Defense of the Loners

Few things on the Lemming mind today and only one of them have to do with Virginia. I have only one joke about it as well so let’s just get this tasteless joke out of the way and move along. If I don’t make the joke it will eat me up so I really have no choice. Sorry to whom I offend.

The shooter cracked from all the Don Imus coverage and figured this was the only way to get the media to move on.

I feel a little better now. It was not that funny I know, but it has been bouncing around my head. Yesterday was the first day in over a week that I did not see that kinky-haired redneck’s name in the news. Now for the serious part of the story that is on my mind- profiling.

“He was a loner” is something we are now hearing over and over again about this guy. We are hearing he wrote “disturbing” things in his creative writing class. We are looking at these things as explanations for his actions and, as a loner who writes “disturbing” fiction I would like to say that this guy does not represent the loner crowd. Just because a person is anti-social does not mean he hates society.

Most of us who wear the “loner” moniker are actually shy people or self-centered people. We do not really care enough about other people to want to kill them. If we like you we like you and if we don’t we ignore you. It is that simple. Hostile opinions from others do not factor into our minds because we really do not care that much about what those people think. An asshole thinking I am an asshole means nothing because it is the opinion of an asshole for example.

This guy who killed the people in Virginia yesterday was sick and disturbed, but it is wrong to look at each thing he was and did in order to help find the next one because all you will do is disenfranchise an entire group of people who are just trying to live in peace. Someone who really wants to do a bad act will do everything they can to fit in and not stand out. The terrorists who attacked us on September 11th did not have beards or wear turbans or act any way that told the world they were terrorists. A profile would not have stopped them, but it would have upset hundreds of innocent people. Profiling never punishes those it looks to stop, only those who fit the profile.

The events of yesterday are tragic, but sadly unavoidable. Removing guns from society would not have stopped what happened. Profiling and starting files on every “loner” would not have stopped what happened. There are sick people out there who will always find a way to hurt people. The way to slow it down (since it will never stop) is to stop glamorizing these events when they happen.

I have not read this kid’s name nor will I learn it. I do not know the names of the Columbine kids either. To do it would be to give them the fame they sought and that really is all this is about. The best thing for us to do is learn the names of the victims and talk about who they were and ignore the prick that did it. We will learn nothing except new ways of dividing ourselves from looking at him, but we may come together by remembering those we lost. Learn about who we lost by clicking here.

I did not expect to ramble so long about this so I suppose the other thing will wait until tonight.