So the former English teacher to the obviously, seriously mentally ill Cho Seung-hui, has come out saying she was greatly concerned over violent plays he had written in 2005.
Does this now mean that any work of fiction containing violent imagery or action automatically condemns the author to the status of suspect? Should thriller writers be entered onto a database and monitored if they write a book about a grisly serial killer who dismembers their victims while they're still alive?
And what about the demented work already out there? Should we ban it in case it puts ideas into troubled kids heads?
Luckily, most of us have that filter in our minds that forms the link between violent imaginings, empathy and consequences. Some, Seung-hui, obviously don't and there is not a damn thing we can do about that.
But I can't help thinking that if he didn't have access to semi-automatic pistols then the death toll would have been considerably lower.
Oops! Forgot! Guns don't kill people...
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For wise words, I refer you to Marina Hyde's citation of Chris Rock. Why does society seemingly demand blame on something as a reductive explanation? And as you say, factor in the access to guns and...
ReplyDeleteMind, doesn't stop NRA supporters saying the problem was not enough guns around: if everyone had guns he could have been shot down by a student/teacher much quicker... like that would help overall...