Virginia Tech emotions

Point taken. That's not something we can know. We don't know much about this situation ... I don't even know if I'm sad or angry.

That was the point of my original post, and it got lost in an angry moment.

 

I'm sad for the victims and their families, but I think the emotion I feel most is fear. I have a daughter in college and I worry about copycats. I know the odds are astronomical, but still ...

I know it's selfish of me to worry about something that hasn't happened when the Virginia Tech family is dealing with something horrifically real. But I can't help feeling the way I feel.

 

There are kids this isolated on every campus, in every classroom.

The main thing this will elicit is a desperate call for intervention. If someone is acting like a froot loop, then FUCKING tell someone about it. If you don't want to bring chicks back to your dorm because you're afraid of what your roomie might do, bring it to someone's attention. And put legal constructs into motion that will require a kid like this to get help, and where there are no options. Many universities mandate students seek counseling sessions after a documented suicide attempt or similar incident.

 

One of the pictures NBC released had him holding the gun to his head. If he had only pulled the trigger then .....

 

Guess Who, there's nothing wrong at all with feeling those emotions. The fact is that this could have happened on any campus in America, which is why so many universities have been so strong in their support for Tech right now. It hits close to home for anyone who is an educator or a student, or an alum for that matter.

For those who don't live in Virginia, the outpouring of support from people here has been nothing short of amazing and touching. Every university in the state held a candlelight vigil last night. Tech's hated rival in Charlottesville painted the bridge on Rugby Road in Hokie colors to show their support. Liberty offered its main chapel for a service for our alumni association in Central Virginia, and the students painted a landmark on campus in orange and maroon and offered prayers. I'm sure a lot of the same things have happened at Radford, JMU, George Mason, VCU, Hampton, Longwood, Norfolk State and Richmond. I know these are all just gestures, but they do mean something, emotionally.

 

I don't live in Virginia, and I'm sure it's completely different there, but it seems like there hasn't been the same kind of national reaction to this that there was for Columbine. There's part of me that wonders if some people have become numb to this kind of disaster. It's not that they don't care, but it seems like people are almost used to it, and that scares me...

As a parent, this kind of shit just scares the crap out of me...

 

Another reason I'm probably so wound up about this is that I am full-fledged, unapologetic mama's boy, and my mom is a college dean. She has told me for years that she can't sleep at night at the end of every semester because she's terrified that she will fail someone and get a bullet in the head for it. She's been sued several times for failing someone because they had psychological issues, or family issues, or some other issue. I love that in this wussy, there-are-no-losers society, her stance remains that she teaches in the medical field, which is important, and if you fail, you don't need to be in a hospital. But I love my mama, and it worries me.

 

Governor here ordered flags to fly at half-staff (don't know for how long). Many colleges in the area held vigils this morning.

 

Saw where Texas A&M, Michigan and Arizona State all held vigils. The orange and maroon effect today has been awesome. Was out at a college softball game today not involving Tech and just about everyone in the crowd was wearing VT colors. Players wore the VT logo on their cheeks and the logo was painted on the field.