The wussifying of America

[mybackpages 0]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Edited April 22, 2007 by erekose

[Scott & Lai 12]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Guess you'll just have to stand up and offer yourself as a target and bring your end as quickly as possible, since you've apparently given up on survival.

[Peikko 1,575]

I agree. As yet, we don't have any explanation for why the cops thought that shooter had left the state. #######?

I haven't been following this story with avid interest, but my guess from what the police did say is that after they found two bodies in the dorm area, I presume with some kind of fire arm present, they initially persued this event as a murder suicide, not as a shooting by a third person (if there wasn't a fire arm present, I would be curious as to why they assumed the shooter wasn't one of the two victims but that aside it made sense.)

I think this was a reasonable assumption because how often does a shooter, intent on further carnage, dissapear for a two hour 'break' before continuing his killing spree? It's not something anyone could be reasonably expected to have anticipated.

That Cho was able to carry on his business isn't really suprising being that he was a student of the college who was not anywhere he wasn't supposed to be, not acting in any more of a suspicious fashion than was normal for him (until the point he locked himself in the other building) and one has to assume, no one actually saw him either shoot the victims or be hanging around the vicinity in a suspicious manner. His guns were presumably in his backpack at this time and backpacks aren't exactly conspicuous on campus.

It was a terrible tragedy. Personally, I don't think there is any good coming from continuing to speculate on how things could have been different if XXX. I am sure the survivors would not be particulary thrilled to learn that in many people's opinion they failed their fallen friends. If there is anything to learn from this, I would hope that this is learned but beyond that, there is nothing further that anyone can do for these victims.

[Caladan 19]

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Guess you'll just have to stand up and offer yourself as a target and bring your end as quickly as possible, since you've apparently given up on survival.

A realistic assessment of the situation doesn't mean giving up on survival; it just means that you don't think 'I would live unlike those VATech wussies because I'll throw a chair at him and run out the rear entrance...after I unbolt the row of theatre seats from the floor and use my portable hole." You do what you can. If you have a chance to tackle or disable the gunman, obviously, take it.

But if your best option is to play dead, and you survive, I think you've earned the right to tell any armchair quarterback who thinks you're a wuss to go to hell.

Purple Hibiscus, the weird thing was that there wasn't a firearm present and there were bloody footprints leading away, so I think their theory wasn't murder-suicide, but 'probably the murderer of a college girl is her boyfriend.' Her boyfriend because the first 'person of interest', and he lived off campus.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

well more guns apparently isn't working......let's just try some control and see how it goes....can't get much worse surely?

I don't like it.... gun control stinks to high heaven. I don't want this country to turn into a

UK-style police state à la "V for Vendetta."

I know...my husband feels the same way...yet I find it kind of disturbing that he has lived here in the UK for the past 7 yrs without the 'need' for a gun in the house, yet when we move back to the US we 'must' have a gun in the house. The closest I ever got to a gun was when he signed me onto a base some years ago....I was all wide eyed.. :lol:

I think a lot of it has to do with where you live.

Where I live right now, it's pretty safe. There is crime, but almost none of it is of the violent variety. I don't recall the last time I heard of a homicide or rape in my town. Also, were I to call a cop, I can't imagine it taking more than 2-3 minutes. All I have to do is drive a few minutes in any direction from my place and I know I will see a cop car. They're everywhere, this town is crawling with cops with nothing to do. So I don't think I need a gun.

But if this town were to change....and become less safe and if there were significantly fewer cops... I think I'd want to be armed.

It all depends where you live and who lives around you.

[William33 110]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Draw, aim, fire, holster.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Guess you'll just have to stand up and offer yourself as a target and bring your end as quickly as possible, since you've apparently given up on survival.

Honestly I'm sick of these "What ifs" and "should haves". People have, can and will always do what they can in these situations - but when you're dealing with extremely abnormal, highly stressful circumstances and pant-wetting fear I'm not sure what people are expecting, and all this thread has been is a disgusting tirade of armchair hearsay from people who looking at a chaotic situation from a detached perspective and assuming that people think clearly and rationally when faced with extreme violence.

Well lets hear what you would do - sitting in the 3rd from back row with your bag, notebook and pen. Do tell - please explain what you would do as bodies fall left and right around you. Lets hear your genius solution to this problem? Let me guess....

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry..."

[William33 110]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Guess you'll just have to stand up and offer yourself as a target and bring your end as quickly as possible, since you've apparently given up on survival.

Honestly I'm sick of these "What ifs" and "should haves". People have, can and will always do what they can in these situations - but when you're dealing with extremely abnormal, highly stressful circumstances and pant-wetting fear I'm not sure what people are expecting, and all this thread has been is a disgusting tirade of armchair hearsay from people who looking at a chaotic situation from a detached perspective and assuming that people think clearly and rationally when faced with extreme violence.

Well lets hear what you would do - sitting in the 3rd from back row with your bag, notebook and pen. Do tell - please explain what you would do as bodies fall left and right around you. Lets hear your genius solution to this problem? Let me guess....

"Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry..."

Anyone with the approprate training and the ability to legally carry a weapon, would have taken that guy out. Period.

Obviously you are not in the above group, others are and have been since college days.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Anyone with the approprate training and the ability to legally carry a weapon, would have taken that guy out. Period.

Obviously you are not in the above group, others are and have been since college days.

Whatever. I'm not going to stay awake fantasizing about being the hero (however much I want to pretend I'm talking in a "general sense").

32 people have died. 32 ordinary people from a variety of backgrounds and ages. They didn't go to school expecting that someone would do this, and I'm fair willing to bet that you don't go to work expecting to be splattered with someone else's blood and brains.

Its sad considering the scale of this tragedy that people can't have a bit more respect for the victims, instead of engaging in masturbatory wish-fulfilment about how they would have "done things different" and would have "taken the guy out. Period".

Edited April 22, 2007 by erekose

[truffles 2]

This individual at the VA tech was clearly a sick person....what amazed me is that to get the gun all hehad to do was tick the box that say no i do not have any mental health issues .....forgive my naivety ( or perhaps more appropraitely the naivety of the laws of that particular state - it never occurred to anyone it is easy to lie? ) There is a lot wrong with the world - but please perhaps someone needs to plug that gap - YES if you want a gun you probably could get one but no need to make it easy!

[Mirorgate 0]

It seems to be that many many people are comforted by the idea that if they were the one faced with such a horrid crisis as VA Tech, they would have handled it in such a way they would not become a victim. Keep telling yourselves that if it makes you feel better.

If a gunman burst into one of my lecture theatres at university:

a. there would have been nowhere to hide.

b. the exits would require going past the gunman

c. there is no detachable furniture

Solution?

Shoot him in the head with teh 133mm howitzer just like anyone else would.

[MaRob 0]

Maybe we should close all college campuses across America and make all students attend online universities to gain their degrees... at least no one can shoot you through the internet, which is a good thing seeing some of the obvious disdain and hostility through this thread...

On a more serious note, this is an issue that I think has been made complex with the many different issues that have been added, such as gun control. I think the main point, if you boil everything down to what everyone is saying... is mentality... what is our mentality as a whole?

I noticed that people have referred to concentration camps as an example of people just giving up, and in to death, while they far outnumbered their SS officers... and I think that this is a great example of mentality. Also the Vietnam POWs are a good example of mentality. But in those situations they were not only physically assaulted, but used brainwashing techniques and propaganda... why? To change their mentality... to make them give up...

Are we being fed propaganda? What should our mentality be?

(I have an opinion, but I would like to hear some others before I get bashed)

[Nagishkaw 510]

What should our mentality be, you ask? I think it'll all depend on what we do when we come to the fork in our emotions.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I can honestly say I would have no clue as to how I would react or what I would be thinking if someone started blowing people away in front of me.

As we're talking mentalities - I saw a program a while back about the Zeebruge Ferry Disaster. What was interesting is that while some of the people

were able to respond to the situation with direct action to escape from the ferry, others passenger sat stock still in their seats and seemed physically incapable of acting.

There was a suggestion that this "survival instinct" might actually be genetic.