tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post4738402894082795824..comments2024-03-09T03:20:20.004-05:00Comments on Tenured Radical: What Would You Do? A Rumination on the Virginia Tech ShootingsTenured Radicalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05703980598547163290noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-32420061578096733502010-12-03T20:05:14.750-05:002010-12-03T20:05:14.750-05:00Tag Heuer Formula 1 Chronograph is an all in one ...<a href="http://www.heuer-tag.com/tag-heuer-formula-1.html" rel="nofollow"><strong>Tag Heuer Formula 1</strong></a> Chronograph is an all in one package. Components from state of the art quality is what makes the watch. It is designed by the creators to go well with both sporty and professional lifestyle of people who are into timepieces. It is mainly prompted by the well known Formula 1 Racing Competition.longgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17588180289785941023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-80920923680335488502007-04-19T14:02:00.000-05:002007-04-19T14:02:00.000-05:00Several of the commenters are asking what motivate...Several of the commenters are asking what motivated this young man; I think this approach represents a fundamental misunderstanding of why these types of cases happen. They are the result of a seriously malfunctioning brain; it is a mistake to try to attribute normal human reasoning to the perpetrators. This is not a case of someone needing to be treated better and talked out of something, it is a case of someone needing behavioral-cognitive therapy and (probably) medication for a chemical brain disorder.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16028054397755632614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-59557782499342119582007-04-19T13:57:00.000-05:002007-04-19T13:57:00.000-05:00The other way the effects of this tragedy could've...The other way the effects of this tragedy could've been mitigated is action in the moment of crisis by the students and teachers: tackling, throwing a desk, blocking the door. We saw some of this; fear prevented some of it; shock prevented some of it.<BR/><BR/>There's the off chance that he could've been immediately stopped by an armed faculty/staff member, but that slim chance alone isn't a basis for legislation (I think there are other reasons to allow professors to pack, but the slim chance it would've mitigated a past tragedy isn't sufficient).<BR/><BR/>The opportunity to prevent this most clearly lay in recognizing the mental illness which had clearly been building in the student for some time, and was evident to a plurality of the faculty and students involved with him. We should be reexamining current legislation and tort practice that tied the hands of what seems, in this case, an exceptionally perceptive and well-intentioned faculty.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16028054397755632614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-12307729171021718092007-04-19T13:56:00.000-05:002007-04-19T13:56:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16028054397755632614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-8992092583504690172007-04-19T13:48:00.000-05:002007-04-19T13:48:00.000-05:00It seems clear, in this case, that the educators t...It seems clear, in this case, that the educators themselves did everything they should have done. They saw a student developing psychosis and tried to get him help; privacy regulations and fear of litigation, however, prevented their helping him.<BR/><BR/>We can probably all agree on restricting the sale of firearms to people with psychosis. The problem is a litigational climate (and regulatory climate) that makes it impossible to informally and tenatively identify and formally deal with people who are showing signs of psychosis.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16028054397755632614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-31969097034457852052007-04-18T18:20:00.000-05:002007-04-18T18:20:00.000-05:00I like what the 2nd anonymous said, about action h...I like what the 2nd anonymous said, about action having to be ingrained; you may not have the opportunity to think through the right thing to do, as Been in That Situation did. I ask myself the question you and Bardiac ask, and I think it would depend on how fast things happened, my physical position relative to the danger and to my students, and whether my response was more fear or more anger. If someone barged in and started shooting at a class, and I were near the door, I can imagine that my fear would turn to fury and I would--perhaps stupidly--launch myself at the person. But if I were far from the door and there were a desk to get under, I think I'd get under it and then feel I should do something but be quite unable to move. I also know that when I am frightened I do not think clearly, so it is important to have a plan--multiple plans. What would I do in this classroom, in that, in my office?Marcelle Prousthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05987555499861902190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-24901718360692523992007-04-17T21:52:00.000-05:002007-04-17T21:52:00.000-05:00Thank you for this post. I walked through the hall...Thank you for this post. I walked through the halls and across campus today pretty much in a daze thinking of these same things. Students are "technically" adults, so how much responsibility do I have for them? Of course that is just talk because I do feel responsible for them. They are MY students and today I thought about how devestated I would be to lose any of them, how much I do feel responsible for them, would hope I would be able to stand for them. <BR/>Worse today I found myself sitting in my classrooms wondering what the best way to barricade the door was and where I could put my students so they would be safe. But I am so unprepared. My mother is a middle school teacher and they have a lot of lockdown training, she knows what to do, I don't. I am waiting for some distance to try to sort everything out, but I am shaken, partly because this happened only a few hours away from my school, party because I think all academics are shaken right now. Shaken and heartbroken.pseudoredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12805093394892959448noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-35354431892116259712007-04-17T21:42:00.000-05:002007-04-17T21:42:00.000-05:00I think that you HAVE to act. We recently had an ...I think that you HAVE to act. We recently had an office-place shooting. As soon as I heard the announcement to stay in our office suite -- I went to the front, and told the receptionist to lock all the doors and move away from the glass. I then had some husky computer guys move white boards and chairs in front of all the windows and glass doors facing the building. I am not the office manager or highest ranking person in the office -- but I still did it. I told the COB (and basically persuaded him of the right course of action) that we should slow whoever it was down, and make him chose another target. <BR/><BR/>Luckily for us, the shooter was stopped on another floor. Not so lucky were four workers at another company.<BR/><BR/>I got teased ALOT about it later. Today though I had several co-workers thank me as they had read articles about how "slowing down" the shooter at VT saved several classrooms. The (very young) receptionist made a special point.<BR/><BR/>I also contrast the bravery of these engineering faculty -- saving their students and ACTING -- with the selfish behavior of the humanities faculty at Duke. At Duke, they did not even have to risk their own lives to save their students -- but they chose agenda over truth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-56879247120817047492007-04-17T19:00:00.000-05:002007-04-17T19:00:00.000-05:00Your question about what you'd do as a professor, ...Your question about what you'd do as a professor, whether you'd have the bravery to be the one blocking the door or something echoes with my thoughts today. It's a hard question, but alas, we have to wonder.Bardiachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-75831258787937544232007-04-17T18:21:00.000-05:002007-04-17T18:21:00.000-05:00Well, the fact that OBHS is notoriously understaff...Well, the fact that OBHS is notoriously understaffed and overbooked prooooobably doesn't make the faculty feel any safer about the mental stability of their students.<BR/><BR/>--studentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-12634499998183174142007-04-17T17:32:00.000-05:002007-04-17T17:32:00.000-05:00Tenured Radical:I'd just like to comment on the Vi...Tenured Radical:<BR/><BR/>I'd just like to comment on the Virginia Tech shootings, and your BLOG comes the closest to my own feelings on it as any of the many I've looked at. I'm looking at it from several different angles myself. This is such a horrible incident. My prayers and heartfelt sympathy go out to all those touched by this incident -- including the family of Cho Seung-Hui. <BR/><BR/>I'm a former police officer and soldier. I'm an expert rifleman and pistol shooter, but have not been active in those sports for years due to time constraints imposed by my current career. Being a seasoned shooter, the first response that popped into my mind was "What if one - or more - of the students or faculty members had been armed?" Then I remembered another mass shooting that occured in a mall less than a half-hour drive from my home & work. A young man who suffered from shcizophrenia and depression opened fire within the mall with an AK-47 so that others would "know his pain." Unlike Cho Seung-Hui, this individual should have never been able to acquire any firearm under current law. (But he obviously did.) There was a young man in the mall who had a valid concealed-carry permit and was armed at the time. He made the mistake of drawing the shooter's attention while drawing his pistol by shouting at him to drop his weapon, and was severely wounded for his trouble. This underscores the point that merely being armed when one of these events occurs is not enough. In these situations, you need to be at a level of training where your reactions are instinctive, because when lead is flying around there's no time to think through your response. The young man who was shot while drawing his pistol probably hoped that by displaying his weapon he could diffuse the situation. An admirable - but mis-guided - endeavor on his part. My point is: Unless you are willing to spend the time & money to become thoroughly familiar with - and trained in the use of - your weapon, you are probably better off to not go armed. There's a lot more to weapons training than just hitting the target these days. You need to be sure that you are justified in even displaying your weapon, much less using it, if you want to avoid felony assault charges in most jurisdictions. <BR/><BR/>All the considerations invovled with weapons carry by civilians could lead to a book, so let's just leave it as a point for further rhetorical discussion, since there were obviously no armed citizens present at this incident.<BR/><BR/>I try to understand what would drive a young man with his whole life ahead of him to plan and execute such a horrendous act? Ultimately, the responsibility is his, but I still have to wonder about the motivating factors. Obviously, those actions were not the product of a normally reasoning mind. We hear that Cho Seung-Hui was quiet & kept to himself, that he didn't appear to make friends easily. There have also been reports that his writings were so dark that at least one professor reported him to the Virginia Tech administration. Sadly, she was told that there was nothing that the school could do to address the situation. To her credit, she attempted to counsel him to seek professional help, but I'm unclear as to whether he did or not. <BR/><BR/>As a father in a driven family (we're heavy on professionals and technicians), I also look at this situation and wonder if I'm putting too much pressure on my children to excel. This is just one of the reasons why my sympathy & prayers go out to Cho Seung-Hui's family. They have to be soul-searching during this very painful time. Do we - both as families and as a culture-at-large - put too much emphasis on excellence? Everything has to be the best -- we have to be the best. Best in our studies, best at relationships, best in our career choices . . . We have to go to the best schools, have the best jobs, drive the best cars, live in the best houses, watch the best TVs, and eat only the best foods. Could we be happier and better people if we weren't always striving to be, and to have, the best? <BR/><BR/>With the current socio-econmic climate in our country, our young people are under more pressure than ever before. How can we ease this pressure on our young people? How do we increase their levels of hope and self-confidence? How do we help them manage their expectations and anxieties? <BR/><BR/>Right now, I'm full of questions and have very few answers. I have faith that God will use even an event as horrendous as this for ultimate good. How He will go about this is a mystery to me, but that doesn't surprise me either -- since each passing year just continues to show me just how little I really know & understand. <BR/><BR/>For everyone touched by these shootings: my heart and prayers go out to you. May you find peace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-60976752102215146042007-04-17T16:58:00.000-05:002007-04-17T16:58:00.000-05:00They don't do the fire safety inspections at Zenit...They don't do the fire safety inspections at Zenith just to look for tapestries and candles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36212542.post-3832929801423221762007-04-17T14:17:00.000-05:002007-04-17T14:17:00.000-05:00I think we do need to talk about it. One step furt...I think we do need to talk about it. One step further, as odd as it seems, maybe part of the curriculum in the 21st Century includes how to react in the face of exteme violence.<BR/><BR/>I struggled with many of the things you mentioned myself over the last 24 hours. How do I prepare my own kids to handle such a crisis? How do I make the kind of decision that will result in lives saved if ever put in a similar place with my students? Do I even know how to do that?<BR/><BR/>Life in the 21st Century dictates rethinking the curriculum in many ways, maybe safety and ethics in danger are two more areas about which we should be talking?<BR/><BR/>Stop by my blog and let's keep the conversation going.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com