So...anyone looking for the definition of cruel irony?
This was a shameful, senseless act of violence and carnage brought about by one deranged suspect who calmly and methodically planned and then carried out his actions. The victims were as young as 6 years old. SIX YEARS OLD.
12 dead, 58 wounded, and countless hundreds more who will also bear the scars of what happened for the rest of their lives. There's no rhyme or reason for something like this, and no one ever thinks it will happen where they live, so there is always shock, surprise, denial and then...reality sets in, taps us on the shoulder and says: "Yes...YOUR backyard, too."
Virginia Tech, Columbine (less than 25 miles away from Aurora, by the way), Norway, Toronto, Binghamton...the list goes on. All of these places and the victims therein were unsuspecting and innocent, just going about their lives, minding their business and harming NO ONE. The people in Aurora on Friday were going to see a MOVIE, for cryin' out loud! A Batman movie! Something that for so many is a pure and enjoyable break from reality suddenly turned into a horror show of blockbuster proportions, and to paraphrase a reporter's comment from earlier yesterday: "A place like the movies, where we like to escape TO, should never EVER have to be the place we need to escape FROM..."
I am a self-professed movie nerd. Everyone who knows me knows this. I quote lines, buy soundtracks, get the DVD combo-packs so I have ALL the extra features...I go all out. My apartment is a veritable movie museum filled with props, posters, autographs...and strangely very few girls who are knocking on my door to come hang out, but that's another blog for another time...What I mean to say is that movies...especially going OUT to the movies, be it solo or with friends...is a part of who I am and I imagine a part of who so many others are as well. When something this horrible and violent happens in a place that we love and gravitate to with such a feeling of fun, happiness and enjoyment, it feels like no matter WHERE it happens, it is happening to all of us. One of our "safe havens" has been violated...desecrated.
Of course, no matter if this happened in a movie theater, a supermarket, a college campus or a shopping mall, it would be no less horrific and upsetting. These and so many other places are ones that we all are used to going to with a feeling of inherent safety. Nothing can happen HERE...it's the fucking produce section! Who would do that HERE? Well, once again, our perceptions have been shattered by the insane actions of a 24 year old whose rubber band clearly had snapped some months ago, and now we have to ratchet up our "shields", so to speak, and fine-tune ourselves to be that much more aware of our surroundings--both WHERE we are, and WHO is around us and the ones we love.
How sad a commentary is it that we now are forced to live with the mentality of "Hey...there's a sale at The Gap, let's go to the mall...but...wait...maybe not...there may be gunplay...nahhh...let's not go. I don't NEED clothes...or makeup...or underwear..." (and trust me, yeah...pretty much all of you DO need underwear...)
The fact of the matter is this: DON'T BE AFRAID.
Go out and enjoy EVERYTHING you usually enjoy doing. Go to the mall, the market, THE MOVIES (and go see "Ted"...holy shit was that funny!)...don't let the mindless actions of others dictate policy for YOU. Be your own best friend, and go DO. Yes, it's the unfortunate reality that we have to keep a higher level of awareness of the "who", "what" and "where" of our routines nowadays...so much more so than before. But as a people we are incredibly resilient, and we will always find the best way to not only combat the evildoers around us and bring them to justice (I know, that sounds very Super Friends/Ted Knight voice-over narration-y...for those who remember), but to PERSEVERE in the face of what they have done to us, and come out even STRONGER on the other side of it. We've done it plenty of unfortunate times before, and time time and time again, we embrace one another as a WHOLE, no matter if we live in White Plains, Aurora, Virginia, California or anywhere else in between, and support one another through the pain. We never fail one another in times of need. Never. It's one of our most endearing qualities...
And now we will do it again.
I know it will take some time to heal from what happened in Aurora, but time does exactly that...it heals. I know I can speak for my friends in saying that all good thoughts, prayers...and the aforementioned embraces are with the people of Aurora during their time of tragedy and need. You don't have to live there to be affected by it, and I think that the immediate outpouring of love and support from around the country and the WORLD proves that in spades.
For sure, there are definitely a good number of assholes on this planet, and for their evils, they will get what's coming to them one way or the other. However, I'm happy to say that the MAJORITY of us here are SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEY ARE, and WE OUTNUMBER THEM BIGTIME...and we will continue to prove it.
Donald Trump said this in his Twitter feed yesterday:
"At least 12 dead and 50 wounded in Colorado--bring back fast trials & death penalty for mass murderers & terrorists."
I think we should. I think that those who do things like this need to know that we will drop the hammer on them FAST, and without prejudice if they inflict harm on us. An eye for an eye suits me just fine.
As a tribute to the victims of the shooting in Aurora, I posted this on my Facebook wall yesterday, and it's only fitting I sign off with it again here. To those who were lost, and to those who survive, but are in pain, we stand with you, embracing you...
We know you're hurting, we know you're grieving and we know you're down...in time though, and with the love, help and support of the rest of us, Aurora...you will RISE......
Stay strong, Aurora....
