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April 19, 2007
The Murders at Virginia Tech, the Media, and The Gift of Fear: An essay by Paul Streby
The recent horrific murders at Virginia Tech were of a depressingly common modern variety. Although violence has been with us since the Fall of Man, Columbine-type mass killings, assassinations, and terrorism have become a particular problem in recent decades. Certain depraved individuals crave attention for themselves or their insane ideas, and use violence to obtain it. The Unabomber, the man who shot President Reagan, the malevolent children who have murdered their classmates, al Qaeda, and many others have played the media like the proverbial fiddle.
Witness the unavoidable display of images of the Virginia Tech murderer on TV and major and minor print media. Certainly he took grim satisfaction – to the extent that such a creature can take satisfaction in anything – in knowing that the media would respond precisely the way they have. In addition to the likelihood that the attention lavished on this mad little monster is already feeding the sick fantasies of the next mass murderer, is it moral to assist this pathetic nobody in delivering his last insult, after the enormous injury he already inflicted?
I'm no expert on media ethics, but shouldn't the news media show a little restraint every now and then? What purpose is served by knowing what the now-dead killer was "thinking?" Does it serve any public good to publicize photos of him trying to look menacing?
More likely the opposite. I suggest you read The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by security consultant Gavin de Becker (Little, Brown, 1997). It's located in the Main Collection at HM 281 .D36 1997 (see if it's checked out here). The overall theme of the book is using your instincts to minimize danger in various situations, but a section on assassins and the media is particularly apt here. Because the lurid attention paid to assassins and would-be assassins tends to make the crime more appealing to the losers who usually attempt it, in covering such cases, "I propose that we don't show the bullets on the bureau in the seedy hotel room; show instead the dirty underwear and socks on the bathroom floor." Focusing on the life of the murderer or murderer wannabe, treating him like a dangerous beast who requires an army of guards to restrain him, showing his childhood home ("just like the president"), and
- the type of gun he owned fired on the news by munitions experts extolling its killing power, the plans he made described as 'meticulous,' -- these presentations promote the glorious aspects of assassination and other media crimes. Getting caught for some awful violence should be the start of oblivion, not the biggest day of one's life (pp. 248-249).
The Gift of Fear has lots of provocative advice on dealing with potential threats from estranged husbands and lovers, troubled employees, deranged fans and other admirers, rapists, known and unknown stalkers, and others. I urge everybody – especially women – to read this book.
A final note. You may have noticed that I do not use the name of the murderer at Virginia Tech. This is intentional. I do not want to give him, or the other criminals I allude to, any free publicity, however small or insignificant. We should study their deeds out of unfortunate necessity, but may their names be forever blotted from human memory.
Posted by pgstreby at April 19, 2007 02:46 PM