Blogs > 37th Frame

Photography, notes, commentary and much more from former Reporter Online Editor Chris Stanley.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Coward

Once again the word 'coward' has been used to describe somebody accused of an atrocity. This time, the mayor of Omaha used the word to describe a shooter killed eight people at a shopping mall so he could be famous.
The word was also famously used following 9/11 to describe the terrorists who flew planes into buildings to honor their religion by killing thousands.
There are many words that can be used to describe these individuals, but coward is not one of them. To look a fellow human being in the eye and coldly pull a trigger or crash a plane is neither fearful or timid. These are the acts of people full of hatred and empty of compassion. Let's not fool ourselves by underestimating them.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Focusing on the attacker diverts attention away from our dysfunctional educational, criminal justice, social service, and marketing systems. What does one do when they have been abandoned by family, mishandled by authorities, given ineffective treatments, fed unrealistic expectations (advertising)and freely allowed to access 'a way out'? "Desperate" is probably a better word. We have to stop subjecting children to a daily dose of violence (video games/tv), provide greater protections for children under the law, provide effective drug prevention and treatment programs (DARE IS NOT EFFECTIVE, never has been, never will), and limit access to guns. I guess it is easier for politicians to blame the victim.

December 10, 2007 at 5:19 PM 

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