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| Aurora shooting aftermath: commentary and analysis from around the web | Aurora shooting aftermath: commentary and analysis from around the web |
| (2 days later) | |
| The Aurora shooting has left scores of questions in its wake: was the tragedy preventable? How should we respond? What kinds of policies need to change as a result? | The Aurora shooting has left scores of questions in its wake: was the tragedy preventable? How should we respond? What kinds of policies need to change as a result? |
| We're collecting insightful commentary and analysis from journalists, writers, academics and reporters about different ways to think about the #theatershooting tragedy and what it might mean for us as a society, going forward. Tweet your recommendations, adding #smarttakes at the end and we'll feature your contribution on this post. You can also toss your thoughts in the comments below and tell us what you think. | We're collecting insightful commentary and analysis from journalists, writers, academics and reporters about different ways to think about the #theatershooting tragedy and what it might mean for us as a society, going forward. Tweet your recommendations, adding #smarttakes at the end and we'll feature your contribution on this post. You can also toss your thoughts in the comments below and tell us what you think. |
| Try it here: | Try it here: |
| Nick Kristof, New York Times via @EmmagKeller | |
| The bottom line is that to promote public health and safety, we regulate everything from theater fire exits to toy guns (that's why they have orange tips). And if we impose rules on toy guns to make them safer, shouldn't we do the same with real ones? | |
| Evan Selinger, The Atlantic via @amichel | |
| Does the old rallying cry "Guns don't kill people. People kill people" hold up to philosophical scrutiny? | |
| July 24, 2012 | |
| Ruminations on Madness via @FelicityCallard | Ruminations on Madness via @FelicityCallard |
| Everything I have ever been told was a lie. My one way out—of poverty, desperation, madness—was never more than an illusion. And then disbelief. And then, how will I ever explain this to anyone, to family, to old mentors? And then betrayal. No language this time, no thoughts; crying, crying for hours. Alcohol, unconsciousness, unbidden dreams. Even there: repeating their words, over and over and over again. Isolation so intense, there is no way I will ever bridge it. I am lost. Days go by, weeks. And then anger. | Everything I have ever been told was a lie. My one way out—of poverty, desperation, madness—was never more than an illusion. And then disbelief. And then, how will I ever explain this to anyone, to family, to old mentors? And then betrayal. No language this time, no thoughts; crying, crying for hours. Alcohol, unconsciousness, unbidden dreams. Even there: repeating their words, over and over and over again. Isolation so intense, there is no way I will ever bridge it. I am lost. Days go by, weeks. And then anger. |
| Mike Ryan, The Huffington Post via @frazbelina | Mike Ryan, The Huffington Post via @frazbelina |
| To borrow a line from Devin Faraci at Badass Digest, "These people were our kin, part of the larger family of movie lovers." Or as Matt Singer said at Criticwire, "everyone who cares enough about film to go see a movie at midnight on a weekday -- is part of a community of movie lovers." In other words: Jessica Ghawi was one of us. And now her, and at least 11 others are gone. And in the muck of the conversation that's ahead of us, I just wanted to make sure to point that out. | To borrow a line from Devin Faraci at Badass Digest, "These people were our kin, part of the larger family of movie lovers." Or as Matt Singer said at Criticwire, "everyone who cares enough about film to go see a movie at midnight on a weekday -- is part of a community of movie lovers." In other words: Jessica Ghawi was one of us. And now her, and at least 11 others are gone. And in the muck of the conversation that's ahead of us, I just wanted to make sure to point that out. |
| June 23, 2012 | June 23, 2012 |
| Jason Alexander, TwitLonger via @jearle | Jason Alexander, TwitLonger via @jearle |
| What purpose does an AR-15 serve to a sportsman that a more standard hunting rifle does not serve? Let's see - does it fire more rounds without reload? Yes. Does it fire farther and more accurately? Yes. Does it accommodate a more lethal payload? Yes. So basically, the purpose of an assault style weapon is to kill more stuff, more fully, faster and from further away. To achieve maximum lethality. | What purpose does an AR-15 serve to a sportsman that a more standard hunting rifle does not serve? Let's see - does it fire more rounds without reload? Yes. Does it fire farther and more accurately? Yes. Does it accommodate a more lethal payload? Yes. So basically, the purpose of an assault style weapon is to kill more stuff, more fully, faster and from further away. To achieve maximum lethality. |
| David Carr, the New York Times | David Carr, the New York Times |
| By now, after Columbine, Virginia Tech and Tuscon, there is a well-worn template of media response and viewers can't help but see fresh horrors as reruns of what came before. It is a sad fact that these tragedies share not only common characteristics – he (and it is always a he) acted alone, the guns were remarkably easy to obtain, and, of course, no one saw it coming – but also end up rolling out in very familiar ways in news reports. There is a cycle that threatens to become routine, to allow murderous rampages to become, as Jack Shafer wrote last Friday, "normalized." | By now, after Columbine, Virginia Tech and Tuscon, there is a well-worn template of media response and viewers can't help but see fresh horrors as reruns of what came before. It is a sad fact that these tragedies share not only common characteristics – he (and it is always a he) acted alone, the guns were remarkably easy to obtain, and, of course, no one saw it coming – but also end up rolling out in very familiar ways in news reports. There is a cycle that threatens to become routine, to allow murderous rampages to become, as Jack Shafer wrote last Friday, "normalized." |
| Alyssa Rosenberg, Think Progress via @DannyGroner | Alyssa Rosenberg, Think Progress via @DannyGroner |
| Mostly what I feel is this: Midnight screenings are big, hyped, advertiser-driven events that have become a source of new information to feed the Hollywood data beast, by indicating how motivated audiences are to see a movie. But they're also a product of genuine enthusiasm and an expression of collective joy. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has meant a lot to an enormous number of filmgoers. And as someone who writes about movies, and who cares about the big, flawed thing we call fandom, I'm saddened by someone turning that shared enthusiasm into a weapon. | Mostly what I feel is this: Midnight screenings are big, hyped, advertiser-driven events that have become a source of new information to feed the Hollywood data beast, by indicating how motivated audiences are to see a movie. But they're also a product of genuine enthusiasm and an expression of collective joy. Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy has meant a lot to an enormous number of filmgoers. And as someone who writes about movies, and who cares about the big, flawed thing we call fandom, I'm saddened by someone turning that shared enthusiasm into a weapon. |
| Anthony Lane, the New Yorker | Anthony Lane, the New Yorker |
| We have been here before, many times; once, very specifically, when John Hinckley, Jr., became fixated on "Taxi Driver", which came out five years before Hinckley attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan. What holds true then remains the case today: no film makes you kill. | We have been here before, many times; once, very specifically, when John Hinckley, Jr., became fixated on "Taxi Driver", which came out five years before Hinckley attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan. What holds true then remains the case today: no film makes you kill. |
| Oliver Burkeman, Guardian US | Oliver Burkeman, Guardian US |
| This isn't an argument for splitting the difference between gun control supporters and opponents, by the way. I think there's overwhelming evidence in favour of more control. I just don't think that the Denver shootings are that evidence, yet. | This isn't an argument for splitting the difference between gun control supporters and opponents, by the way. I think there's overwhelming evidence in favour of more control. I just don't think that the Denver shootings are that evidence, yet. |