Newsreaders, please spare us the sanctimony

[DavidDvorkin]

Inevitably, after the mass murders at Club Q in Colorado Springs, newsreaders are telling us solemnly that the city is in mourning. It should be, but we all know that there are many in that city and across the country who are delighted and gleefully anticipating more murders of gays, trans people, Jews, blacks, Asians, and on and on -- and that will happen, thanks to the twin evils of hatred and the proliferation of guns.

[Boomerproud]

1. I'm waiting for the Colorado Springs Strong signs.

What does that even mean? Next week...another headline, another atrocity.

[DavidDvorkin]

5. Yeah, that meaningless reaction.

[regnaD kciN]

2. Doubt that town is in mourning...

After all, it’s home to Focus on the Family and the USAF Academy, known for indoctrinating cadets with far-right evangelical Christianity. If they’re “mourning,” it’s probably only because the gunman “didn’t take out more of ‘em.”

[DavidDvorkin]

6. I suspect you're right.

[hlthe2b]

3. Denver & Northern Colorado is...

Vigils last night in Fort Collins and Denver--likely in Boulder too.

[Hortensis]

4. Not many. But also not many "in shock," "mourning," of course "TERRIFIED." Etc.

Oh, and let's not forget "panicked."

We're not living in villages of 200 but cities of 200,000 and metro areas of 2 million and more. A nation of 330 million. Bad things happen to more people, typically not more per capita. Mostly far less than in decades before.

During the Hillside Strangler, Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez period, a lot of highly publicized serial murders took place in our area of Los Angeles, and in our own city. But I noticed that, when I was taking a night class while Richard Ramirez was busy killing right there, everyone showed up every night in spite of the long, dark, lonely walks to our cars. Maybe it was because he was killing people in bed? No one skipped class the day after a double shooting murder (woman in a car and man outside) right across the street either. Not even me, though it happened a half hour after I pulled out of that parking space and the press were running wild with speculation that it could have been Ramirez. Maybe it was because the guy was safely dead? Gotta be sensible, life can't stop for this stuff. (Though I was sure Ramirez was still close around and glad my house wasn't the yellow he liked).

Whatever. I've long despised the closing "chosen theme" statements on news stories that virtually always manage to spin and misrepresent what happened. I noticed that for some while some sources had eliminated them (rightly!), but some seem to have brought them back.