NIU Discussion

Last week at the beginning of class we discussed how the media is not making as big of a deal out of the shooting at NIU as the media did after the shooting at Virginia Tech. When the shooting at Virginia Tech happened I was studying abroad in South Africa. I did not have a TV, or access to a computer in the room I was living in, but heard about it the next day from a South African girl in one of my classes who saw media coverage at home on TV. When I finally got around to checking my e-mail, just about every e-mail from family members/friends mentioned the shooting, and how “it is just as bad as Columbine.” Now, after the shooting in Illinois, even though there were fewer victims, for some reason this tragedy is not as big of a deal as previous ones. This reminded me of a quote I read a few months back after the death of a South African musician who was killed by carjackers in Johannesburg in October 2007:

"Remembering the murdered has become an all too common experience in South Africa. Lucky Dube’s death has not sparked off a rallying cry against crime or even criticism of the government to do more. Instead the real tragedy is that South Africans have become numb to the violence around them, they have become used to saying goodbye." - CNN.com

When I was in South Africa I found myself not worrying whether or not I might get mugged that day, I just made sure not to bring a lot of money with me or valuables certain places. In South Africa, there are "car guards" who watch your car from getting stolen in parking lots at the mall, on the street near restaurants, the beach etc who you tip when getting back to your car. You do not have to legally stop at red lights if there is no oncoming traffic in certain areas because of the fear of being hijacked. There are 6 foot walls topped with barb-wire covering most houses...the list goes on. But the bottom line is that crime is everywhere, and as the quote said, people have become numb to it. It has become a way of life. It does not seem like a big deal anymore if someone gets mugged, and it is not surprising or a big media event when someone gets shot just so somebody can steal their car.

A very dear friend of mine that I met in South Africa came to visit me over winter break. He was shocked at how safe he felt in America, and how well my family knows are neighbors because we don't have a wall, how there are no car guards etc. I would hope that this is always stays the case. I know the shooting at NIU is a rare event, but it is sadly not too surprising anymore because cases like it have happened in the past at other schools and at malls. I find it really scary that the media did not cover the tragedy more than what was covered. I did not see as many magazine covers or news specials about the shootings at NIU as I did after Columbine or from what I heard about Virginia Tech. Is America becoming used to these sorts of events? I hope not. Should the media and government be doing more?