So I'm 100% in agreement that broadcasting the Virginia Tech killer's goofy rants is a terrible idea. I don't think there's anything offensive about them or anything, I just think it's incredibly validating to anyone who'd consider a similar act. If you're suicidal and angry, it certainly appears to be an ideal way of transforming yourself from a scared beat-on kid to some sort of dark hero that the whole world has to listen to and see on the front page of the newspaper posing with their guns.
And really, if you're mad at society, indiscriminately killing kids and educators is completely the wrong idea and only underscores the fact that the killing is aimless, cowardly, and not particularly inspired politically. In a lot of ways it's just mimicry of someone else's painful outburst — how sad is it that he couldn't even express his own pain? The tapes to me read as acting; a really obvious charade…
If I ever snap and go all mass killer, I really hope I have the sense to execute people with some style, and that I send a coherent message. I also am not really sure how you could kill a whole lot of people and not end up with unacceptable collateral damage. I mean, even if you walk into Walmart's corporate HQ, bust into some executive meeting and start shooting, you're going to kill people who are generally good people even if their job brings immeasurable misery to the world. But I guess the truth of Western society is that plenty of good people are professionally evil…
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