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A Madman's Massacre: What Went Wrong?
While hindsight always reflects brilliance, to prevent such a catastrophic incident in the future, we must not just mourn, but demand change. Without question, a college campus is an oasis of innocence and thus more vulnerable to such attack. Since Blacksburg is not a community where hideous crimes are common, the community is psychologically disarmed and certainly not hypervigilant as one might be in other cities where suspicion is survival. Just as the attacks on 911 were beyond comprehension until it happened, it was also difficult for so many family members, professors and even a psychiatrist to conceive of Cho Seung Hui’s quiet capability of mass murder. While many of the decisions made or not made on the morning of April 16th are being questioned, the burden of responsibility lies in dysfunctional systems and the laws of the land rather than the decisions of well-intended individuals. With much blood shed, when tears are wiped away, there are several issues that must be addressed:
1. Garbage In—Garbage Out
We can no longer deny that violent video games do have an affect on the minds of those who play them, and that degrading lyrics and pictures do suggest aggressive behaviors. Freedom may need to be redefined to protect the common good rather than individual evildoers. For ages we have declared the powers of mind and positive thinking. The movie and book The Secret confirm that we attract what we pay attention to by the thoughts that we chose. Why would we question that the powers of mind and negative thinking might not create adverse results.
2. Wall Street and Health Care
As an occupational therapist and psychotherapist, I remember when a patient’s treatment was prescribed by a physician, not by Wall Street or a company’s bottom-line. Mental health is like the stepchild in the health care industry and gets leftover dollars. It is reported that 1 in 10 college students consider suicide and 1 in 100 students make an attempt. In other areas of health those statistics would be considered a crisis or even an epidemic. The fact is that 2/3 of HMOs are profit-driven and psychiatric units in hospitals don’t make money.
3.Guns and Gum Balls
While the state of Virginia’s laws requires much more of an extensive background check to purchase guns, Cho Seung Hui was able to purchase enough guns and ammunition to create an unofficial battlefield legally with due respect to the laws of the land. Our laws give legal sanction to a mentally ill man’s massacre. Cho Seung Hui did not even have to break the law to prepare for his self-proclaimed war zone.
Suggestions have been made that if the students were armed, the massacre could have been stopped. My question is would you feel comfortable with your son or daughter on a campus where all students were carrying guns in their back pocket?
4. Eminent Danger vs. Civil Rights
Who are we protecting? Unfortunately law enforcement feels their hands are often tied because until someone is about to kill himself or an innocent victim, nothing can be done. It only takes a few minutes to pull a trigger and thus prevention is perilous at best. Have we become so obsessed with the rights of individuals who have revealed their flaws that many children, students, and people of promise and possibility are robbed of their right to simply exist.
5. Privacy Laws Don’t Protect
Because of privacy laws and confidentiality, those in need of help are not protected either for those who risk any such communication are often sued. Being a good samaritan can be costly and high risk and thus passivity has been rewarded. Of course we need such laws but we also need to correct the course so that those in need of help can be reached.
Rules, rights, and responsibilities are a dynamic and ever-changing balancing act that must be rooted in human rights and one’s ability to be responsible to society and the common good. As we wipe away our tears and heal, we must never forget the lessons to be learned and the actions that must be taken. We are all responsible for the innocent students who were given no choice because of systems that failed to provide protection.
While we all search for some sense of logic, the truth is logic does not prevail to one who is paranoid and mentally disturbed. However, we can provide legal and health care systems that are logical and provide protection to all. As the faces and stories were revealed of those students suddenly robbed of their rights to fulfill their dreams, it was clear that we all had lost people of great promise, potential, and possibility.
Edie Raether is an international speaker, author, and psychotherapist with expertise in anger management and grief counseling. Contact her at (919) 557-7900 or edie@raether.com. Visit her website at www.raether.com.
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