Blogs Don't Kill People
But apparently people with blogs do. I'm just thankful he was so much less sucessful than he might have preferred.There are lots of links and pages out there if you want to see the murderer's picture. Myself, I feel this is one of those things the internet needs to develop institutional amnesia about.
The real evil of these mass killings (or in this case attempted mass killings) is that the names of the perpetrators tend to hang around while those of their victims are forgotten. And even were we able to expel the names from history entirely, that too would be someone's tragedy. Yet to not forget them is to encourage more of them, hungry for noteriety, fame--maybe some weird human interaction in the only theatre they think counts?
As it is, his picture will bounce around the 'net for a while, then hopefully be forgotten as we rush to find out what Paris Hilton's up to.
I'm posting this so that there'll be a photo of Anastasia DeSousa out here too; maybe for long enough that she'll be here when he's forgotten.
Here's hoping.
posted by Metro @ 6:27 pm
8 Comments:
Good point. I wonder, if people had really looked at him before the shooting, would it have happened?
I'm trying very hard to understand Kimveer Gill through his blog and his pictures, but as you point out it's equally if not more critical to give our mindspace to his innocent victims.
Then again, isn't the idea that fame is some kind of award what started this in the first place? I'm working through my thoughts on this, so they don't have any coherence yet.
Well put. Like Dunblane, it will become known for the act and place and the shooter rather than for the victim(s). Maybe we should refer to it as the "Anastasia DeSousa Shooting" and refer to the shooter as simply "a young man".
I think Perry has the right idea. Let's use the place name, or in this case Ms. DeSousa's.
Often there are so many victims that it's easier to remember a lone killer. Fortunately we don't have that problem here, so far.
I don't feel capable of understanding the shooter. I'm never going to have the "A-HA!" moment that will allow me to share his view of the world with any clarity.
Not that it shouldn't be attempted, but it may be a task for experts. After all, when ordinary citizens stare into the abyss, sometimes something winks.
The same question: Why is it, years later, we can bring to mind the name (and are reminded of it continuously, as the media are always reminding us) of the...seriously disturbed man who shot 14 women in Montreal, but we can't remember the women's names? The media are, again, immortalizing that _____ (insert favourite word here) by bringing up his name, 'cause this latest happened in Montreal as well.
Ack.
Again, I have to question the idea that notoriety is a "reward." The names of these shooters will not be forgotten because you do not forget the name of your enemy.
I wonder if the dead would prefer to become famous because they died, or if they'd prefer to let their lives gain fame or obscurity on their own merits. Would DeSousa really want to become famous for having died? To be completely defined by the circumstances of your death is to almost negate the achievements of your lifetime.
DeSousa and her family were prominent in the Portugese community in Montreal; let her reputation rest on that instead of her victimhood, which was, although terminal, incidental to her achievements.
Thanks for taking the time to do this. As a Montrealer, I'm still numb from the event, but I haven't been able to attend the various events to help me get some closure on this.
Actually, I'm focussing my healing thoughts on the 4 people still in the hospital trying to recover (3 in intensive care, 1 in coma). I desperately don't want another life to be lost because of this loony's bad day.
hobbes, is there a charity or some way people from outside the immediate area could help?
@Hobbes:
Hey bro'. We're all right there with you.
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