Why are people so quick to place blame in Virginia Tech shootings?

Question

I keep seeing people criticizing the authorities, the VT president, the police. Yes, the situation could have been handled better, but why do you feel the need to take anger out on those people? They were doing the best they could with the information and resources they had. How many of you were actually there? It's easy to say "well they should've done this and should've done that" while you're sitting in front of your computer. Can you imagine the chaos that was occurring, all the conflicting reports and rumors? We don't even have all the details yet and people wanna point fingers at everyone else. The shooter is the only one responsible for those people's deaths and people need to calm down with the blame game until all the details are clear.

Answer 1

Hey people, why hasn't every act of violence in the history of man not been prevented? The benefit of hindsight shows us how preventable every act of violence is, including this one.

The cops didn't lock everything down because it appeared that the first incident was isolated. How many times has there been an act of violence that wasn't followed two hours later by another one? They had no reason to believe this psycho would come back and kill some more because they weren't operating under the same rules as he was. You can't have a 100% effective contingency plan when there are psychotics roaming this planet. That sucks but that's the way it is.

Blaming gives the talking heads something to talk about. It fills airtime. I cringe at the thought of how the ripples of this incident will cause so much over reaction in the future.

Answer 2

It does make people feel better to blame. And I know the police and president reacted according to information. But, thinking and knowing are two different things. They thought it was isolated, but really didn't know. I mean, if someone killed them self the gun should have been on the floor nearby the dead bodies. As soon as they didn't find a weapon in the building they should have locked down the whole campus instead of saying they had a person of "interest" off campus. How did they know? You can't predict someone's whereabouts. It's better safe than sorry. They should have kept an eye on the person of 'interest' and locked down the area anyway. But I do understand what you are saying. We all should just realize we weren't there, we don't know what the police were seeing. Those police were and are under enormous amounts of stress and we all know they didn't wait around on purpose. They did the best, according to themselves, so we can not judge I suppose. But the chief of police is the one who kept saying the person of interest was 'believed' to be off campus, I guess after they realize the 1st wasn't a murder/suicide. I think letting him answer those questions didn't help. He wasn't prepared.

Answer 3

People have a psychological need to feel that the universe is orderly, fair, and just. When a totally unexpected event like this happens, they want an explanation to restore their sense of order.
This is the reason people so often blame the victims of crimes: to feel that there is some justice in the world. If the victim was deserving, it doesn't feel so bad.
They haven't yet figured out how to blame the students who were murdered (though that may come) but they can find rationalizations to blame the college that was victimized.
It's a defense mechanism; it is not done out of malice.
The fact is, though, that the world is not always fair.

Answer 4

Thank you for posting this!!! You are exactly right! The only one that we can point the finger at is the gunman himself...but since he's dead, the media feels the need to point the finger at the school or the police. Perhaps the media should recognize that they are not so innocent afterall...

Hindsight is always 20/20...The police/school shouldn't be held responsible for this. They had reason to believe that the shooter had left the campus.

Answer 5

First enable me say that their are 15,000 pupils at that distinctive college, 4,000 in the dorm, and 11,000 who stay off campus. Virginia Tech the day previous had a Press convention on Fox information, and between the government (there have been 3), and that i do no longer understand his call stated that they do have a protection gadget, by digital mail, and different technical ability. even though the time that the incidents surpassed off, became into in the A.M. while the pupils have been commuting. while they did arrive they felt that it became into suitable to lock down while they did arrive. definitely on the time of the information convention they have been nevertheless doing the examine of the witnesses, and that they did no longer have all the solutions yet. That stated, i've got confidence they might desire to have metallic detectors as they do on the airports, and that i.D. enjoying cards (ones that can not be counterfeited), as they are making plans to do with Passports in the USA. Secondly while an incident does ensue they might desire to have a noisy siren like they do in Israel, and different countries in the time of conflict time alerting human beings to go into their shelters. That wll alert people who're commuting. For those that dorm they might desire to have a PA gadget put in. those are the only measures that i will think of of, different than for strickter gun administration rules. actuality to tell, it incredibly is unlucky yet in spite of measures are put in it type of feels that as quickly as a deranged person, or a terrotist is set to harm human beings regrettably they continually discover the thank you to artwork around any protection gadget this is put in. it incredibly is type of a no win situation, yet we would desire to do what we would desire to do no matter what. G-d would desire to help those families, to have the skill to beat the tragedy of dropping a chlld.

Answer 6

It is EASY to place blame. When law-abiding citizens are not allowed to defend themselves the killers are free to kill at will. What is so hard to understand about that?

THIS WILL HAPPEN OVER AND OVER UNTIL CONCEALED-CARRY IS THE LAW! Get use to it.

I think it was a tragedy first and foremost and my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.

They were just sitting ducks with no way to defend themselves much like the victims of Colin Ferguson.

When only criminals have guns the rest of us can only ponder tactics like "notifications."

In a state where concealed-carry is allowed or promoted, the loss of life could have been much less. He may have shot one or two, but a concealed-carrier would have dispatched him right quick.

Sadly there is no way to prevent a killer with a gun. In tribal Africa where there are no manufactured guns, tribesman make them from pipes and rubber-bands so clearly gun control is not the answer. You can make a gun out of wood in an hour! He could have stabbed just as many with a knife.

Since you will never stop the OFFENSE, we must allow ourselves a DEFENSE. We are not all of one culture anymore, so violence will only increase.

The only way to prevent these killing rampages is concealed-carry. Would you rather protect yourself or wait for the folly "notification?"

Answer 7

How difficult would it have been to put VA Tech on lock down at 7 AM this morning after the FIRST shooting?

It would've been different if they had a suspect, but if a college campus has 2 MURDERS and then no suspect in custody, why in the world would you let college kids get together in small class rooms w/a shooter on the loose?

Seriously people, I'm no genius, but it does not take one to realize how bad the VA Tech administration and police effed up today, someone had better be getting fired.

Answer 8

I see your point and you're right, there shouldn't be the whole blame thing going on, it really is not anyones fault, but based on what students say, I think that the school could have done more to warn students- most of them had no clue that anything was wrong to begin with.

Answer 9

Because the media and others always want to blame someone. I agree the blame falls on the shooter.
We need to pray for those who are recovering and the families and friends of the ones who died.

Answer 10

When human beings feel helpless and overwhelmed, it is a common reaction to place blame no matter how irrational it may seem at the time.