Admiration for JU, Scorn for the Media

from JoeUser Forums

By now, we have all heard about the senseless tragedy that occurred at Va. Tech (or VPISU if you want the official name).  For most of us here on JU, it was something that the 24 hour news services had to play over and over and over again, even when there was nothing new to report.  That is not new (or news) as we have come to expect it, and most at JU could escape it by simply turning off the 24 hour News Channels.

Not so in the Old Dominion, where we are subject to that coverage not only on all the regular news media outlets (CNN, Fox, MSNBC), but our local TV and Radio stations as well.  Tech is the largest school in Virginia, and there is hardly anyone in the state that does not know someone, or is related to someone, who goes there, myself included.

Several articles have been posted on JU about it, and with almost no exceptions, all have been reverent and respectful of those who lost their lives, and the families that lost loved ones.  There is a lot of anger in those articles, no doubt about that.  But that anger is directed towards the media and the blame game that started up almost before the shooting ended.  An anger that is, IMHO, justified at the vultures of the media.

It seems that the MSM has redefined its job.  Not just to report the news, but to assign itself the role of Nation conscious, and watchdog.  Along with Judge, Jury and Executioner.  They long ago stopped reporting the tragedy, and have sunk into a morass of finger pointing, blame flaming, and cries of outrage that "Someone" or "something" was not done to prevent this from occurring.  When sane, rational people can only feel sorrow and empathy for the victims of this event.

I was discussing this with a friend this morning.  And in that, I remarked that I was so glad my son and daughter were not at Tech (one goes to the other University in Virginia - the other wont be there for 4 months).  He stated it could have happened anywhere.  Yes it could have, but that was not my point.  It did happen at Tech, and I was not one of the 25,000 families that could not function yesterday worrying about if their loved one was among the victims.

It could have happened anywhere.  And sadly, probably will at some time in the future happen somewhere else.  And that is the real lesson that we are learning from this tragedy.  It has happened elsewhere, both in the USA and in other countries.  As we have seen and heard, no place is safe from demented people with a mission.  And nothing can be done to stop such people in a society that is open and free.

But when it does happen, we can act like the vultures of the press - looking for a body to blame and descend upon. Or we can act like the people of JU.  Mourning the loss, and offering moral support and comfort to the victims and their families.

The latter is what I am proud of at JU today (and yesterday).  The former is why I have no respect for what constitutes the Mainstream Media today.

6,175 views 34 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Yes I understand what you mean Doc. While the media is great in that we hear what is going on around the world and here in our own country and truthfully, without them, we wouldn't know. However, this penchant they all have to analyse and play the blame game and the guessing game when they dont' have all the facts, is tiresome! Why are they having people to analyse and to guess and to suppose when we all didn't know what was the reason for what happened? It's amazing that they keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, no matter what news they are reporting.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

It was enough to report.  It was expected to make it the lead story.  But when they started hounding the survivors on "whose fault it was", was when I shut the off.

The fault was a demented man, the why I am sure the psychiatrists will postulate on.  That is the psychiatrists job, and they are eminently more qualified than a bunch of failed novelist who write for papers - or preen for cameras.

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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
No one here has a beef with South Koreans. Most or all of the rabid gun control people have ceased to hang around JU. The fact is bloggers here aren't circling because there is no meat for them. A bosnian with a "muslim" name shoots up a mall, though... that's grist for the mill, victims be damned. The reaction here is more of a reflection of the hypocrisy of MANY people here at JU.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top

Reply By: BakerStreetPosted: Tuesday, April 17, 2007

even though I can feel the anger rolling off the page baker, I have to say, damn good to see you.

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
Just temporarily while i am finishing some things up. It's good to see you back, though, Modman.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top

The reaction here is more of a reflection of the hypocrisy of MANY people here at JU.

There is a time and place for all things.  This is neither the time nor place.  For generalizations or for snide ass comments.

Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
It is human nature...base human nature, that is...to try and find the cause, the source, of the problem. The real problem, the psychopath that did the killings, is dead...so people are looking for someone else to blame. Even if the killer was taken alive, you'd have a bunch of people searching for an outside answer because their idiocy prevents them from seeing that some people really are fucking crazy and there's nothing to be done about it. I believe this kind of thing is genetic...all people have the capacity for violence, but something in these people prevents their control over those urges. It is the murder's fault...he's the one to blame not guns, video games, the school, or whatever. You can't control what everyone does....and the only closure here is that can be offered is that the killer is dead. Playing the blame game is not going to do one damn bit of good.

~Zoo
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

Playing the blame game is not going to do one damn bit of good.

And does not serve the purpose of the day.  There is plenty of time for playing those games.  Hours after the tragedy is not that time.

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
The media has little to do with reporting facts. It's an entertainment industry and they will say or do whatever they can to prolong a story to boost ratings. They couldn't care less about the story itself.
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
The media has little to do with reporting facts. It's an entertainment industry and they will say or do whatever they can to prolong a story to boost ratings. They couldn't care less about the story itself.


Then they should not run screaming "Freedom of the Press" every time they feel threatened. The founders did not guarantee freedom of entertainment.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
i think people just don;t know what to say and that's when finger pointing starts. it's easier than silence.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
i think people just don;t know what to say and that's when finger pointing starts. it's easier than silence.
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
News vans came to my campus yesterday. I thought they were here to cover the diversity march or the AIDS rally. Were they? Nope. They were here to get our opinions on the VA Tech shootings. I don't know why they picked us, but they sure did.

But they weren't content with asking questions and getting responses. The journalist on scene was teaching people how to act scared, upset, angry etc. She was coaching people to say things like, "They should have shut down the campus. All those people could have been saved." or the opposite, "I think locking down our dorms is an over reaction. They're treating us like babies!"

I wish I had known that's why they were here. I would have been happy to walk over there, give the media a piece of my mind and dare them to air that.
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top

i think people just don;t know what to say and that's when finger pointing starts. it's easier than silence.

I draw a distinction between John Q public, and the news media.  It is not the job of John Public to disseminate facts.  It is (or is supposed to be) the job of the media.  And in that, they are failing miserably.

Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top

I wish I had known that's why they were here. I would have been happy to walk over there, give the media a piece of my mind and dare them to air that.

I wish you could have done that, but I agree - your reaction would not have fit their pre-packaged agenda, and would have been ignored.

Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
But when they started hounding the survivors on "whose fault it was", was when I shut the off.


Well it's obvious...it was the shooter. But as soon as I heard all the news reports right from the get go I knew this was going to turn into law suit city. The media immediately went into the "who is to blame" for this murderous outrage and all fingers were pointing to the University instead of the one totally responsible.

No matter what precautions are taken, there's no getting around somebody intent on hurting others. If it isn't a dorm or a classroom, it would be a restaurant, a bus, a sporting event, etc. Putting the blame on the institution instead of the gunman only aggravates the situation and could actually open up another whole road we don't want to go down.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
No matter what precautions are taken, there's no getting around somebody intent on hurting others.


Not in an open and free society. By its very nature, any open society is vulnerable to crazy people.
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top

Not in an open and free society. By its very nature, any open society is vulnerable to crazy people.


But is it just limited to open and free? I just heard recently that in Japan some official was shot and murdered and I'm thinking they have the toughest gun laws in the world don't they?

And look at Iraq. I wouldn't call that open and free and Saddam was a mad man himself...he and his buddies were all mad. They just happened to be in power at the same time.

But he sure looked wild and insane to me.
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
But is it just limited to open and free? I just heard recently that in Japan some official was shot and murdered and I'm thinking they have the toughest gun laws in the world don't they?


You are confusing totalitarianism with laws. All societies have laws, and all are different. Japan is still an open and free society (and a much more homogenous one than the US). They have a law banning guns. That does not make them a closed dictatorship.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
The excuse I read was that when the first two murders were discovered that they thought it was an isolated murder suicide. Then, later, they admitted that the same gun that was used in the later killings was used in the first two. Think about that for a bit.

How could it be a murder suicide if you don't have the murder weapon? Did the person who killed themselves hide the weapon afterward? While the final responsibility rests with the killer, the campus should have been locked down. People should have been warned. Period.

Maybe it would have saved lives, maybe it wouldn't have. The fact is, though, that something that could have been done wasn't. Our sensitivity to the overall abuse of the situation shouldn't give negligent people a pass.

"Japan is still an open and free society (and a much more homogenous one than the US)."


Har, har. Japan's system is "guilty until proven innocent", and I've read they have a 99% conviction rate. Basically if you are accused, you are guilty. If you want to call that a free and open society, whatever, I don't. Their gun laws are draconian, as well. IF you are fortunate enough to get through the red tape and own a gun, even your ammunition is rationed to you and registered.

Never been a problem for criminals there, though.
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
Har, har. Japan's system is "guilty until proven innocent", and I've read they have a 99% conviction rate. Basically if you are accused, you are guilty. If you want to call that a free and open society, whatever, I don't. Their gun laws are draconian, as well. IF you are fortunate enough to get through the red tape and own a gun, even your ammunition is rationed to you and registered.


I was not commenting on their law, or how it works. only that just the day after Tech, a gun crime was committed where guns are BANNED. So gun control did not stop that murderer.

the campus should have been locked down. People should have been warned. Period.


Locking down the campus is unfeasible. Warned? Sure, in hind sight that is a no brainer. But I am not going to blame Campus security for failing to realize what was going on immediately after the first shootings.
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
"Locking down the campus is unfeasible."


If you knew about the issue at hand you'd know that isn't true. They had a system in place, as do most schools, and it has been used only a short time before when there was an escaped convict on campus there. They opted not to use it this time, some say because they felt it was overblown the time before.

"Sure, in hind sight that is a no brainer. But I am not going to blame Campus security for failing to realize what was going on immediately after the first shootings."


Not hindsight. Policy. What is a no brainer is when you have two dead people found shot, and no murder weapon, it probably isn't a murder suicide. If Barney hadn't been working that day, people might have been more alert and ready for the second attacks.

You aren't willing to blame because you are being dragged along with this 'don't dare criticize anyone but the shooter' mentality that is prevelent now. In the end, sure, he's to blame, but when people who are tasked with security don't do their job, they should be held accountable for it.

It doesn't mean he wouldn't have done it anyway, only that they should have done their job. I worked campus security at a private school in TN for 4 years. People just need to have the balls to ask questions when everyone else is swaying and holding candles.
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
What is a no brainer is when you have two dead people found shot, and no murder weapon, it probably isn't a murder suicide.


I find it weird that they are saying that they thought it was a murder-suicide when they were questing the girl's boyfriend who attended nearby Radford. I don't know the accuracy, but what I have heard is that they thought it was an isolated incident of domestic violence. That seems feasible to me--but I do agree Baker, that if they thought it was a murder-suicide they have some explaining to do.
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top
If you knew about the issue at hand you'd know that isn't true.


If you had read the facts, you would know it was true. The perp did his own lock down. Locking doors were no hindrance for him since he chained them shut. Given the student body and the fact that more than 40% live off campus, even if they had locked all the doors (again, nice try but a pipe dream), and the perp had decided that a locked door was going to stop him, that would still leave about 11,000 targets coming on or going off campus. He "only" killed 30 after the first 2. He had plenty of victims to choose from.
Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
that if they thought it was a murder-suicide they have some explaining to do.


Explaining? Sure. There are too many inconsistencies with that diagnosis. But again after the fact. The sad fact is that campus Police are not Columbos. In many cases they are not much better than keystone cops (as anyone who has been on a college campus will attest). So in the initial perusal, they blew the call. And many would like to know why and how. But again, I am not going to crucify them because they failed to recognize something they had no experience with. Indeed, no one had the experience to recognize what was to come.