It was an alarming event, a tragic occurrence that has left many wondering what the role of firearms should be on a college campus. More importantly, it is symptomatic of a startling trend: Increasingly, young people have gone on shooting binges at the schools they attend. Even in Spokane, a nearby-Lake City High School boy drove to his former school in the morning hours and sat in his car for an extended period of time. When police finally checked him out, they discovered a weapons cache in the trunk.
This problem is for real.
And you can think what you will about it. Maybe students should carry guns. Maybe we should raze the conventional schooling system to the ground and implement an an intricate home-schooling system. Maybe the sky really is falling.
It's not my job to pick the best solution. Hell, I don't even have a job where I can pick solutions. But I will tell you this: The way Americans deal with tragedy is disgusting.
It is both natural and appropriate to respond to a tragic situation with emotion. It's OK to cry, to call your mom, to talk to a friend. It's OK to donate money to a victim, or to show your support by giving your time and energy. It's OK to write a legislator about laws that would prevent future destructive behavior. That's fine.
But it's pathetic to act like you care if you are unwilling to act, and care.
You remember the horrific events of 9/11, and you remember the thousands who died and you remembered (past tense) them by sticking an American flag on your windshield. Some of you remembered (again, past tense) the slain by flying suspiciously obnoxious USA paraphernalia from your moving automobile.
You only remembered the victims because the flag-fad fizzled and you were only left with a reminder of how shallow you really are.
You're shallow because someone who really cared would have given their money, given their time, they would have given something tangible of themselves. And they would have made a concerted effort to ensure those who were affected by 9/11 knew that someone in Squim, Wash. gave a damn.
Someone who really cared would not have appended a dorky flag to their Dodge Dakota. Why? Because a message attached to a moving object only says this: I am too afraid to stand up and make a statement. I would prefer that others casually gaze at my half-hearted statements when they drive by.
You remember the heart-wrenching details of Virginia Tech. A troubled student studying English directed the angst and depression of his pathetic private life to the unknowing public. He found a gun and he went on a killing spree.
So what did you do? You put a cute "Remember the Hokies" decal on your profile pictures. You did it because you thought you were showing support. But you weren't showing support, instead you were only evidencing your own callowness. "People will see this and think I care, right? I do, care — don't I?"
You put the decal on your profile, and when the trend died like the innocent VT students, the picture can tumbling off. "I'd rather people know I was at the kegger last week," you thought.
At Gonzaga, I would estimate that 100s and 100s of students put the aforementioned message on their Facebook accounts. But do you know how many donated to a GU-led fundraising campaign for V-Tech?
You would be appalled.
Less than $500.
This behavior is sad, and it's almost as sickening as what these gunmen have done. It's sad because it's selfish, and it perpetuates empty and insincere behavior. If you truly care about the victims at NIU you wouldn't randomly plunk a "Remember Northern Illinois" picture on your Facebook profile because its meaningless. It's sloppy. And in the end? It's not genuine. It's just a self-centered attempt to manipulate others into believing you care.
If you really care, then care. Do something. You don't need a public stage to fulfill a private goal. That's what these murderers did.
Do you want to assassinate your own sincerity and credibility?
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