One of the things that really struck me about the Virginia Tech massacre (as CNN is now calling it) is how people just didn't know what was going on. More and more we filter the information we interact with and really miss the big picture--even when something major is happening just feet away. For me, I get my NPR for news, but only when I'm in the car. I find out about work-relevant stuff through my work email address--but I only look at it when I'm at my desk at work. Sometimes, the best way to get info to me is my cell phone--but not when I'm at work (no reception) or driving (illegal and scary on the freeway). Sometimes you can reach me with my personal email--but only if I've got that window open. Ditto for MySpace. And blogs--and then I mostly choose news about libraries and web 2.0 stuff. (Is there a world beyond those things that interest me? Who knows?) Maybe ipods, web radio, and general internet connections should have a "we interrupt this broadcast" feature. Something... I don't know. Do we live constantly in fear? Constantly available and botherable? Or do we just have to pay more attention to what's going on on our own? How do we balance it?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Connected?
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Do we live in constant fear? No. Is there anything that can be done about a random psycho on a shooting spree who is willing to die himself? No. Could they have done better informing people about the shooting in Virginia? Maybe. But then what? Do they close the campus, and tell people to stay inside and lock their doors? The shooter was in a dorm, and in at least one other building. What if you lock the shooter in with yourself? This is a hell of a way to "contain" a psycho. Would a general "psycho alarm" cause widespread panic and further destabilize an already bad situation? Maybe.
There are some 35k students there on a huge piece of property. It's a municipality in both population and area. When someone shoots someone at a gas station they don't close a whole town because of it. Indeed, you might not even hear about it until the 6:00 news... Maybe never.
I don't know what the answer is. However, I do think that the truly important thing is to remain aware of your environment. Be cognizant of what is going on around you, and who is around you at all times... And live life.
Be Well!
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