Virginia Tech Shootings, Talk Radio, Gun Laws, Columbine
GAUGING THE RESPONSE
In Times Of Crisis, Talk Has A Vital Role
In the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, talk radio hosts spent weeks, if not months, discussing the ramifications of what was then a shocking event.
Now, after a particularly unsettling repeat which has so far killed more than twice as many people, will it generate the same response? As of yet, this isn't clear.
What we do know is that people tend to turn to talk radio during times of crisis, looking to hear the views of others who share their concerns.
Already, elsewhere in broadcasting, major TV news anchors are racing to the scene in order to anchor live coverage.
While Americans have become desensitized to violence in recent times, the scale of today's Virginia Tech massacre dwarfs previous shooting incidents. As a result, we have a whole new ballgame.
Already, there is political fallout from today's events. At some liberal sites, including the Democratic Underground and Huffington Post, participants used this event to push for more restrictive gun control laws. Others took the opportunity to take partisan shots at the Bush Administration:
Six years into the Bush presidency, his unhinged opponents are better than ever at crafting convoluted ways to blame him for the news of the day. While that may prove more difficult this time, don't think for a minute they won't give it their best effort.
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Technorati tags: talk radio virginia tech virginia tech massacre columbine huffington post democratic underground bush
In Times Of Crisis, Talk Has A Vital Role
In the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, talk radio hosts spent weeks, if not months, discussing the ramifications of what was then a shocking event.
Now, after a particularly unsettling repeat which has so far killed more than twice as many people, will it generate the same response? As of yet, this isn't clear.What we do know is that people tend to turn to talk radio during times of crisis, looking to hear the views of others who share their concerns.
Already, elsewhere in broadcasting, major TV news anchors are racing to the scene in order to anchor live coverage.
While Americans have become desensitized to violence in recent times, the scale of today's Virginia Tech massacre dwarfs previous shooting incidents. As a result, we have a whole new ballgame.
Already, there is political fallout from today's events. At some liberal sites, including the Democratic Underground and Huffington Post, participants used this event to push for more restrictive gun control laws. Others took the opportunity to take partisan shots at the Bush Administration:
Okay, if everyone is not all that keen on talking about stricter gun control laws right now
Could we at least talk about the need for stricter Imbecile Laws?
As pointed out by several other DU'ers in various threads, the following bizarre statement is what came from our president's mouth in response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech:
“The president believes that there is a right for people to bear arms, but that all laws must be followed,” Perino (a WH spokeswoman) said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18134671/page/2 /
In light of THIS embarrassing incident by Bush, I hereby propose a law that would make it a federal crime for any future imbeciles to ever run for the office of President again, unless they're packing a brain.
Can we all agree on that?
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"my god, we're not fighting them over there hard enough and they're coming here........bomb Iran.."
By: max on April 16, 2007 at 12:21pm
************
What an idiot.
By: PTBurnem on April 16, 2007 at 12:46pm
Flag: [abusive]Boy, We could all do without the smart assed comments now. Its very disrespectful and inhumane.
This is terrible. I hope the reports are wrong.
By: jtt on April 16, 2007 at 12:47pm
Flag: [abusive]
I have been watching this on the news... one student captured the sounds of the shooting on the cell phone... really fricken scary...
The audio of the shooting is really eerie...
By: nochnoi on April 16, 2007 at 12:07pm
Flag: [abusive]
But you are OK with those sounds if they are happening in some other country.
By: FrancisBacon on April 16, 2007 at 12:48pm
Flag: [abusive]
F--K!
What is WRONG with people?!?
By: BamaBlues on April 16, 2007 at 12:33pm
I just don't know... I have been watching it all morning... It makes me very, very sad to say the least..
The world is turning into such a bad place.... turn on CNN and hear the audio of the shooting.... It is haunting...
By: nochnoi on April 16, 2007 at 12:48pm
Flag: [abusive]
Anybody mention that VaTech is a "gun free zone"?
I guess this is another example of a failed anti-gun policy. As usual, gun laws only affect the law-abiding while government violates Amendment II of the Constitution.
I'm looking forward to the 4 weeks of wall-to-wall coverage; I'm sure we'll have the criminal defense lawyers popping up on every talking heads show with their amateur Freudian psychoanalysis about how the shooter had ADHD or some other concocted mental problem, or was a victim of society, or was a disenfranchised employee, or some other sympathy- seeking nonsense to acquit this nut of his actions.
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By: Veritas78
"Ah, must be a member of our well-regulated militia."
Maybe if the law-abiding citizenry weren't forcibly disarmed against a lunatic with no regard for gun-grab laws....
By: conservativeoriginalist on April 16, 2007 at 12:51pm
Flag: [abusive]
This is just horrific.
Stop posting political nonsense on this thread, how frickin' insensitive can people be?
By: MNmommy on April 16, 2007 at 12:53pm
Flag: [abusive]
Totally tragic. Now can we have the same outrage over the availability of weapons in this country as we did over the Imus controversy of last week?
By: rikki52b on April 16, 2007 at 12:55pm
Flag: [abusive]
You neocons are nuts, please get help FAST.
Next you will be saying it's Webb fault, because he was elected?
By: gopgoingdown on April 16, 2007 at 12:55pm
Flag: [abusive]
Six years into the Bush presidency, his unhinged opponents are better than ever at crafting convoluted ways to blame him for the news of the day. While that may prove more difficult this time, don't think for a minute they won't give it their best effort.
Will you support the Radio Equalizer?
Your Amazon orders that begin with clicks here, regardless of what you ultimately purchase, greatly assist this site's efforts.
Or, please consider making a contribution at the Honor System box. Thanks again!
Technorati tags: talk radio virginia tech virginia tech massacre columbine huffington post democratic underground bush
published by Brian Maloney at
14:30
9 Comments:
Is This A Symptom of our "Chain Letter Society"?
Read an analysis of the influences in our "Chain Letter Society" that may be precipitating events like the tragedy at Virginia Tech and how our focus on winning and being number one may be fostering a generation of children with fully inadequate coping skills who have a misguided sense of self-worth...here:
www.thoughttheater.com
By
Daniel DiRito, at 17 April, 2007 00:12
Unhinged? You know what's unhinged--
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. when, by lying, a President brings us into a disastrous war for no discernable reason...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. that the U.S. become internationally known as a force that advocates torture...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. to abandon basic civil protections like habeas corpus...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. to bankrupt the U.S. treasury in an effort to enrich a very few wealthy people...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. to politicize the role of federal prosecutors...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. to let a major U.S. city die through neglect...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. to have young graduates from fourth -rate law schools run the justice department...
Sitting by and thinking it's o.k. to subject the U.S. to international ridicule by appointing people like John
Bolton and Paul Wolfowitz to interntional bodies.
It's over. The Republicans have failed miserably at governance.
By
John, at 17 April, 2007 00:42
Well said Metro.
One more from me:
Utilizing isolated facts without the appropriate context to smear an individual, entity or organiztion.
Not once in the history of this shitty blog has Maloney had the integrity to justify or clarify points disputed by others who disagreed with him.
My disdain for Maloney hit all new lows this past two weeks, and it is not because I think Imus didn't deserve to get fired.
By
elmonica, at 17 April, 2007 01:04
And what the heck:
How about this adminstration's war on science, be it global warming, environmental issues, whatever...
How about totally blowing nuclear proliferation issues: virtually forcing Korea and Iran to get nukes because of its belligerence....
By
John, at 17 April, 2007 09:39
Metro and elmo,
You two are unhinged. The US is not on this earth to be the world's whipping boy as you two wingnuts believe.
It is time for you two deal with life and not your utopian propaganda.
By
PCD, at 17 April, 2007 12:07
Ah, PCD, I did not say the U.S. should be the world's whipping boy.
Rather, I would prefer that it lead the world in things like civil liberties, sound science, and human development.
It is the Bush administration which has made us an object of international contempt.
By
John, at 17 April, 2007 20:08
And, I might add, the administrations savage violence and love of torture are far more likely to lead to further terrorist attacks than a more conciliatory approach to our fellow humans. (You may not have noticed, but terrorist incidents are actually up the last few years...)
There is no defense against terrorism better than conducting ourselves in a just manner.
By
John, at 17 April, 2007 20:12
Metro,
You America hating piece of crap. If Bush were half of your delusions, you'd be in the process of being fed feet first in a shreader. Oh I forgot, that was Hussein's Boys' favorite method of getting better performance out of their Olympic athletes.
You sure miss the good old days with your boy Hussein.
By
PCD, at 18 April, 2007 08:56
Ah, yes, PCD, you have now clarified matters for me. I suddenly see how surrendering to my most murderous inclinations against my fellow humans will make me happy!
NOT!
I actually have a very sweet life. Good job, happy home, general sense of contentment--very little risk, I would say, of being fed into a shredder (unless, of course, crazies like you take over the government--you're just the sort of person who would get off on such bizarre practices, as far as I can tell). I would suspect I'm far more likely to die due to Bush's neglect of health and safety issues than due to some terrorist attack.
Try to keep your murderous impulses and fantasies to yourself. Most people find them distasteful.
By
John, at 19 April, 2007 00:34
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