Now that the details of the Minnesota school shootings (or “massacre,” according to CNN) are beginning to come out, any bets until how long it is before the collective societal hand-wringing begins?
I’ve already heard one news report wherein the usual “He was a quiet boy who kept to himself” testimony from neighbors was accompanied by the earth-shattering revelation that “He typically dressed all in black, in the ‘goth’ style.” Uh-oh—has anyone been to the mall lately? It’s filled to the gills with potential mass-murderers. We’d better shut down all the Hot Topic stores. Next, I’m sure, will come accusations from Congressional leaders that Marilyn Manson is to blame, despite the fact that Manson hasn’t actually sold any records in years.
Other suggestions for causes: the lack of prayer in public schools, gay marriage in Massachusetts, excessive government regulation of business, and the lack of FCC oversite of cable television and the Internet.
In the midst of the media frenzy over these shootings, I would like to point out that the while it is certainly tragic that people where killed and injured, the number of school shootings of this nature is not anywhere near being statistically significant.