B] Artist: [/B] Bloc Party
[B] Album: [/B] A Weekend In The City[/SIZE]

[Retribution]

[size=1]I think you're right in your sentiment, Felix. It sounds callous to say, but I think this incident to be less important than those crises abroad. 32 people in Darfur probably died in the past hour, yet alone the entire day and yet genocide is relegated to the last pages of the paper while 32 deaths is a "national tragedy".

It's pathetic that actual genocide hasn't gotten this kind of press. That's western civ I suppose.[/size]

[eleanor]

[QUOTE=Retribution][size=1]I think you're right in your sentiment, Felix. It sounds callous to say, but I think this incident to be less important than those crises abroad. 32 people in Darfur probably died in the past hour, yet alone the entire day and yet genocide is relegated to the last pages of the paper while 32 deaths is a "national tragedy".

It's pathetic that actual genocide hasn't gotten this kind of press. That's western civ I suppose.[/size][/QUOTE]

[color=dimgray] Yeah, we sort of tend to not care about people who aren't white.[/color]

[The13thMan]

[quote name='Lunox][color=dimgray'] Yeah, we sort of tend to not care about people who aren't white.[/color][/quote]
[COLOR=DarkOrange][FONT=Century Gothic]It's sad that a comment like that can even be made, ever the less it is mostly true. I would clarify it and say that the media doesn't care about anybody not white and maybe even the general public. How sad.

I got a text from my girlfriend back at home, she was worried about me. I go to a university, i thought it was a bit silly of her to worry about me because of a shooting at a different university. I understand her though, i probably would have done the same thing. Silly people do silly things when in love... or not, haha.

Uh... i don't know too much about the whole incident, but i do have an uneducated opinion on the whole matter. It boggles my mind that there can be a shooting on campus where two people die where the cops don't have the killer in custody and not alert the entire campus. A tip or reason to believe he fled is not nearly enough to not at least immediately send out an email or something! Thirty-two people died because of somebody's decision not to act with haste.

I do give them the benefit of a doubt though. Surely they deal with cases like that at a regular basis and it's definitely hard to alert an entire campus. Though i feel that just because something grows common doesn't make it right to accept it as normal. When making a choice involving a human life it's always better to error on the side of safety.

Oh well...


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[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]The "importance" of suffering does not change the effect suffering has on victims. It is a 'national tragedy' to the nation it occurs in. Darfur and Iraq, prominent examples of worldwide tragedies, should be given attention but the scale of suffering, even if minimal in comparison to genocide and regional warfare, does little to ease the pain.

This has reawakened the gun debate and I don't find that totally unnecessary. I do not have a position for or against gun ownership. It is a terse issue for some in the United States however. In regards to this issue though one ridiculous statement I read online was some yarn about how if all the other students had owned guns then, well, they could have kicked his *** first I guess lol. I sincerely hope that was a witty statement and not an actual point of view the person had.

As for violent media I would agree with the idea that people who are violent already often immerse themselves in violent media. It might desensitize you to violence but I do not believe it flips on a violent switch in your head that causes you to be more harmful.

It's a very poor situation and I hope the pain people are feeling is mended with time.[/color]

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkRed]What do I think? After the shooting here in Salt Lake City a few months ago as well as other shootings. This whole thing just brings to home that there isn't anywhere that is safe. Even where I go to school as well. >_< Since some moron called in a bomb threat today. [URL=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1119139]Article[/URL] That was so NOT fun.

Honestly I just wish I understood why people kill others. It just doesn't make sense to me. Or why they would do what they did at my school and scare the hell out of everyone. Including myself. [/COLOR]

[Retribution]

[quote name='DeathKnight][color=crimson']The "importance" of suffering does not change the effect suffering has on victims. It is a 'national tragedy' to the nation it occurs in. Darfur and Iraq, prominent examples of worldwide tragedies, should be given attention but the scale of suffering, even if minimal in comparison to genocide and regional warfare, does little to ease the pain.[/color][/quote][size=1]I agree, however I still believe genocide should have priority over and be considered more important than a school shooting. I suppose my point is that it's a shame that people only heed suffering in their sight rather than a greater amount of suffering but out of sight.

[QUOTE][color=crimson]In regards to this issue though one ridiculous statement I read online was some yarn about how if all the other students had owned guns then, well, they could have kicked his *** first I guess lol. I sincerely hope that was a witty statement and not an actual point of view the person had.[/color][/QUOTE]Ah, the American gun culture. Gotta love it.[/size]

[Sara]

[quote name='Aaryanna][COLOR=DarkRed]Since some moron called in a bomb threat today. [URL=http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1119139]Article[/URL'] That was so NOT fun. [/COLOR][/quote][color=#b0000b][size=1]Yeah, [url=http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8OJ8LCG3]there was a bomb threat at my school today[/url], as well. Seven buildings evacuated; a lot of my friends had classes canceled.

This week is stressing me out.[/color][/size]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy] Yeah after like three days I am finally posting about this incident- what can I say? I've been busy and I've heard a lot about it already.

The first I heard about the shootings I was at the nursing home where one of my clients is. The activities director decided that Monday was current events and at 12:07PM EST he pulled up CNN.com and read that two people had been shot at Virginia Tech and that they were still investigating the incident.

I thought well yeah- it sounds like a domestic dispute. I was too much in my own world to care and I forgot all about it until about 4:15PM when I was at another client's house (if anyone really cares- I'm an HHA and that's why I have clients :animesigh ) Her daughter's boyfriend came in to say that some guy had killed thirty-two people in a shooting spree and they were still trying to figure out why.

I'm really shook up about it- but a bit relieved. I actually asked my mom if she was glad that my brother and I aren't that smart (I only went to college for one year and my brother never went) so she doesn't have to worry about us being involved in school shootings. I guess it's just my way to deal.

Yesturday I found out that the other activities director's daughter almost went to VT to study Engineering but then visited University of Tampa and decided she liked Environmental science better. We also lost a girl from a few towns over to the shootings. She was only nineteen years old.

But finally to top all this off yesturday at R.I.T. (Rochester Institute of Technology) they found that one of the students had two semi guns in his dorm and a shedload of ammo in his car. I'm kind of worried about that because R.I.T. is just the next town over from where I live. This is crazy though, you send your kid to school to get an education, not to get shot at.

I don't really have much else to add at the moment.[/color][/font]

[vegeta rocker]

I just read in the news that the time he spent in between both shootings he spent mailing a package to NBC.



[URL=http://www.maltastar.com/pages/msfullart.asp?an=11473]Article[/URL]

Thats terrible.

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=RoyalBlue]^ Yeah, I heard about that. Sick. >_< This whole thing was sick as well as all the accusations and finger pointing being done in order to find someone to blame. I really don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. Those poor families who lost loved ones. I feel bad for them.[/COLOR]

[eleanor]

[color=dimgray] Just heard about the videos and pictures that Cho sent NBC. All I can say is that this guy clearly had some issues. The whole thing is just sad- the people who died, mourning families and friends, and how it all could have been prevented.

But also: [url="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/18/updates-on-virginia-tech/"]I hate this.[/url]

I hate it when people just jump on and try to put some part of the blame on movies or video games (Jack Thompson). It's the lamest excuse ever: "A Virginia Tech professor, Paul Harrill, alerted us of the similarity between images in the hope that it would shed some light on what led Mr. Cho to kill 32 on Monday before turning the gun on himself."

Ok, what light? That he was already a damaged person and he was influenced by violent movies? And that one of them happened to have a hammer in it?

Bravo, really. [/color]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]Just trying to search for a reason when there probably isn't one beyond severe mental illness.

Apparently people can't have severe problems just on their own anymore lol.[/color]

[Shishou]

My cousin got injured during there. I am so happy he is alive. Some people can't say that for their loved ones. I wonder though...It seems to me that they knew he was a bit mental right? Shouldn't they have locked him up before this started?...I dunno, I just can't see why people want to kill people!!! Or injure others..It makes me sad.

[Rachmaninoff]

[QUOTE=DeathKnight][color=crimson]Just trying to search for a reason when there probably isn't one beyond severe mental illness.

Apparently people can't have severe problems just on their own anymore lol.[/color][/QUOTE]So very true, and they are conveniently overlooking the fact that if movies and video games really did have such an impact, we'd have violent shootings going on all the time. And even then, in the end the person still made the choice to pull the trigger.

I wish people who make such stupid statements would stop and get their head examined before opening their mouth and inserting their foot. :animesigh

[vegeta rocker]

[quote name='Shishou']My cousin got injured during there. I am so happy he is alive. Some people can't say that for their loved ones. I wonder though...It seems to me that they knew he was a bit mental right? Shouldn't they have locked him up before this started?...I dunno, I just can't see why people want to kill people!!! Or injure others..It makes me sad.[/quote]


Since Cho is an adult the school kind of had it hands tied due to privacey issues.
They can't even call his parents with invading his rights, he had been seen as a threrat before but nothing was done.

I think a lot of school laws might get altered.

[Skye]

[size=1]I was shocked, but at the same time I kind of expected it. Then I found out that one of my best friends had a cousin that was killed. It's a real shock, you know. Life goes on and then someone just walks into a school full of people, completely sober, and kills that many people. It kind of reminds us of our mortality. For me, though, it was more like when the Twin Towers were hit. It was in a college, unlike Columbine, so it feels farther away and less related to me. It's kind of scary, but completely impersonal and far away.[/size]

[ChibiHorsewoman]

[QUOTE=vegeta rocker]Since Cho is an adult the school kind of had it hands tied due to privacey issues.
They can't even call his parents with invading his rights, he had been seen as a threrat before but nothing was done.

I think a lot of school laws might get altered.[/QUOTE]

[color=#9933ff][font=lucida calligraphy]Well I heard one of his english professors say that she had tried to go to the authorities because his stories were overly graphic and he talked constantly about shooting people. But they had told her that since he hadn't commited a crime, they couldn't do anything.

Also his roommates had mentioned that he'd hassled a few women on the campus and had an uneasy feeling around him because he wouldn't talk.

Finally today on one of the evening news shows one of the reporters was talking to his great-aunt She said that when he first arrived in the States he'd been diagnosed with Autism. I'm sorry, but I know autistic people. This seems more like a case of schitzophrenia. But then again I'm no expert.[/color][/font]

[Raiyuu]

Well, autism's a sliding scale. You might know quite autistic people and he might have been very autistic. It certainly doesn't sound like schizophrenia - if he wrote graphic stories about shooting people, gave women trouble on campus and was very withdrawn, if anything going on a shooting spree is consistent with his character. He doesn't seem to have swung violently from normal or happy to crazed shooter, like you would expect of a schizophrenic - he was basically the shooter type all along.

Of course, it's very easy to look back after the event and say 'there were so many signs, why did no one notice?'.