For those just tuning in, there was once an article in this spot which tried to make sense of the shootings in Newtown, CT via an analogy to events and attitudes present in Telltale’s Walking Dead game. The article was written hastily in the haze of anger, and sadness, and frustration following that shooting. It was mixed with an already heady emotion earlier in the day stemming from a major event in Episode Three of that game. Specifically, the idea of this being a rare sort of story where a character owning a gun is not necessarily a positive, or seen as a solution to all life’s problems, but a failure and tying this back to the shooter and the people who rushed out to defend the right to bear arms, who apparently see things quite differently. A few people actually were rather supportive of the article; more, however, saw it as a triviality which cheapened and insulted the memories of those children who had still not even been collected from the floors of Sandy Hook Elementary School.
With time to actually sit and let yesterday entirely sink in before reacting, I believe I stand with the majority. Because of this, the article has been deleted.
If nothing else, believe that I did not write the article with that purpose. I sat and watched these events unfold yesterday afternoon as stunned and angry as everyone, and as with anything else this abhorrent, tried to make sense of it as best I could, and do something with that deep-seated feeling of helplessness. I felt compelled to use the medium I’ve chosen to write about for this site as the lens with which to view it, when in fact, this is in no way the time for this medium’s contribution to the conversation, if ever there was one.
I believe quite firmly in the spirit that guided that article. I believe there’s a prevailing attitude about the implements used to end the lives of these children that contributed quite directly to this event, and the fact that there are people who are actively fighting to ensure the wrong hands still get to use them should boil the blood of every rational person in the country. But as far as moral compasses go, no matter how well executed, a video game is not the point I should have chosen to act as true north. Not while there are quite real lives ended far too soon. And for anyone offended, or insulted, or hurt by such a comparison, I am truly and deeply sorry.
Many of the people who took me the most to task are parents of children who had the right idea of how to react last night. They went home, held their children, and silently counted their blessings that they remained safe. I am ill-equipped to speak on that experience. So, I’ll settle for the silence.
–J.C.