Start Talking
Muhlenberg Weekly Executive Board
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Op/Ed
It always seems to happen somewhere else. We can feel sorry, empathetic and solemn, but every time a school shooting takes place, it never quite hits home because it didn't happen right in front of our faces.
But take it from us, it can come pretty darn close. One of us is from Littleton, CO, home of Columbine. Virginia Tech hit close to the College, but again, no cigar. And farthest away of all is the most recent school shooting in Finland, where a student shot and killed 10 people before taking his own life.
What if it did happen here? We can run all the drills and tests we want, write up plenty of procedures to follow "in case of emergency," but when it really comes down to it, we should probably embrace the cliché, "expect the unexpected."
We feel safe here at the College, as we should. We receive emails, slips in our mailboxes, and text messages assuring us that the security is up to date. But, as those who survived Columbine and Virginia Tech know, sometimes that is not enough.
The police were aware that the Finnish shooter was potentially dangerous, but did not act. Same with Virginia Tech and Columbine - people instinctively knew something was disturbing about these individuals but nothing was said. Why? Fear of making a big deal out of nothing? Fear of attracting unwanted attention? Fear of being wrong? We believe people should act, if nothing else, out of fear of being right.
A text message is not going to stop someone who is already in the process of hurting other people. The alarms must be raised way before then. There have been too many attacks like this much too recently for no action to be taken. Everyone, students especially, must speak out.
We grieve for all those who have ever been affected by these heart wrenching attacks, but we think that next time, if there is a next time, this could be us. We panic about where we will be in ten years, but never stop to think what would happen if those futures were snatched away from us before we could realize them. Maybe we should. Maybe fear will finally be a motivator rather than a block. Maybe it's finally time to start talking.
But take it from us, it can come pretty darn close. One of us is from Littleton, CO, home of Columbine. Virginia Tech hit close to the College, but again, no cigar. And farthest away of all is the most recent school shooting in Finland, where a student shot and killed 10 people before taking his own life.
What if it did happen here? We can run all the drills and tests we want, write up plenty of procedures to follow "in case of emergency," but when it really comes down to it, we should probably embrace the cliché, "expect the unexpected."
We feel safe here at the College, as we should. We receive emails, slips in our mailboxes, and text messages assuring us that the security is up to date. But, as those who survived Columbine and Virginia Tech know, sometimes that is not enough.
The police were aware that the Finnish shooter was potentially dangerous, but did not act. Same with Virginia Tech and Columbine - people instinctively knew something was disturbing about these individuals but nothing was said. Why? Fear of making a big deal out of nothing? Fear of attracting unwanted attention? Fear of being wrong? We believe people should act, if nothing else, out of fear of being right.
A text message is not going to stop someone who is already in the process of hurting other people. The alarms must be raised way before then. There have been too many attacks like this much too recently for no action to be taken. Everyone, students especially, must speak out.
We grieve for all those who have ever been affected by these heart wrenching attacks, but we think that next time, if there is a next time, this could be us. We panic about where we will be in ten years, but never stop to think what would happen if those futures were snatched away from us before we could realize them. Maybe we should. Maybe fear will finally be a motivator rather than a block. Maybe it's finally time to start talking.