infopri
I guess I'm now a VERY
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,910
When all else fails, let us agree to disagree.
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« Reply #225 on: April 17, 2007, 10:57:51 AM » |
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I have an idea, cslacker. Why don't you start a new thread on racial profiling, or diversity, or whatever else you want to get everyone riled up about?
Amen, angel. |
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if there's a next time, I'll remind myself I don't need to engage.
MYOB. Y enseņen bien a sus hijos. (with thanks to cronopio) |
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cslacker
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« Reply #226 on: April 17, 2007, 11:00:51 AM » |
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dodging the debate.
so you are against racial profiling ONLY until it impacts you. Must be nice to be an overpaid academic.
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nightseeker
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« Reply #227 on: April 17, 2007, 11:01:35 AM » |
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For those of you against racial profiling, do you think that the police were hindered by their ability to capture the murder at VT because they only description they had (after the first shooting) was that it was an "asian guy" If the police stopped someone for being asian, is this racial profiling?
ummmm, yes. I am more concerned about the "domestic incident" aspect of the first shooting. If a guy is willing to kill his girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, why is it so much of a stretch to believe he might kill others? Possibly many others? |
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callmesecular
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« Reply #228 on: April 17, 2007, 11:06:41 AM » |
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First, I don't want to take one thing away from what happened yesterday. It was a horrible day that I won't ever forget and one that has me questioning my own assumptions about how safe I am working in academia, as opposed to an American high school, which up until now has been more famous for these type of tragedies. What I would like to do is ask the American media to have a better historical grasp of things. Headlines like "Greatest Massacre in United States History" leave out the massacres of the 19th century, the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee being the most famous with 300 Sioux gunned down. Less famous being massacres at Sand Creek, Bear River, and the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre by Mormon settlers of over 100 pioneers, men, women, and children, headed to the west coast. The sad fact is that the massacre of innocence has a long history in these United States. The why of it and what this says about us, we can all debate. But we should at least be better aware of this fact. A small hope, more journalism majors are encouraged to take more history classes before they graduate. Then maybe a reporter would say, "To put today's tragedy in context, we have to go back to 1890 when 300 Sioux were gunned down by . . . "
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infopri
I guess I'm now a VERY
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 17,910
When all else fails, let us agree to disagree.
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« Reply #229 on: April 17, 2007, 11:06:56 AM » |
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I still don't understand the connection between the two locations, assuming it was the same guy (and I do assume it was the same guy). Has that been discussed in the news at all?
BTW, there are now separate threads for debating gun control and profiling. Please, can we reserve this thread for posts about VT itself and what happened there? Please?
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if there's a next time, I'll remind myself I don't need to engage.
MYOB. Y enseņen bien a sus hijos. (with thanks to cronopio) |
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anthroid
Proud yod dropper
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 15,781
No happy socks because nobody gets Manitoba.
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« Reply #230 on: April 17, 2007, 11:10:41 AM » |
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First, I don't want to take one thing away from what happened yesterday. It was a horrible day that I won't ever forget and one that has me questioning my own assumptions about how safe I am working in academia, as opposed to an American high school, which up until now has been more famous for these type of tragedies. What I would like to do is ask the American media to have a better historical grasp of things. Headlines like "Greatest Massacre in United States History" leave out the massacres of the 19th century, the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee being the most famous with 300 Sioux gunned down. Less famous being massacres at Sand Creek, Bear River, and the 1857 Mountain Meadows massacre by Mormon settlers of over 100 pioneers, men, women, and children, headed to the west coast. The sad fact is that the massacre of innocence has a long history in these United States. The why of it and what this says about us, we can all debate. But we should at least be better aware of this fact. A small hope, more journalism majors are encouraged to take more history classes before they graduate. Then maybe a reporter would say, "To put today's tragedy in context, we have to go back to 1890 when 300 Sioux were gunned down by . . . "
Ahem. Indeed. And while I am completely torn up about this horrific event, I also am quite annoyed at its billing as the worst shooting in the history of the nation. Talk about tunnel vision. Gunmen opened up on American Indian populations through the history of this nation. Massacres, particularly after the widespread availability of the repeating rifle, were not uncommon.
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Do you hail from Planet Hello Kitty? It's like an action movie, but boring.
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helpful
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« Reply #231 on: April 17, 2007, 11:11:27 AM » |
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I still don't understand the connection between the two locations, assuming it was the same guy (and I do assume it was the same guy). Has that been discussed in the news at all?
BTW, there are now separate threads for debating gun control and profiling. Please, can we reserve this thread for posts about VT itself and what happened there? Please?
One of the eyewitness reports says he was looking into classrooms looking for someone. Perhaps the shooter had taken one of the classes, or perhaps a classmate in one of those classes had wronged him in some way. Or it could have been just random. I am sure the press will be all over this one and come up with their own theories. I can't wait for that Nancy Grace with her blaring grating voice get onto this story. She reminds me of the woman at the guillotine in revolutionary france who cackled every time a head was chopped off. What her name? Madame something or the other. Yecch. |
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« Last Edit: April 17, 2007, 11:11:44 AM by helpful »
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gennimom
Somewhat Southern (Have I really posted that much?)
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 16,753
Let's get summer over with! Me want snow!
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« Reply #232 on: April 17, 2007, 11:28:43 AM » |
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Folks, I think the difference in calling this the biggest massacre is that it was done by a single individual with no intent other than to hurt others. The other massacres people keep trying to compare it to were political and committed by military, supposedly to protect the nation. No less heinous, but a different situation. The press doesn't really think in those terms, they're only going to compare to situations that are vaguely similar.
Our univ prez sent out an email to the entire campus yesterday afternoon asking us to remember VT and also to be aware of our own surroundings.
But please, remember, hindsight is always 20/20. None of us know how we would have reacted in a similar situation, but I doubt any of us would have assumed the shooter would go across campus, enter another building, padlock the doors shut, and open fire. Even if they had gotten the word out sooner, I doubt very many people would have believed themselves in danger. Heck, besides that, they'd have had to have roadblocks on all entrances to stop people and send them home, and somehow stop people in the middle of campus to tell them to get somewhere safe. Also, how do we know they wouldn't have closed the shooter in a building with people? They didn't know who he was! He could have gotten in before they closed the doors.
Let's use logic here.
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...only after reading gm's post, my new mantra is "always listen to gennimom".
Monday reeks! - Garfield The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person (or something like that). |
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visine
New member
Posts: 15
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« Reply #233 on: April 17, 2007, 11:36:32 AM » |
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I don't think Longwood is contributing to the discussion by callng the student "troubled.' If all of his professors referred to him as troubled it's no wonder that the student thought of himself as troubled. Blaming an incident like this on the student, rather than pausing to consider the college culture, is also problematic. Why was the guy a visiting foreign male?
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bibliothecula
Academic ronin
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 3,725
like Bunnicula, only with books
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« Reply #234 on: April 17, 2007, 11:47:17 AM » |
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I can't wait for that Nancy Grace with her blaring grating voice get onto this story. She reminds me of the woman at the guillotine in revolutionary france who cackled every time a head was chopped off. What her name? Madame something or the other. Yecch.
You might be thinking of Madame Dufarge, in A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. The TV media bothered me so much yesterday that today I haven't turned on the TV at all. |
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I came. I saw. I cited.
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callmesecular
New member
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« Reply #235 on: April 17, 2007, 12:19:10 PM » |
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Gennimom,
True, that is a difference that you point out between now and then. And you are right. You are just as dead if you are killed by a group as by an individual. Horrible, either way. With today's technology, two simple automatic handguns are enough to cause a massacre. No mounted squad on horseback, each with a rifle, is needed. What I expected to hear was that he had a machine gun. But in terms of technology, the Virginia Tech killer did this in a rather low tech way. Making it all that more chilling, for aiming and firing a pistol is more personal than just swiping a whole classroom with a machine gun.
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spork
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« Reply #236 on: April 17, 2007, 12:31:35 PM » |
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dodging the debate.
so you are against racial profiling ONLY until it impacts you. Must be nice to be an overpaid academic.
You are obviously trying to compensate [post edited for personal attack]. |
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« Last Edit: April 17, 2007, 12:47:05 PM by moderator »
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a.k.a. gum-chewing monkey in a Tufts University jacket
"Please do not force people who are exhausted to take medication for hallucinations." -- Memo from the Chair, Department of White Privilege Studies, Fiork University
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« Reply #237 on: April 17, 2007, 12:38:24 PM » |
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The news has just suggested that perhaps profs should carry guns to protect themselves.
OMG
Me with a gun is such a bad idea.
Some of my colleagues with guns. NO WAY!
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Who looks for God in the Bible? That's pretty dumb.
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case_insensitive
Indefatigable Maverick Giver of Gold Stars and Ever-So Slightly
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 12,342
Life is an endurance race. Pace yourself.
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« Reply #238 on: April 17, 2007, 12:41:03 PM » |
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Gennimom,
True, that is a difference that you point out between now and then. And you are right. You are just as dead if you are killed by a group as by an individual. Horrible, either way. With today's technology, two simple automatic handguns are enough to cause a massacre. No mounted squad on horseback, each with a rifle, is needed. What I expected to hear was that he had a machine gun. But in terms of technology, the Virginia Tech killer did this in a rather low tech way. Making it all that more chilling, for aiming and firing a pistol is more personal than just swiping a whole classroom with a machine gun.
He did not have an automatic handgun. He did not have a "machine" gun. Sheesh. Let's try to be correct in our usage of terms. |
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Director of the CHE MYOB Professional Development Program,
An initiative of the CHE STFU Center for Professional Development.
Chairperson of the GAB CPE Series.
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busyslinky
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« Reply #239 on: April 17, 2007, 12:43:10 PM » |
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The news has just suggested that perhaps profs should carry guns to protect themselves.
OMG
Me with a gun is such a bad idea.
Some of my colleagues with guns. NO WAY!
Hey, think of all the side benefits. 1. It can be a great motivational tool. 2. It can help stop plagiarism. 3. It will gain a professor the respect they deserve. .... What a stupid idea. |
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Such a wonderful toy!
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