I think NBC should have shown segments of the video and the pictures. The videos help us understand how screwed up this guy was. How many of us were asking "Why did this guy do this?" Well, from the video and pictures we can answer that question, which is the media's job. Either you want the media to do its job or not.
Showing the video does not help Cho's cause, and will not cause another mass killing. The video helps us understand and SHOULD freak us all out. These people are out there and we need to watch for them and understand them, which this video helps us do.
It helps nothing, it's all part of the mental problem, the grandeur that he wanted to achieve, he wanted to be famous, like the Columbine kids, people won't remember the victims name, only the killers name, he's the famous guy in this story, even if he's the bad guy, and that's exactly what you want to avoid to prevent these act from happening. Now i don't think you can prevent them all from happening, but at least don't make it easier for mentally ill person to achieve their goal. It only takes one kids who identify with him, of course the majority will be freaked out.
They shouldn't have aired this, it's not public, it should have been given to the cops immediatly, in fact i think from now on, there should be laws against that kind of free violence publicity, cops/authority should then decide if it's worth being public. Please spare me freedom of speech stuffs, it's the killers freedom of speech that you advocate here, when you commit crimes, you're supposed to be ripped of your civil liberties, that's why it shouldn't have been aired.
"L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers"
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
It helps nothing, it's all part of the mental problem, the grandeur that he wanted to achieve, he wanted to be famous, like the Columbine kids, people won't remember the victims name, only the killers name, he's the famous guy in this story, even if he's the bad guy, and that's exactly what you want to avoid to prevent these act from happening. Now i don't think you can prevent them all from happening, but at least don't make it easier for mentally ill person to achieve their goal. It only takes one kids who identify with him, of course the majority will be freaked out.
They shouldn't have aired this, it's not public, it should have been given to the cops immediatly, in fact i think from now on, there should be laws against that kind of free violence publicity, cops/authority should then decide if it's worth being public. Please spare me freedom of speech stuffs, it's the killers freedom of speech that you advocate here, when you commit crimes, you're supposed to be ripped of your civil liberties, that's why it shouldn't have been aired.
Yes some screwed up kid may identify with him but that kid is probabaly screwed up already and will kill people regardless of the media coverage this incident received. The media coverage is not going to be the catalyst that pushes the person over the edge.
"When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
i dont believe that for a second. if you've seen the video, this kid didnt do this to get famous. he was clearly mentally ill. it was like a charles manson thing... he wasn't trying to be famous, he just had some crazy schizophrenic perceptions and felt compelled to justify his atrocities. i dont think he cared who saw it. and i dont think anyone is sitting around going "you know, id like to kill 33 people, but if it's not gonna get me on tv, i guess i wont after all." i also have a tough time believing anyone is saying "well, i was about to back out, but then i realized id get on tv, so i decided to kill a ton of people." the people committing these acts are not rational actors like this... it's not a calculated move for celebrity. it's an expression of rage or mental illness and airtime is not making a difference. they know they will be on tv for news coverage and people will want to know why. what should news networks do? bury this and never release any info on why it happened lest some kid in his basement somewhere goes "yeah man, right on! im gonna do it too!" that's ridiculous.
No, if the kid didn't want to be famous, he wouldn't have made tapes and send them to a major medias outlet, please. Yes it's part of the mental illness, of course, and i cannot explain that, i don't think you can either. But to say he didn't want to be famous, is not exactly true, he wanted to be a "martyr" like klebold, he wanted his testament to be known, he wanted HIS side of the story to be known, otherwise he would have sent the tapes to the cops, not to the medias.
But again, nobody can know exactly what the killer had in mind, but what is disgusting is the fact that medias all over the world were showing the tapes, that's the point. They're not mentally ill, although sometimes i'm not so sure...
"L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers"
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
For me personally later is better....but then again as SS alluded to people would bitch regardless of when...just for me now is too soon....
I understand...
I just think airing it may actually help...stay with me...what I mean is, showing them actually shows how sick this guy was...which may help people cope...
everyone is looking for a "reason" and to "blame"....in showing these vids, people now have both...
I just think airing it may actually help...stay with me...what I mean is, showing them actually shows how sick this guy was...which may help people cope...
everyone is looking for a "reason" and to "blame"....in showing these vids, people now have both...
Yeah I know what you are saying...I guess everyone deals with tragedies differently therefore I guess it would be impossible to please everyone...one of those agree to disagree issues I guess.....
Yes some screwed up kid may identify with him but that kid is probabaly screwed up already and will kill people regardless of the media coverage this incident received. The media coverage is not going to be the catalyst that pushes the person over the edge.
Well if you know all that, good for you... i say it shouldn't have been aired, it has no purpose at all, other than rating and pure voyeurism. As i said i don't blame those who watch, it's there all over the news...
"L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers"
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
again what does the video teach us i tell you what absolutly nothing ,what like we needed this video to tell us that the asshole who commited this atrocity was nuts duh duh .........so go ahead and watch the glorification of a mad man i won't, like i said boycott NBC don't feed this tragedy and if you don't agree put yourselves in the shoes of the families of the murdered victims, it serves no purpose to show this creep over the airwaves ......
No, if the kid didn't want to be famous, he wouldn't have made tapes and send them to a major medias outlet, please. Yes it's part of the mental illness, of course, and i cannot explain that, i don't think you can either. But to say he didn't want to be famous, is not exactly true, he wanted to be a "martyr" like klebold, he wanted his testament to be known, he wanted HIS side of the story to be known, otherwise he would have sent the tapes to the cops, not to the medias.
But again, nobody can know exactly what the killer had in mind, but what is disgusting is the fact that medias all over the world were showing the tapes, that's the point. They're not mentally ill, although sometimes i'm not so sure...
i do think he wanted his side known, but i think it had nothing to do with fame. he could put it on youtube. he sent it to nbc so his side would be made public. i still dont think this kid cared about fame. i do think he thought of himself as a martyr, but he was delusional. the flipside is possible, maybe some kid who is close to snapping can see this kid's video and think "man, that is a little nuts, maybe i should get help?"
again what does the video teach us i tell you what absolutly nothing ,what like we needed this video to tell us that the asshole who commited this atrocity was nuts duh duh .........so go ahead and watch the glorification of a mad man i won't, like i said boycott NBC don't feed this tragedy and if you don't agree put yourselves in the shoes of the families of the murdered victims, it serves no purpose to show this creep over the airwaves ......
since you seem to understand mental health issues...perhaps you could join me in this discussion...
I never thought that you and Glenn Beck would ever agree on something.
That was the lead on his show this morning on the way to work.
i am glad someone in the media is speaking out about this. it doesnt matter to me if it is keith olberman, glenn beck, or sean hannity. when you are right you are right. and when something is wrong, it is wrong.
ps...dont expect me to agree with mr beck too often
Is this high speed media age what did you guy's really expect. All news agencies would have broadcasted this just as NBC did. This was a system failure with this student from the get go. The University is to blame and the parents (of the shooter) are to blame. You are just going to see more of this in the future and this is the price we pay for living in a free society.
What this story also did was $$buy$$ Georgie some time with the Iraq debate. He is totally going to ride this and the whole gun control issue just to take the heat off Iraq.
Going back to the NBC reporting this. Say what you want but NBC sent this to the FBI first and there will be some footage never to be shown. Also, I would rather have NBC get this first than some YouTuber and have this plastered all over the Internet.
I think NBC should have shown segments of the video and the pictures. The videos help us understand how screwed up this guy was.
i dont think anyone needs to see his ramblings to know this guy was crazy. anyone who pre meditates mureder is crazy. end of story. and anyone that kills 33 people is just about as fucking delusional as it gets, and i for one dont need to hear his rants to know that.
i do think he wanted his side known, but i think it had nothing to do with fame. he could put it on youtube. he sent it to nbc so his side would be made public. i still dont think this kid cared about fame. i do think he thought of himself as a martyr, but he was delusional. the flipside is possible, maybe some kid who is close to snapping can see this kid's video and think "man, that is a little nuts, maybe i should get help?"
Ok, maybe not fame like Britney Spears fame, but sure he wanted his crime to be recognized as grand.
I like your positive approach about how a kid could seek help watching those tapes, but i unfortunatly don't share that view, i also don't think it can automaticly turn a kid into a killer, but what's the purpose of showing this? I don't think they had "public security" in mind, just rating, so that's why i think it's disgusting, to take this event and turn it into their advantage, the discussion is not over the killer's intention, but over the medias intentions...
"L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers"
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
i dont think anyone needs to see his ramblings to know this guy was crazy. anyone who pre meditates mureder is crazy. end of story. and anyone that kills 33 people is just about as fucking delusional as it gets, and i for one dont need to hear his rants to know that.
Honestly...I had an idea he was "crazy"...but I had no idea how mentally ill he was...
Is this high speed media age what did you guy's really expect. All news agencies would have broadcasted this just as NBC did. This was a system failure with this student from the get go. The University is to blame and the parents (of the shooter) are to blame. You are just going to see more of this in the future and this is the price we pay for living in a free society.
What this story also did was $$buy$$ Georgie some time with the Iraq debate. He is totally going to ride this and the whole gun control issue just to take the heat off Iraq.
Going back to the NBC reporting this. Say what you want but NBC sent this to the FBI first and there will be some footage never to be shown. Also, I would rather have NBC get this first than some YouTuber and have this plastered all over the Internet.
this creep knew exactly what he was doing by sending it to NBC he new they could not resist showing it ,NBC SHOULD OF JUST ISSUED A STATEMENT ANNOUNCING THE PACKAGE AND IT'S CONTENTS THA'S ALL AND AT LEAST CONTACTED THE FAMILIES AND ASKED ABOUT THEIR OPINIONS ON THE MATTER ......
Some of you are just blatant hypocrites. I wonder how many of you support showing videos from the Iraqi war on YouTube. You praise YouTube for showing these graphic videos. We hear about how the American people need to see this to understand what is going on in Iraq. I guess when it serves your purposes as anti-Bush, you support showing graphic videos. But when NBC puts out a disturbing video, you will blast NBC for it (becuase you hate the media). Everyday your views change. Hypocrites.
apples and oranges. and you know it.
this is one madman getting his wish, airing his lunacy for the world to see after he slaughters innocent people.
the horrors of war should be shown, to see the devastaion WE are causing, not to glorify it, or for media sensationalism.
and quite frankly, i think it is disgusting of you to make this a partisan issue and tie it into the anti war effort.
way to go, you made a madmans wish come true. you did just what he wanted you to do. show his mad rantings all over the world before the blood has even been cleaned up. you should be ashamed of yourself NBC. dont you have any class? dont you have a heart? dont you have any compassion for the victims? or did you piss your pants in glee when you realized this wacko handed you the biggest news story at the moment?
i cant tell anyone what to do, but i personally refuse to watch this fucking psycho and his bullshit propaganda. dont feed his fire, dont do what he wanted, ignore the lunacy. do not feed into his circus. it is exactly what he wanted.
i dont believe that for a second. if you've seen the video, this kid didnt do this to get famous. he was clearly mentally ill. it was like a charles manson thing... he wasn't trying to be famous, he just had some crazy schizophrenic perceptions and felt compelled to justify his atrocities. i dont think he cared who saw it. and i dont think anyone is sitting around going "you know, id like to kill 33 people, but if it's not gonna get me on tv, i guess i wont after all." i also have a tough time believing anyone is saying "well, i was about to back out, but then i realized id get on tv, so i decided to kill a ton of people." the people committing these acts are not rational actors like this... it's not a calculated move for celebrity. it's an expression of rage or mental illness and airtime is not making a difference. they know they will be on tv for news coverage and people will want to know why. what should news networks do? bury this and never release any info on why it happened lest some kid in his basement somewhere goes "yeah man, right on! im gonna do it too!" that's ridiculous.
he didnt care how many saw it? why else would he send it to the largest television staion in the world, who also happens to have the hif=ghest rated news show?
don't watch it...no one is forcing you to do so...but for someone who claims to have not watched it, you seem pretty upset...
while I respect that, I just happen to disagree...
i havent watched it, and i will never watch it. do what the fuck you want, but remember if you do watch it, you are only doing exactly what that motherfucker wanted you to.
way to go, you made a madmans wish come true. you did just what he wanted you to do. show his mad rantings all over the world before the blood has even been cleaned up. you should be ashamed of yourself NBC. dont you have any class? dont you have a heart? dont you have any compassion for the victims? or did you piss your pants in glee when you realized this wacko handed you the biggest news story at the moment?
i cant tell anyone what to do, but i personally refuse to watch this fucking psycho and his bullshit propaganda. dont feed his fire, dont do what he wanted, ignore the lunacy. do not feed into his circus. it is exactly what he wanted.
great post...i completely agree....
a quick bit i cut and pasted about this...
Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said Thursday that the material contained little they did not already know. Flaherty said he was disappointed that NBC decided to broadcast parts of it.
"I just hate that a lot of people not used to seeing that type of image had to see it," he said.
On NBC's "Today" show Thursday, host Meredith Vieira said the decision to air the information "was not taken lightly." Some victims' relatives canceled their plans to speak with NBC because they were upset over the airing of the images, she said.
"I saw his picture on TV, and when I did I just got chills," said Kristy Venning, a junior from Franklin County, Va. "There's really no words. It shows he put so much thought into this and I think it's sick."
“Kept in a small bowl, the goldfish will remain small. With more space, the fish can grow double, triple, or quadruple its size.”
-Big Fish
Comments
actually, i dont usually agree with him, but i think he's spot on here.
It helps nothing, it's all part of the mental problem, the grandeur that he wanted to achieve, he wanted to be famous, like the Columbine kids, people won't remember the victims name, only the killers name, he's the famous guy in this story, even if he's the bad guy, and that's exactly what you want to avoid to prevent these act from happening. Now i don't think you can prevent them all from happening, but at least don't make it easier for mentally ill person to achieve their goal. It only takes one kids who identify with him, of course the majority will be freaked out.
They shouldn't have aired this, it's not public, it should have been given to the cops immediatly, in fact i think from now on, there should be laws against that kind of free violence publicity, cops/authority should then decide if it's worth being public. Please spare me freedom of speech stuffs, it's the killers freedom of speech that you advocate here, when you commit crimes, you're supposed to be ripped of your civil liberties, that's why it shouldn't have been aired.
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
that's cool...
I kinda do too, I just think the hate bush card is played a bit too often....
Yes some screwed up kid may identify with him but that kid is probabaly screwed up already and will kill people regardless of the media coverage this incident received. The media coverage is not going to be the catalyst that pushes the person over the edge.
For me personally later is better....but then again as SS alluded to people would bitch regardless of when...just for me now is too soon....
No, if the kid didn't want to be famous, he wouldn't have made tapes and send them to a major medias outlet, please. Yes it's part of the mental illness, of course, and i cannot explain that, i don't think you can either. But to say he didn't want to be famous, is not exactly true, he wanted to be a "martyr" like klebold, he wanted his testament to be known, he wanted HIS side of the story to be known, otherwise he would have sent the tapes to the cops, not to the medias.
But again, nobody can know exactly what the killer had in mind, but what is disgusting is the fact that medias all over the world were showing the tapes, that's the point. They're not mentally ill, although sometimes i'm not so sure...
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
I understand...
I just think airing it may actually help...stay with me...what I mean is, showing them actually shows how sick this guy was...which may help people cope...
everyone is looking for a "reason" and to "blame"....in showing these vids, people now have both...
Yeah I know what you are saying...I guess everyone deals with tragedies differently therefore I guess it would be impossible to please everyone...one of those agree to disagree issues I guess.....
Well if you know all that, good for you... i say it shouldn't have been aired, it has no purpose at all, other than rating and pure voyeurism. As i said i don't blame those who watch, it's there all over the news...
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
i do think he wanted his side known, but i think it had nothing to do with fame. he could put it on youtube. he sent it to nbc so his side would be made public. i still dont think this kid cared about fame. i do think he thought of himself as a martyr, but he was delusional. the flipside is possible, maybe some kid who is close to snapping can see this kid's video and think "man, that is a little nuts, maybe i should get help?"
since you seem to understand mental health issues...perhaps you could join me in this discussion...
http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=241352
?? why
i am glad someone in the media is speaking out about this. it doesnt matter to me if it is keith olberman, glenn beck, or sean hannity. when you are right you are right. and when something is wrong, it is wrong.
ps...dont expect me to agree with mr beck too often
What this story also did was $$buy$$ Georgie some time with the Iraq debate. He is totally going to ride this and the whole gun control issue just to take the heat off Iraq.
Going back to the NBC reporting this. Say what you want but NBC sent this to the FBI first and there will be some footage never to be shown. Also, I would rather have NBC get this first than some YouTuber and have this plastered all over the Internet.
not me, never will
i dont think anyone needs to see his ramblings to know this guy was crazy. anyone who pre meditates mureder is crazy. end of story. and anyone that kills 33 people is just about as fucking delusional as it gets, and i for one dont need to hear his rants to know that.
dissapear? get help now?? why
i say you never show it. it is evidence in a mass murder.
Ok, maybe not fame like Britney Spears fame, but sure he wanted his crime to be recognized as grand.
I like your positive approach about how a kid could seek help watching those tapes, but i unfortunatly don't share that view, i also don't think it can automaticly turn a kid into a killer, but what's the purpose of showing this? I don't think they had "public security" in mind, just rating, so that's why i think it's disgusting, to take this event and turn it into their advantage, the discussion is not over the killer's intention, but over the medias intentions...
-Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Honestly...I had an idea he was "crazy"...but I had no idea how mentally ill he was...
apples and oranges. and you know it.
this is one madman getting his wish, airing his lunacy for the world to see after he slaughters innocent people.
the horrors of war should be shown, to see the devastaion WE are causing, not to glorify it, or for media sensationalism.
and quite frankly, i think it is disgusting of you to make this a partisan issue and tie it into the anti war effort.
but they fired imus. go figure.
yes! this is why NBC is in trouble and doesn't realize it yet
he didnt care how many saw it? why else would he send it to the largest television staion in the world, who also happens to have the hif=ghest rated news show?
of course he wanted everyone to see it
ok...
don't watch it...no one is forcing you to do so...but for someone who claims to have not watched it, you seem pretty upset...
while I respect that, I just happen to disagree...
NBC had the FBI look at it first and they ok'd it.
i havent watched it, and i will never watch it. do what the fuck you want, but remember if you do watch it, you are only doing exactly what that motherfucker wanted you to.
great post...i completely agree....
a quick bit i cut and pasted about this...
Col. Steve Flaherty, superintendent of the Virginia State Police, said Thursday that the material contained little they did not already know. Flaherty said he was disappointed that NBC decided to broadcast parts of it.
"I just hate that a lot of people not used to seeing that type of image had to see it," he said.
On NBC's "Today" show Thursday, host Meredith Vieira said the decision to air the information "was not taken lightly." Some victims' relatives canceled their plans to speak with NBC because they were upset over the airing of the images, she said.
"I saw his picture on TV, and when I did I just got chills," said Kristy Venning, a junior from Franklin County, Va. "There's really no words. It shows he put so much thought into this and I think it's sick."
-Big Fish