Not a Bad Idea

Submitted by rocketsquirrel on Tue, 2007/04/17 - 9:23am.

Over at HuffPo, Sheldon Drobny volunteers:

"If you want to get through the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre in a healthier way, don't watch the news for about a week. If you did not need an anti-depressant before this event, you may have to start if you decide to listen, watch, or read the news. These vultures will do you in."

good idea. Probably applies to blogs, too, for that matter. What we saw yesterday is a daily event in other parts of the world, but leaves us speechless when it happens here. Are we winning the war on terror, or is the media?

Drobny adds:

Since 9/11 our President has told us "we have to fight them there so we don't have to fight them here." Since this particular assassin is a Chinese National, perhaps GWB would consider attacking China in his sick logic. My answer is that "we have to fight them here so we don't have to fight them here." And the ones we have to fight here are mostly the politicians and media moguls that use fear and propaganda to line their own pockets and give them the power of nightmares to control and exploit us.

So take a break. Don't feed the MSM trolls and succumb to their fear and intimidation tactics as they exploit tragedy for ratings.

Update: Drobny's analysis was posted before the announcement that the shooter was actually a Korean national. doesn't change his point.

6
vote

Korean, not Chinese

The student was a Korean American who immigrated as a child. In all likelihood he was completely Americanized like hundreds of thousands of other Northern Virginians who immigrated from East Asia. I bet the next story we'll hear about is how he suffered so much from typicaly Asian-American pressure to do well in school and just snapped. Or something like that. Watch out for the pseudo-sociologists.

I bet the next story we'll

I bet the next story we'll hear about is how he suffered so much from typicaly Asian-American pressure to do well in school and just snapped.

Oh, I heard it already. LAST NIGHT. From some profiler guy who, based on the description of the shooter as "Asian", was speculating that he snapped due to the pressures to achieve in his "culture."

Look, I'm checking in with the news every 3 or 4 hours - I confess to being interested in new developments; i.e., NEWS. I'm not interested in a continual stream of rehash, speculation, and voyeurism.

Good advice about limiting

Good advice about limiting news watching. Even moreso than other days, it's the same thing over and over again. There is not 24 hours worth of 'news' to report on this one, albeit tragic story.

As for the anology to Islamic terrorists, last time I checked I don't think we've had South Koreans bombing American buildings, hi-jacking planes and killing thousands of Americans.

Though we know very little about the killer, I suspect it had little to do with his ethnicity. Nuts come in lots of flavors. Sorry if that seems somehow insensitive to the killer's mental condition.

I watched about an hour of

I watched about an hour of the coverage this morning just for anthropological purposes. It's hard to be disgusted by it as it is all about 2 inches deep and 2 inches wide. NPR (in the car on the way to the office) was certainly not immune to sensationalism, but took deep breaths occasionally. I expect that of them. CNN, FauxNews, etc not so much.

Good point about the ethnicity, CBT. Most likely this was a breakdown where the kid lost his girl to another guy and snapped. The cause could be as simple as that.

True happiness is knowing you are a hypocrite. -- Ivor Cutler

Sven's picture
As for the anology to

As for the anology to Islamic terrorists, last time I checked I don't think we've had South Koreans bombing American buildings, hi-jacking planes and killing thousands of Americans.

I don't know. If you tilt your head and squint your eyes, that might seem like a rationalization for casting suspicion on all "Islamics."

not much fun

having to preemptively explain to your eight year old how 32 people were murdered at a college campus yesterday before sending him off to school. better he heard it from us than somewhere else. When I was young, parents encouraged kids to tune into the news. now, not so much.

Proportions

Of course this is a horrible tragedy but when 32 citizens die in a car bombing of a marketplce in Iraq or Pakistan it is barely a blip on the evening news. I realize this warrants more coverage as it is closer to home but 100 times more coverage???

Likewise hundreds of disfunctional marriages end in murder right here in the USA but all the attention goes to the preacher's wife.

It's like middle class American life is supposed to be immune to tragedy. Tragedy will happen to someone else so we don't have to think about it. (insert sarcastic emoticon)

____________________________________
Less is the new More - Karrie Jacobs

F-Stop's picture
A wise person once told me

A wise person once told me that he wanted to leave the world in better shape than he found it. ;>

If everyone made that their mission, or at least thought about it (and about others) more often, we would get closer to eliminating these and the thousands of other less newsworthy acts of violence...

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.

More information about formatting options

Captcha
This question is used to make sure you are a human visitor and to prevent spam submissions.
Copy the characters (respecting upper/lower case) from the image.
Blog-O-Rama

I just don't have any words for this....
(Left Wing Cracker)

Happy 4th & About Nashville's Fireworks Celebration
(TN Guerilla Women)

R.I.P. Steve McNair
(Silence Isn't Golden)

Bela Fleck's Star Spangled Banner
(Cup of Joe Powell)

Kingston's Going to Smoke the Ash Spill Today
(Enclave)

What I Learned In The News This Week
(Newscoma)

There Can Only Be One
(Newscoma)

Sarah Palin - Train Wrecks Get Top Ratings
(Cup of Joe Powell)

Play Her Off, Keyboard Cat
(Southern Beale)

Feel Good Independence Day
(Silence Isn't Golden)

The Sicko Attacks on Sarah Palin's Baby
(TN Guerilla Women)

KNS: Ash to be Dumped in Loudon?
(RoaneViews)

Jump!
(Domestic Psychology)

Now she 's done it, now I have to go nuclear!
(Left Wing Cracker)

Palin's Resignation: Political Masterstroke Or Extreme Mental Instability of a Castrating Bitch?
(TN Guerilla Women)


Media Blogs

Titans Legend Steve McNair Found Shot and Killed in Downtown Apartment Complex
(Pith in the Wind)

AG: Political Firings Could Have Fiscal Impact on Counties
(Tom Humphrey)

Happy Fourth of July
(Michael Silence)

Happy
(Michael Silence)

This is a joke, right? Top 25 sports outings in TN
(Michael Silence)

Just curious
(Michael Silence)

Memo to the Republican Governors Association
(Michael Silence)

Son of Big Box
(Josh Flory)

TVA Tries Sending Inspection Reports Directly to Landfills
(Snark Bites)

The Wa$hington Po$t
(Michael Silence)

Chapter 11 for condo developer
(Josh Flory)

Gone Fishin': Pith is Off Today
(Pith in the Wind)

Thoughts On Kyle's Kinda, Sorta Kickoff for Governor
(Tom Humphrey)

Bredesen Lectures Legislators on License Plates -- Again
(Tom Humphrey)

Robin Has a Website
(Tom Humphrey)


Post Politics

Proving Her Critics Right
(AC Kleinheider)

Makes As Much Sense As Anything I’ve Heard Yet
(AC Kleinheider)

Resigned On The 3rd Of July: Sarah Palin Steps Down As Governor
(AC Kleinheider)

Like He Never Existed
(AC Kleinheider)

You’re Light, Son
(AC Kleinheider)

Can Jim Kyle Win The Democratic Nomination For Governor?
(AC Kleinheider)

Shout Out To Tuke
(AC Kleinheider)

Alexander Wishes You A Happy Independence Day
(AC Kleinheider)

Cammack, North Of Two Hundie
(AC Kleinheider)

Ford Dynasty Member Says He’ll Make A Run At Memphis Mayor
(AC Kleinheider)


Local News

Woman on holiday outing drowns in Douglas Lake
(Knoxville News Sentinel)

Woman dies in wreck on Chapman Highway
(Knoxville News Sentinel)

Drownings reminder to use pool alarms, gates and buddies
(Knoxville News Sentinel)

TWRA plans extra boat patrols
(Knoxville News Sentinel)

Father's fraud followed son's debt woes
(Knoxville News Sentinel)

Downtown condo developer files bankruptcy
(Knoxville News Sentinel Business)

Auto fallout still felt locally
(Knoxville News Sentinel Business)

Loudon residents fight against ash disposal
(Knoxville News Sentinel Business)

Hospital management at issue in Claiborne County
(Knoxville News Sentinel Business)

Tazewell hospital proposals to be heard Monday
(Knoxville News Sentinel Business)

Governor Bredesen Issues Writ of Election
(State of Tennessee)

Bredesen Breaks Ground on Recovery Act Project in Nashville
(State of Tennessee)

Extended Unemployment Benefits Available for Eligible Tennesseans
(State of Tennessee)

THP Gears Up For July 4th Weekend Crackdown on Drunk Drivers
(State of Tennessee)

Tennessee Announces 2009-10 School Meal Guidelines
(State of Tennessee)

Some East Tennesseans celebrate independence with tea parties
(WATE local)

Blount County K-9 officer loses battle with cancer
(WATE local)

Deadly Knoxville shooting and police pursuit ends in crash
(WATE local)

Stripper upset kidnapping, rape charges were dropped
(WATE local)

Family's gas grill explodes catching house on fire
(WATE local)

Hundreds gather for Athens TEA Party
(WBIR Local)

Festival on the Fourth gears up at World's Fair Park
(WBIR Local)

Former Titans quarterback Steve McNair found dead in Nashville
(WBIR Local)

Crews recover woman's body from Douglas Lake
(WBIR Local)

Joey Chestnut's 68 hot dogs win third straight eating contest
(WBIR Local)

Beefing up patrols on Tennessee highways
(WVLT Local)

Honduras rejects OAS appeal to restore president
(WVLT Local)

UPDATE: Police investigate deadly shooting, high speed chase and crash
(WVLT Local)

SKorea says NKorea fires 2 missiles off east coast
(WVLT Local)

Woman drowns in Douglas Lake, alcohol believed to be a factor
(WVLT Local)


Wire Reports

Obama says Iraq will see difficult days ahead (AP)
(AP Politics)

Obama's backyard bash (Politico)
(AP Politics)

Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' (AP)
(AP National News)

Obama says U.S. a strong partner of Iraq despite pullout (Reuters)
(AP Politics)

Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' (AP)
(AP Politics)

Ghana, but not forgotten (Politico)
(AP Politics)

Former NFL quarterback McNair killed in Tennessee (AP)
(AP National News)

Fireworks explosion on NC island kills 2, hurts 3 (AP)
(AP National News)

Obama says supports Kremlin chief on more freedoms (Reuters)
(AP Politics)

Soldier who fought in pink boxers home for the 4th (AP)
(AP National News)

Palin keeps low-profile after plan to resign (AP)
(AP National News)

INSIDE WASHINGTON: Archives' record-keeping lapse (AP)
(AP Politics)

Obama, McCain give dueling holiday addresses (AP)
(AP Politics)

Palin fires back at press on Facebook (Politico)
(AP Politics)

Chestnut wins NY hot dog eating match, 3d in row (AP)
(AP National News)

Colin Powell cautions Obama on big government (AP)
(AP Politics)

Obama's trip: A mission to reshape US image (AP)
(AP Politics)

More than 1 million seek tix for Jackson memorial (AP)
(AP National News)

Analysis: Palin's resignation raises questions (AP)
(AP Politics)

Curious Russia prepares to welcome Obama (AFP)
(AP Politics)