you know i love it when you talk dirty to me
I read online that the shooter had been referred for counselling becuase of the disturbing nature of his work on his creative writing course. Is writing about dark subject matters a sign of some imbalance, a warning sign? I read something about Thomas Harris once, where a journalist asked him if his skill at portraying monsters was any reflection of himself. Harris didn't take it too well, apparently, and has rarely given interviews sice. Now, there's food for thought.
I see what you mean about being a little desensitised to this, but surely some things must get past the barriers? I remember a few things from the nineties in my country - the killing of three little boys in an arson attack, the Shankill bombing which killed ten, the Omagh bombing which killed twenty-eight (twenty-nine if you count an unborn baby) - all of those came as gut-punches to the public psyche here. I remember where I was when I heard about each of them, and even a lot of the news coverage and debate that ensued (an odd benefit of the Troubles is that we have arguably the best regional TV journalism in the world here). What did come about was a change in attitudes. In particular, the killings of the Quinn children (by loyalists) and the Omagh bombing (by republicans) within weeks of each other kind of brought people to the point where they said "Enough is enough - no more." It hasn't been a perfect peace since then by any means, but violence certainly became a harder sell for those that would peddle it.
I wonder what long-term impact the Virginia tragedy will have for the USA?
Likely very little will happen under this administration except for some well-crafted sound bites. It makes me sick that Bush is going there for photo-ops. Frankly, Bush is all about too little, too late. He sure as hell couldn't face the country when foreigners bombed New York and DC, he was less than useless during Katrina and our last school shooting. Now he's trying to be prompt, but what he'll really be is in the way.
The writings bit really does disturb me. I read his stuff and it's, frankly, not much worse than stuff I read for the zine. That's not to say that the subject matter would have been disturbing to me as a professional when I taught (though I heard worse from my students). One teacher has claimed to have tried to help him and she will probably be sued by the families of everyone who died.
However, doing something about what one writes when the writer is an adult--18 in this country--borders on messing with free speech. Congress (who is so determined to put their stamp on things lately) could mess with free speech in the name of protecting our students. It was quite immature and kind of pathetic, like he was trying to shock the reader in a juvenile way. I don't know though, free speech is already under attack, just google nappy-headed ho.
I guess I'm jaded about the news coverage most of all. This is the act of one lunatic, but we'll spend the next months generalizing to other tragedies (such as Columbine, which happened an hour from my house) and second guessing everyone who knew the kid, when it really was HIS fault.
I can't help but make the parallel between this and the war--especially when it comes to news coverage. People are dying over there every day, even Americans (if you're not, apparently it's less than newsworthy). Despite the tragedies in this country, most of us have no idea of what real danger or pain or cruelty is. Those guys in the war know. Hell, I have no real idea of what it is. I guess that's what's left me apathetic with this one. Why are these college kids any more "my people" than the kids in Iraq who die from a bullet or a road-side bomb? I'm not saying I shouldn't care about both, but a life is a life is a life, even if you're in the military.
I am disappointed and disturbed by my own reaction though. I'm not concerned nearly enough with politics and events in our own country, and mostly it's been my distaste for this administration which has driven me from a healthy interest.
Also, I've never been to West Virginia--it's across the country from Colorado. Colorado alone, incidently, is about three times the size of Ireland.
Huh. Things you learn when you start poking around the internet.
Hmm, here's an odd piece of serendipty for you.
After writing that hook and reading your comments about your protagonist's name for Hinterland over at the Crapometer, I had a nagging at the back of mind about how familiar that name was. I kept trying to remember why it rang a bell for me, but I couldn't get a hold of it.
Anyway, after my comment here, I was thinking about how one my current novel's protagonist's heinous acts is loosely based on the Shankill bombing (where two IRA men left a device in a fish monger's that killed ten in total). Then the pieces clicked and I remembered - one of the bombers died in the blast. The other survived and is now a free man, released as my protagonist was, under the terms of the Good Friday peace agreement.
His name?
Sean Kelly.
Less spookily - on the subject of news coverage: I get CNN and Fox News over here via Satellite TV. The contrast between news coverage here and in the States is startling. Thank God for the BBC, where they aren't concerned about viewing figures and can just give the news straight. Commercial news channels here are starting to go the way of USA news channels, but they aren't quite so bad yet. I remember watching Fox and CNN coverage of the Washington sniper a few years ago, and the news readers sounded like circus ringmasters - "Roll up! Roll up! For your entertainent, in the next segment, we have an eye-witness for your amuseent and delight!" Just creepy, really.
Ewwwe. Sean. I happen to have a love affair with that name, but it may have to be changed at some point. I may actually make him a permanent part of that world (what with peoples' predjudice against portal stories).
I try and pick up BBC as much as possible, and when I remember, that's who I check online. I also listen to National Public Radio here-- but sometimes their coverage is lacking, and it's definitely got a liberal slant. (Not that I'm against that, but I'd like FAIR coverage, such as it is.) CNN used to be one of the greats, but when Fox took some of their viewers, they lowered themselves to Fox standards.
I might have to google this Sean Kelly and see what he's up to lately. But then, that's like John Smith in the States or Dornbusch in Germany, right?
I'm just wholly with you.
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