Where I disagree is if "you" think just because you get it faster and from maybe a couple more sources than us old farts did, that you have some right to become numb and uncaring faster. To me, and no real offense is intended at you, it's a cop out. You're numb and don't care too much because you didn't know anyone directly affected? You're not numb, you're ******* cold and near dead if you give so little of a **** about it. Really.
The attitude is typical bull**** that everyone of your age has, regardless of which generation we're speaking of. Bluntly put your generation hasn't yet pulled their heads out of their asses long enough to accept any sort of responsibility or reality just yet. I wasn't much different at 19, the world revolved around me. Still does in certain respects.
You're right, it's isolated and rare and largely out of your control. That you write it off on that basis and ignore it is a little disturbing. That you're ignorant about historical events of the past five decades and so easily suggest this sort of thing never happened previously is pretty much jaw dropping. Wow. But that's just my opinion.
While I agree with you for calling out Nathan on historical inaccuracies (if you think school violence didn't happen in the 60s, think University of Texas at Austin in 1966), I think you're mistaken for calling him a cop-out and writing him off as the typical self-righteous teen who cares for no one other than himself. I'm probably closer to him than I am to you in age (25), but the bottom line is the world is a *far* more dangerous place than it was even 10 years ago. "Our generation" may not have collectively pulled out heads out of our asses yet, but for those of us that have, we really wish there were a way we could shove 'em back in. Yeah, it's that bad.
September 11. The war in Afghanistan. Daily violence in Iraq. Terrorist attacks all over the world. Oklahoma City. Columbine. And now, VT. And these are just the things we *know* about going on in the world, the events the media covers regularly and with a lot of thunder. Can't you have a little bit of understanding for growing nonchalant about near-daily reports of another 30 people killed in Baghdad?
I worked in counterterrorism for three years and had to switch. Why? Because I was starting to think like the terrorists, a necessity to try to understand their next move, but it turned me into a person I didn't like. I'd read reports of this attack foiled and that attack foiled, or what they were up to next. I'd read about the x number of villagers in (insert generic Afghan village) pulled out of their cars and beheaded on the sidewalks for being suspected coalition supporters.
I switched to counternarcotics because I thought it would be a less depressing field - but the war on drugs is every bit as dirty as the war on terrorism, if not moreso. Now, I wake up, go to work, read about the Cali drug cartel's torture method against Colombian policemen, and I don't feel anything. I go to bed, wake up, and do it again the next day.
The world's a pretty ******* evil place and I'd be careful to write off those who aren't shocked into silence by these tragedies as callous. I don't think callousness is what they feel. More like helplessness.
