In a sound-bite driven culture, emotion sells better than context. You can pack a generation's-worth of pathos in 4 seconds, but can't explain what you had for lunch.
We exploit the pain of those who have lost, then move on before they have a chance to understand or internalize anything.
The worst are those who capitalize on another's anguish to advance their own agenda. They leech the power of that emotion to lend credence to an argument that might not stand on the merits of logic alone.
Interesting. I'm noticing the opposite tendency. The rapid closing of ranks around university and police officials on the theory that no one should be blamed, it "just happened." To me, that is just as premature, and just as sad a reflection on our culture as the rush to blame or to exploit the issue for political gain.
The students at VT see an emperor with no clothes: There was a double-homicide on campus. Based on statements made by officials yesterday, the U. decided to treat it as a domestic dispute with no possible further ramifications, even though the killer was still at large, still armed, and had killed at least one university official already in addition to his ex-girlfriend. They also decided not to take advantage of the instantaneous communications available to them for more than two hours. If for no other reason than rumor control, I would have advised them to move much more quickly.
Should they have foreseen 31 more murders? Of course not. Should they have reacted differently than they did? I think so. If they had, would lives have been saved? No one can say that for sure -- to that extent, you're right. At worst, this falls short of tortious neglect. But their assumption that the crisis was over seems like muddled and misguided thinking. The traumatized students as well as the victims' survivors, deserve to understand what went into that thinking.
Don't forget about the concept of 'in loco parentis.' A university president has a much bigger responsibility for his or her charges than simply providing the expected service. He or she is supposed to look out for these kids on behalf of their parents. Would their parents have ho-hummed a double murderer wandering around just hours after the murder?
Mr. Stodder - does "in loco parentis" apply when we're dealing with adults?
Young adults to be sure - and there is no guarantee of maturity level. And my little girl will always be my little girl, no matter how old. But still - I don't see how you can apply the same principle of "in loco parentis" to an open campus with 2600 acres.
Since Columbine, school architecture has changed radically. Buildings are now designed to allow maximum visibility down long hallways, with fewer entry/exit points that can be easily locked down and secured. You can't do that with a college. Older schools have been retro-fitted with enclosed hallways between buildings.
You just can't do that with a university, no matter how much one would want to Monday-morning quarterback it.
John Wagner, why haven't you slung the names of those officials you're referring to in this forum as you did the 'celebrities' like 'Tyler Perry' and 'Mos Def' in the Jena article?
I know, 'sometimes, bad things happen. And sometimes, even the best and smartest people around can't prevent them.'
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