2008 Woodie Awards
On the Virginia Tech shootings
Suzanne Merkelson
Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Opinions
- Page 1 of 1
I had another column laid out on this page on Monday afternoon when I heard about the shooting at Virginia Tech. By the time you read this column, the shooting will be old news, more details will be revealed, more answerless questions will have been asked. But right now, on Monday evening as every news website blares its terrifying headlines at me, I'm having trouble addressing this tragedy.
Something needs to be said, but I simply don't know what to say.
The afternoon after September 11, a good friend and I went for a walk. It was our first week of high school. We had just spent the whole day in school, where our somewhat untactful principal announced over the loudspeaker during homeroom that there had been an attack on the World Trade Center. The entire school was in shock, and it didn't help that we could see the smoke rising from the track where I had sports practice everyday or that many parents worked in Lower Manhattan.
My friend and I went for a walk, and not knowing what else to do, we laughed. The news stations managed to sensationalize an already sensational event, and all we could do was laugh at the "Attack on America." Laughter soon turned to tears and then all I could do was cry because I could not figure out how else to rationally react.
How does one react rationally to something so irrational?
Furthermore, why is it that we react so humanly-crying, fright, disillusion-to such inhuman things? This is our way of expressing our emotions, of conveying sympathy, but perhaps we also need to prove to ourselves that we are human, even if we belong to a species, to a culture that is capable of such horrors, such violence. We try to understand the shooter, try to place blame somewhere.
We say that something like that could never happen here. We try to distance ourselves from the horrors. We're different, of course, right?
I'd really like to believe that Colby is a safe place. I rarely lock my door at night. I have no issue with walking across campus late at night. I'm not afraid of my peers. I never intend to be.
I don't want to be part of a culture of violence, but sometimes I feel like I have no choice. We fight wars; we commit genocide; we rape; we shoot; we hurt. We're all part of that.
All I think I can do, at least right now, is be positive. That's what the world needs-people who can smile at each other and be nice. So that's my reaction to this; I'm going to try to be kind and caring as much as I can. The world needs some sunshine.
I also want to express my deepest condolences to the students and community and family of Virginia Tech. You probably won't read this, but my thoughts are with you. I hope everything will be alright.
Something needs to be said, but I simply don't know what to say.
The afternoon after September 11, a good friend and I went for a walk. It was our first week of high school. We had just spent the whole day in school, where our somewhat untactful principal announced over the loudspeaker during homeroom that there had been an attack on the World Trade Center. The entire school was in shock, and it didn't help that we could see the smoke rising from the track where I had sports practice everyday or that many parents worked in Lower Manhattan.
My friend and I went for a walk, and not knowing what else to do, we laughed. The news stations managed to sensationalize an already sensational event, and all we could do was laugh at the "Attack on America." Laughter soon turned to tears and then all I could do was cry because I could not figure out how else to rationally react.
How does one react rationally to something so irrational?
Furthermore, why is it that we react so humanly-crying, fright, disillusion-to such inhuman things? This is our way of expressing our emotions, of conveying sympathy, but perhaps we also need to prove to ourselves that we are human, even if we belong to a species, to a culture that is capable of such horrors, such violence. We try to understand the shooter, try to place blame somewhere.
We say that something like that could never happen here. We try to distance ourselves from the horrors. We're different, of course, right?
I'd really like to believe that Colby is a safe place. I rarely lock my door at night. I have no issue with walking across campus late at night. I'm not afraid of my peers. I never intend to be.
I don't want to be part of a culture of violence, but sometimes I feel like I have no choice. We fight wars; we commit genocide; we rape; we shoot; we hurt. We're all part of that.
All I think I can do, at least right now, is be positive. That's what the world needs-people who can smile at each other and be nice. So that's my reaction to this; I'm going to try to be kind and caring as much as I can. The world needs some sunshine.
I also want to express my deepest condolences to the students and community and family of Virginia Tech. You probably won't read this, but my thoughts are with you. I hope everything will be alright.
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