Gun People / Gun Haters

[Alawen]

Originally Posted by Daldolma [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

How many times has the United States intentionally targeted and killed 20 children under the age of 10 in a single attack? In fact, how many times have terrorists intentionally targeted and killed 20 children under the age of 10 in a single attack?

Instances of the intentional mass murder of this many children are rare, both on a global and historic scale. It certainly happens, mostly in Africa, and mostly in areas where media coverage is impossible until long after the fact.

Many children die in the Middle East, but they are almost always collateral damage. It's no less tragic, but the natural reaction to unintended deaths is significantly different than to targeted killings. You can question the logic behind that, but I'd hardly call it bizarre. And obviously, it's got nothing to do with racism.

It happens pretty often just south of our 2,000 mile border primarily due to our ridiculous prohibition policies and the economic opportunities that produces. However, in those cases the children are usually slaughtered with machetes.

[Alawen]

Originally Posted by Tarathiel [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

thats quite a fucking stretch to say that because you express sadness over one group of kids dying without mentioning another group of kids that are a different color you are somehow racist..

well with that mentality i call YOU the racist since you obviously think the death of white skinned children is less important or meaningful than the death of brown skinned children.

I specifically said that they are all children to me. None are more important or more tragic when their young lives end pointlessly. It's just as tragic if they starve to death or die from HIV. The outrage over Sandy Hook stems purely from nimbyism. Anyone who actually gives a fuck about children who are not their own is trying to do something, not just paying lip service to another media-sponsored day of feigned melancholy.

[Daldolma]

Originally Posted by Hasbinlulz [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

#1 you're racist coz u used "collateral damage" to euphemize "dying children."

#2 it's racist to point out the tragedy of a group of white kids dying when you don't point out the tragedy of groups of brown kids dying all the time as a matter of course.

#3 your intentional ignorance of the fact that many of the people that do the actual killing of the children are funded by us isn't funny.

dumb.

Your distracting from the tragedy of 20 slaughtered American children does nothing to help slaughtered brown children. If you care, do something about it. Being a jackass in RnF satisfies your need for attention and nothing else.

And yet again, even including "brown kids" 7,000 miles away, instances of the intentional murder of 20 children under the age of 10 are rare. When and where it does happen, it's typically not available to media and thus not capable of being conveyed via media in human terms. People read about a tally a month later. That wouldn't have the same effect even if they were white Americans.

Kids dying of hunger, unintentionally in the midst of a war, or in separate, more spread out incidents is just as tragic for the children, but significantly less dramatic for a viewing public.

But the major factor is intent. These were 6-10 year olds intentionally executed en masse at short range, and the public was able to watch the immediate aftermath. Comparable situations with children of any skin color are few and far between.

[Daldolma]

Originally Posted by Alawen [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It happens pretty often just south of our 2,000 mile border primarily due to our ridiculous prohibition policies and the economic opportunities that produces. However, in those cases the children are usually slaughtered with machetes.

But does the media have access to those types of locations? Seriously, I'm not being an ass. You have to understand the power of media. Being able to see crying parents and children is a lot different than reading about mass graves a month later. That's not racist or feigned: it's human.

The media can't very well go and cover the machete slaughters of innocents: they'd be putting themselves in mortal danger by even interviewing the families, let alone trying to get running updates from "authorities". There is much, much less access -- if any at all.

[Alawen]

Originally Posted by Daldolma [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

But does the media have access to those types of locations? Seriously, I'm not being an ass. You have to understand the power of media. Being able to see crying parents and children is a lot different than reading about mass graves a month later. That's not racist or feigned: it's human.

The media can't very well go and cover the machete slaughters of innocents: they'd be putting themselves in mortal danger by even interviewing the families, let alone trying to get running updates from "authorities". There is much, much less access -- if any at all.

This is very similar to the conversation I had with my sister. People are swayed by accessible tragedies where the people involved look like them. I really do understand now. I'm just horribly unimpressed.

[liveitup1216]

People are acting like this is the first time people have ever died. Last I checked there's no shortage of humans. It's unfortunate or unlucky at best, but not a tragedy.

[Daldolma]

Originally Posted by Alawen [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

This is very similar to the conversation I had with my sister. People are swayed by accessible tragedies where the people involved look like them. I really do understand now. I'm just horribly unimpressed.

I don't think it's about people looking like them. Were any of the kids black or Hispanic? Does anyone even care? The point is that it's easier to identify with people in similar communities and similar stations in life. People care about Africans being murdered in the Sudan, but it's so far removed from anything a typical American sees or feels that it's barely a step up from reading history or fiction. If there were video coverage of these types of massacres as they occurred, I think Americans would be far more empathetic. But as it is, it's an avalanche of horrific statistics from places most Americans have never seen and never will see.

I don't think race is a major factor at all. It's about identification and visibility.

[Misto]

Time will pass. People will forget. The families won't.

Your arguing is trite and pointless.

[davedeck42]

Some really fucked up people in this thread and on these boards. I hope some of you are trolling but I doubt it.. You are fucked in the head if you dont think this is a tragedy and you are fucked in the head if you think people dont care about children dying anywhere. You are also fucked in the head if you cant see why this is different than children dying to hunger or being killed by an air strike in combat.. These children were targeted by some guy who had issues none of us can understand and targeted 5-10 year olds in a shooting spree.

The fact that civilian loss occurs in war or the fact that there are children dying due to disease/hunger in africa isnt any easier to read about and definately makes people sad. They are still things that we can understand and cope with why they happened. This attack doesnt make any sense and it has messed up a lot of people, myself included. I work 3 mins from this school and had to go into work today and had to deal with the fact that some of the people I work with and care about will never be able to hug their children or give them another christmas and they will never know why their child was taken from them.. Knowing how and why something happened helps with coping and dealing with loss. It doesnt make it less shitty but you know why it happened which is huge in the grieving process..

On behalf of the normal people in America who can understand why this is tragic (hint: its not because the media says it is) go fuck yourselves...

[Alawen]

Uh... please explain to me how children starving and dying to bombs makes sense in your truly fucked up universe.