On VT, The News, And The World
This was actually a post I made in reply to a friend's journal entry, but after re-reading it, I felt that it was worth placing in my own journal:
I haven't posted anything in my own LJ since February. I just haven't felt like writing in it I suppose. Even now, with everything going on at my alma mater, I haven't felt the urge to post anything.
I do think that after a while people become accustomed to seeing tragedies on the news. It seems that there isn't a day that goes by where you don't hear about a tragedy of some sort. The news media latches on to the stories and milks them for all their worth before moving on to the next one. Part of me truly believes that it is for no better reason than to get ratings; the almighty advertising dollar trumps the need for any sort of balance or integrity. And maybe it is because of this that when I hear of another shooting or another car accident or whatever that I tend to read it without thinking about it, then continue on to the next article, quickly forgetting the last.
Is this my fault? Is it the media's fault? A bit of both, I suppose. When tragedies in the news become as common place as the sun rising, is it any wonder that we become desensitized to it?
My feelings about the shootings at VA Tech are mixed, to say the least. There is the part of me that sighs and says "How tragic", then moves on with my day. But then there is also the part of me that lingers on the events, picturing them in the back of my mind.
I've been in those buildings. I've been in those very classrooms. I had met the German professor once. In passing, granted, but I have a real face to put against the name. Professors who I still keep in touch with have had friends, students, and colleagues killed. And while I know very few people on campus today, they were profoundly affected by something of this magnitude occurring so near.
I'm not even sure how to put words to how I feel. Sad? Angry? Depressed? Resigned? All of the above and then some, I suppose.
I wonder, how did it come to this? Not only at VA Tech, but everywhere. How has the world come to this? Has it always been this way, and we are just hearing about it more frequently thanks to television, radio, and the internet? Or are things getting worse and worse, every day?
I feel like I should be doing something, but I don't know what. And if I did, would it really make a difference?
- T
(I think I started to ramble a bit, but ah well)
Hokie Pride Forever
I haven't posted anything in my own LJ since February. I just haven't felt like writing in it I suppose. Even now, with everything going on at my alma mater, I haven't felt the urge to post anything.
I do think that after a while people become accustomed to seeing tragedies on the news. It seems that there isn't a day that goes by where you don't hear about a tragedy of some sort. The news media latches on to the stories and milks them for all their worth before moving on to the next one. Part of me truly believes that it is for no better reason than to get ratings; the almighty advertising dollar trumps the need for any sort of balance or integrity. And maybe it is because of this that when I hear of another shooting or another car accident or whatever that I tend to read it without thinking about it, then continue on to the next article, quickly forgetting the last.
Is this my fault? Is it the media's fault? A bit of both, I suppose. When tragedies in the news become as common place as the sun rising, is it any wonder that we become desensitized to it?
My feelings about the shootings at VA Tech are mixed, to say the least. There is the part of me that sighs and says "How tragic", then moves on with my day. But then there is also the part of me that lingers on the events, picturing them in the back of my mind.
I've been in those buildings. I've been in those very classrooms. I had met the German professor once. In passing, granted, but I have a real face to put against the name. Professors who I still keep in touch with have had friends, students, and colleagues killed. And while I know very few people on campus today, they were profoundly affected by something of this magnitude occurring so near.
I'm not even sure how to put words to how I feel. Sad? Angry? Depressed? Resigned? All of the above and then some, I suppose.
I wonder, how did it come to this? Not only at VA Tech, but everywhere. How has the world come to this? Has it always been this way, and we are just hearing about it more frequently thanks to television, radio, and the internet? Or are things getting worse and worse, every day?
I feel like I should be doing something, but I don't know what. And if I did, would it really make a difference?
- T
(I think I started to ramble a bit, but ah well)
Hokie Pride Forever