School shooting (elementary) in CT

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Crabbs
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Crabbs »

:cry:

Busy day @ work, went upstairs for lunch and my wife was watching the news. She'd been watching it for over an hour, I couldn't take more than 5 minutes... made her turn it off.

Just sick to my stomach.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Boudreaux »

Today is my oldest son's 11th birthday. We're not even going to discuss it, not today.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by WarPig »

Now they are saying the gunman was positively identified as the brother of the guy they previously thought.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2 ... -shooting/
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Trent Steel »

Skinypupy wrote:
Brilliant.
I was cringing as I opened The Onion page on this, but they were spot on.

Also, Kraken's apathetic post is... just ick.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by triggercut »

Kraken wrote:...
Dude, sometimes you're pretty tonedeaf.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by GuidoTKP »

Trent Steel wrote:
Skinypupy wrote:
Brilliant.
I was cringing as I opened The Onion page on this, but they were spot on.

Also, Kraken's apathetic post is... just ick.
+1 on both counts.

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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Enough »

A friend just shared this on FB,

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
— Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers)

Look for the helpers.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Qantaga »

Enough wrote: Look for the helpers.

The police spokesman said they are providing counselors for the responders because of how horrific it was inside the school.

I am beyond grateful for the helpers and I pray they are greatly blessed, but I ache that they will have nightmares about this for the rest of their days. :cry:
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Holman »

I can't remember if it was George Carlin's or someone else's, but the advice still holds: if you're going to end by turning the gun on yourself, just start there.

I'm sure we'll hear about motives in the coming days, but it basically looks like this monster killed 20 children and 8 adults because he hated his parents.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Jag »

My cousin lives in Newtown (my dad's family is from CT). Her friend lost her 5 year old today. She also lost her next door neighbor, a teacher in the school. :(

It's a very small, tight knit community. Last place I would ever expect this.
Last edited by Jag on Fri Dec 14, 2012 10:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Odin »

Jag wrote:My cousin lives in Newtown (my dad's family is from CT). Her friend lost her 5 year old today. She also lost her next door neighbor, a teacher in the school. :(

Last place I would ever expect this.
That's so awful. Nobody should lose a 5-year-old in kindergarten. :cry:
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Qantaga »

Oh, Jag. How utterly terrible. :cry:
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Jolor »

To all my American friends. To all the parents who, like myself, fear the loss of a child as an unfathomable, devastatingly cruel loss. To all those who felt saddened, sickened, stunned and repulsed by this horrific act of self-centred cruelty.
You have my sympathy, condolences, thoughts, prayers and shared (perhaps) outrage.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Kurth »

No words for this. :cry:
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Kraken »

triggercut wrote:
Kraken wrote:...
Dude, sometimes you're pretty tonedeaf.
Suffice it to say that I flunked compassion and should therefore steer clear of emotion-charged topics. I lack that frame of reference completely.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by msduncan »

Kraken wrote:
triggercut wrote:
Kraken wrote:...
Dude, sometimes you're pretty tonedeaf.
Suffice it to say that I flunked compassion and should therefore steer clear of emotion-charged topics. I lack that frame of reference completely.
I understand this most of the time, but how can you possibly not have compassion for 5 year olds?
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Default »

[dick]Kraken[/dick]

I didn't watch the news today at all and missed this. The only reason I heard about it today was a friend texting me that she couldn't stop crying. :cry:
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Captain Caveman »

msduncan wrote:
Kraken wrote:
triggercut wrote:
Kraken wrote:...
Dude, sometimes you're pretty tonedeaf.
Suffice it to say that I flunked compassion and should therefore steer clear of emotion-charged topics. I lack that frame of reference completely.
I understand this most of the time, but how can you possibly not have compassion for 5 year olds?
I'm guessing he has cognitive compassion but is a bit impaired on affective compassion. I don't mean that pejoratively, it's just how Kraken is wired.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by KKBlue »

It's so hard.
What I am trying to do is not hate. The more anger that flies all over the place the worse everyone in the world is.
So I can keep it together/how I am keeping it together is by sending comforting thoughts to the children. Healing images to the adults bearing witness, including the first responders, for the horror their eyes saw. I am sure their mind won't stop that racket either :(
All in all I'm feeling pretty insane. Haven't heard any local news other than the initial press conference and a little CNN right before my Hospice training class... yes that was a doozy of a class cause many of the people attending had just heard about it on the radio on their way in.

Please daddies and mommies keep on being super terrific and watch what the kids are seeing on TV :) I know I'm barely comprehending this :)

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Going to watch the prez, sure I can find it on YouTube somewhere
Enough wrote: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of “disaster,” I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
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Look for the helpers.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Smoove_B »

I was really hoping to read something today - anything really - that could possibly just take a tiny bit of this soul-crushing story away. Like how some kid with terminal cancer woke up cured or something equally as ridiculous. That Onion piece pretty much nailed it. I cannot even begin to imagine what any of the affected people are dealing with, but this was a sad day for all Americans the planet.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Sabassis »

20 kids between 5 and 10 years old. It is mind boggling. I cant stop thinking about the horror of it.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Blackhawk »

Kraken wrote: Suffice it to say that I flunked compassion and should therefore steer clear of emotion-charged topics. I lack that frame of reference completely.
Lacking an instinctive social response shouldn't prevent you from compensating with cognitive social responses. You can learn the rules even if they don't come naturally to you.

Here's one: When people are emotionally upset, humor rarely works, and usually has the opposite effect.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Daehawk »

I dont think Im going to check this thread for a good while. All I think about are those little kids being shot and all they wanted were Christmas. Going to avoid what I can. Good thoughts all.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Blackhawk »

WarPig wrote:Now they are saying the gunman was positively identified as the brother of the guy they previously thought.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2 ... -shooting/
There is a victim that few people will recognize. He just lost his brother to suicide. He just lost his mother to murder. He has to come to terms with the fact that his brother did such a horrible thing. The impatient media named him as the suspect, even linked his Facebook page so that everyone could find him, even attack the pages of anything associated with him. Not only that, people will quite likely shun him for his relative's actions. Everybody else who lost loved ones today will receive love and sympathy. He'll likely just receive hatred.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Chrisoc13 »

Blackhawk wrote:
WarPig wrote:Now they are saying the gunman was positively identified as the brother of the guy they previously thought.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2 ... -shooting/
There is a victim that few people will recognize. He just lost his brother to suicide. He just lost his mother to murder. He has to come to terms with the fact that his brother did such a horrible thing. The impatient media named him as the suspect, even linked his Facebook page so that everyone could find him, even attack the pages of anything associated with him. Not only that, people will quite likely shun him for his relative's actions. Everybody else who lost loved ones today will receive love and sympathy. He'll likely just receive hatred.
Yep. Reminds me of this story about the Amish school shooting several years ago where the Amish community reached out to comfort the family of the man who killed their children. The families of the killers are victims too.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by YellowKing »

I was sitting in bed reading articles and listening to music when this particular Jack Johnson lyric really hit home:

Mama said
It's just make believe
You can't believe everything you see
So baby close your eyes to the lullabies
On the news tonight.

:cry:
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Tokek »

What a horrible news. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, families and Newtown's community. I'm hugging my son a little extra today.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Kraken »

Captain Caveman wrote:
msduncan wrote:
Kraken wrote:
triggercut wrote:
Kraken wrote:...
Dude, sometimes you're pretty tonedeaf.
Suffice it to say that I flunked compassion and should therefore steer clear of emotion-charged topics. I lack that frame of reference completely.
I understand this most of the time, but how can you possibly not have compassion for 5 year olds?
I'm guessing he has cognitive compassion but is a bit impaired on affective compassion. I don't mean that pejoratively, it's just how Kraken is wired.
Yeah, that nails it. I know how I'm supposed to feel, but the whole "feeling" thing is academic. I usually say appropriate things but I misjudged this time. Sorry to anyone who was offended (see what I did there?).
Blackhawk wrote: Lacking an instinctive social response shouldn't prevent you from compensating with cognitive social responses. You can learn the rules even if they don't come naturally to you.

Here's one: When people are emotionally upset, humor rarely works, and usually has the opposite effect.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Inverarity »

Kraken, everyone knows you here. Don't sweat it. A bunch of little kids were shot and killed today, for no motherfucking reason whatsoever.

Let me repeat that.

A BUNCH OF LITTLE CHILDREN WERE SHOT AND KILLED TODAY, AS PART OF A PLANNED MASS SHOOTING SPREE.

There is no explanation for any of this.

There is no proper way to react to this.

I have no good way to end this post. I am at a loss for words. I suspect most of us are. Tomorrow it won't make any more sense, but maybe we'll begin to think about where we go from here.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Trent Steel »

Inverarity wrote:A BUNCH OF LITTLE CHILDREN WERE SHOT AND KILLED TODAY, AS PART OF A PLANNED MASS SHOOTING SPREE.
The only thing I can of do after this insanity is take inventory of my own life. And I am pretty damn lucky to have the family I that do.

If nothing else, this should have given everyone +1,000,000 Perspective.

The families in CT, I'm afraid, will never recover. I don't think I could.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Alan_Bernardo »

Inverarity wrote:Kraken, everyone knows you here. Don't sweat it. A bunch of little kids were shot and killed today, for no motherfucking reason whatsoever.

Let me repeat that.

A BUNCH OF LITTLE CHILDREN WERE SHOT AND KILLED TODAY, AS PART OF A PLANNED MASS SHOOTING SPREE.

There is no explanation for any of this.

There is no proper way to react to this.

I have no good way to end this post. I am at a loss for words. I suspect most of us are. Tomorrow it won't make any more sense, but maybe we'll begin to think about where we go from here.
This is all very true and very much a reality. But my question is why we must inundate ourselves with the details, the media seeming to repeat over and over the same details. We know what happen, and I think it is psychologically unhelpful to get swamped by all this. Is it not better to deal with this tragedy within ourselves or among our own family and friends, without the constant bombardment of images and explanations and the hypothetical.

Myself, I don't have a television and never, ever watch the news or anything else, except for sports.

I believe it does America not one damn bit a good to watch the same tragedy unfolding hundreds of times. It is healthier to figure out all this within one's own head, with the help of our family and closest friends.

It is really sad to think that the media (television in particular) are gaining enormous amounts of advertising dollars through this tragedy. They won't admit that they are pleased with this, but undoubtedly they know it is true.

The good thing is that folks do not have to watch. Many will, and these people are going to be the worse for doing so.

Tragedy? Yes. Unspeakable? Yes. But then what good is it to repeat this thousands of times?


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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Grundbegriff »

Alan_Bernardo wrote:...except for sports.

I believe it does America not one damn bit a good to watch the same tragedy unfolding hundreds of times.
Stop dissing the Ravens.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Odin »

The first time I encountered this phenomenon was the Reagan shooting. I was 10, and it happened right around the time I got home from school. So instead of watching Gilligan's Island or whatever, the networks were inundated with the assassination attempt. I still remember them showing the little footage they had of Reagan starting to wave and then being thrown back into his limo as all hell broke loose. Over and over and over and over again.

Sadly, I think it's human nature to watch tragedies like this with rapt attention. And of course there's money to be made for the media outlets, so as long as they believe people will watch, they're going to show it in incredible detail, repeating it as often as possible, particularly if they have nothing new to add. And if they really feel like they need an "edge" in the ratings, they'll make shit up.

Frankly, I don't see anything changing here. People are going to watch when there's a major event like this, and the media's going to give it to them. It is what it is. At least anyone who's bothered by it can turn it off, which I think a lot of people did do sooner or later.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Alan_Bernardo »

Grundbegriff wrote:
Alan_Bernardo wrote:...except for sports.

I believe it does America not one damn bit a good to watch the same tragedy unfolding hundreds of times.
Stop dissing the Ravens.
I'm from Cleveland. I would think the Browns and Indians have coined the term "woe".


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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Kraken »

My wife (the communications professor) raised an interesting question: To what extent is the ongoing media saturation due to this happening in a market that's already saturated with media? There were reporters from Japan and Korea doing standups because it's a hop-skip-and-jump away from where they're stationed in NYC. Would it have received the same blanket coverage if it had happened in East Bumfuck Wyoming?

Sure, it's obviously a major news story regardless of location. But there's a media circus aspect that makes her uncomfortable because news is where the reporters are. Reporters are supposed to chase news, but sometimes news lands in the middle of reporters.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Ongoing media saturation due to:
20 elementary kids mowed down in cold blood.

Nothing to do with geography. Kinda big news.


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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Octavious »

Someone shot 20 kids, young kids in a freaking school. It doesn't matter where it was everyone would still be covering it all over the place. I mean really... This is probably the worst thing I've ever heard of aside from 9/11. This actually on some (a lot?) of levels bothers me more.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Carpet_pissr »

Octavious wrote: heard of aside from 9/11. This actually on some (a lot?) of levels bothers me more.
Wife just said the same thing


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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Blackhawk »

Odin wrote: Sadly, I think it's human nature to watch tragedies like this with rapt attention.
It is, but I don't think it is sad. We are fragile creatures living fragile lives. Tragedy, death and destruction fascinate us because we are all subject to them, yet unable to truly comprehend them. We have the psychological need to understand them, but cannot unless it happening to us (and often not even then.) It is both natural and reasonable for us to be drawn to such things in an attempt (even if it is subconscious) to understand ourselves and our own existence.

Now, the media using that natural need to sell sensationalism is sad.
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Re: School shooting (elementary) in CT

Post by Chrisoc13 »

Octavious wrote:Someone shot 20 kids, young kids in a freaking school. It doesn't matter where it was everyone would still be covering it all over the place. I mean really... This is probably the worst thing I've ever heard of aside from 9/11. This actually on some (a lot?) of levels bothers me more.
I feel like it bothers me more but I am ten years past 9/11 so I am unsure if my emotions have just faded.
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