"Unthinkable": A New Classic Blunder
I recently saw a headline about the Illinois university shooting where they used the term "Unthinkable" to describe it. Not only was the term used incorrectly, it is a dangerous term to be using at all.
Of school shootings in general, one could call Columbine "unthinkable" because it was so large and so successful (for the shooters), but don't think for a moment that the shooters at Columbine were breaking new ground. There have been murders in schools for as long as there have been schools. These guys weren't breaking new ground, they were just trying to beat the old record.
The recent university shootings are no different. They were not "unthinkable" at all, others had thought of it before and acted on the idea, these latest were just better at it (in terms of destruction).
Where people and the media and the government go wrong is all to often they see these acts as "unthinkable" -completely new, unique and unimaginable. Thinking of terrible things as "unthinkable" give too much credit to the perpetrators and take away valuable credit from those there to protect us from these acts.
I heard somewhere that some well meaning git in congress wants to create new legislature to prevent things like school shootings from occurring. Neat trick that, do they plan to change physics so guns won't work on academic ground? Do they intend to add a new commandment to the bible, "Thou shall not open fire in crowded auditoriums"? The first is impossible and the second is unworkable, people have enough trouble with the ten commandments we have already and don't even get me started on all of the other rules and regulations in the good book that we ignore on a daily basis. You know, a pork BBQ sandwich with a cold glass of milk and a side of fried shrimp would go over pretty well right now. But I digress...
What do you think campus security, resource officers, and all this existing policy was put in place for to start with? Were it not for the things already in place because long ago someone thought of it already, the tragedies of our time would be a lot worse and a lot more often. Did you think campus police were there simply to cut down drunken frat boys who have been duct taped naked to trees?
If people keep thinking of things like this as unthinkable they are sticking their heads in the sand and blissfully ignoring the obvious.
"Unthinkable" is discovering that President Bush is a high technology genius android sent from the future to bring us to a new age of enlightenment and velvet thong underwear which we wear anytime we want free steak ice cream from the locally owned and operated independent Starbucks.
A guy with a gun going into a crowded room and opening fire isn't unthinkable at all. Fortunately it is unlikely, but that isn't the same thing as unthinkable by a long shot.
"There is nothing new under the sun", and as long as we don't forget this we won't be caught unawares.
