Much, perhaps even too much, has
already been said about the shooting in Aurora, Colorado one week ago. However, the shooting occurred at a Batman film, and the DC Geeks readership, living in
the nation’s capital, lives under the daily threat of terrorism. It seems important that we say something.
I know I speak for the entire DC
Geeks team when I say that our hearts break for the victims of this tragedy.
All the victims. Trauma never limits itself to those wounded or killed in the
initial attack. It leaps from victim to victim, losing some inertia with each
one, but not stopping until it is has touched lives separated by many miles and
many years from the initial event.
But while the violence and devastation of these tragedies often become the center of our focus, they are never the whole story. Though much has already been said about the heroic actions that occurred that night, they bear repeating if for no other reason than they demonstrate one simple fact: those who acted heroically outnumbered those who acted maliciously.
But while the violence and devastation of these tragedies often become the center of our focus, they are never the whole story. Though much has already been said about the heroic actions that occurred that night, they bear repeating if for no other reason than they demonstrate one simple fact: those who acted heroically outnumbered those who acted maliciously.
During the rampage, in that whole
movie theater there was but one single mad man, but there were at least five
ordinary people that we know of who acted heroically-who acted to preserve
life. The first story I remember hearing about was of Stephanie Davies and
Allie Young. When Ms. Young saw the first tear gas canisters thrown into the
theater, she stood to warn other people. She was shot in the neck. Rather than
flee, her friend, Ms. Davies, dragged her body into the aisle, applied pressure
to the wound, and refused to run, even when Ms. Young begged her to do so,
electing to remain there to control the bleeding. Jonathan Blunk, Matt McQuinn,
Alex Teves, and Nick Yowler all threw their bodies on top of other people to
shield them from bullets. Mr. Blunk, Mr. McQuinn, and Mr. Teves were all
killed, but the people they shielded all survived.
It is important not to forget the first responders. Often, in stories like these, the depth of their courage gets forgotten. They are rarely identified by name in the press and so become incidental parts of the event. It is easy to forget that literally dozens of police officers rushed a movie theater filled with tear gas, containing an unknown number of gunmen armed with an unknown arsenal of weapons. That one or many of them might have been killed while executing their rescues was a reality each of them faced and overcame.
This story is not unique. Following both the Virginia Tech massacre and 9/11, the press was filled with stories of noble sacrifice. Take, for example, the story of Professor Livu Librescu. A professor of aerodynamics and aeroelasticity and a holocaust survivor, he is credited with saving the lives of 20 students when he held the door to his classroom shut with his body to prevent the gunman from entering. He was shot, through the door, five times; it was a gunshot to the head that killed him.
It is easy to be cynical about humanity. The news provides an endless 24 hour digest of man’s capacity for atrocity. At the time of the shooting I had just finished reading Chris Hedges’ War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, probably the most powerful polemic against war and indictment of collective humanity I have ever read. But these events demonstrate an objective truth that acts as antidote to the endless march of cynicism; that in the real world, the heroes outnumber the monsters. Not just in this case but in every one of these massacres. The number of madmen never equals the number of heroes. Those who choose to act nobly outnumber those who act cruelly not by ones or twos, but by many orders of magnitude.
It is important not to forget the first responders. Often, in stories like these, the depth of their courage gets forgotten. They are rarely identified by name in the press and so become incidental parts of the event. It is easy to forget that literally dozens of police officers rushed a movie theater filled with tear gas, containing an unknown number of gunmen armed with an unknown arsenal of weapons. That one or many of them might have been killed while executing their rescues was a reality each of them faced and overcame.
This story is not unique. Following both the Virginia Tech massacre and 9/11, the press was filled with stories of noble sacrifice. Take, for example, the story of Professor Livu Librescu. A professor of aerodynamics and aeroelasticity and a holocaust survivor, he is credited with saving the lives of 20 students when he held the door to his classroom shut with his body to prevent the gunman from entering. He was shot, through the door, five times; it was a gunshot to the head that killed him.
It is easy to be cynical about humanity. The news provides an endless 24 hour digest of man’s capacity for atrocity. At the time of the shooting I had just finished reading Chris Hedges’ War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, probably the most powerful polemic against war and indictment of collective humanity I have ever read. But these events demonstrate an objective truth that acts as antidote to the endless march of cynicism; that in the real world, the heroes outnumber the monsters. Not just in this case but in every one of these massacres. The number of madmen never equals the number of heroes. Those who choose to act nobly outnumber those who act cruelly not by ones or twos, but by many orders of magnitude.
Science Fiction and Fantasy, the foundation of our collective geek identity, are merely tools for telling otherwise difficult stories. Sometimes they work by putting distance between us and difficult subject matter so that we can more safely and intellectually honestly tackle the issues. Sometimes, particularly in the case of Superheroes, it creates shorthand versions of larger ideas so that they can be more fully explored. It is ironically apt that this horrible event occurred at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. These events demonstrate the truth of the thesis at the heart of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Though the theme is woven throughout, it is most powerfully on display during the battle of ideas between Batman and The Joker during the climax of The Dark Knight. The Joker, standing for the proposition that all it takes for a person to surrender themselves to their most base and vile instincts is a single, sufficiently horrible moment. Batman, on the other side, stands for the proposition that in our darkest hour we are capable of rising to our greatest heights.
In my career I have studied psychology
and law; provided mental health treatment to the perpetrators and the victims
of violence; worked to help prosecute violent offenders and defend admitted
murderers. I read absolutely everything I can on the subject of good and evil
from great works of philosophy to publications in neuroscience journals to the
worst works of popculture. I have consciously avoided using the words “good” or
“evil” in this essay because after twelve years of serious academic study on
the subject, I remain incapable of saying whether or not these concepts truly
exist. But I know that any review of the objective evidence will demonstrate
the world is better today than it was 100 years ago, just as that world was
better than the one before it, and so on. Despite annual shooting rampages
like the one in Colorado, violent crime in 2010 was at its lowest rate in 40 years. The 2009-2010 Human Security Report (Before following this link, please see * below) demonstrates a steady decline in the number
of international conflicts since the 1950s, which saw between six and seven
thousand armed conflicts, and the first decade of the new millennium, which saw
less than one thousand.
Batman's victory over the Joker is symbolic of a greater truth. Though tragedy is an
unavoidable part of life; though many, many people die before their time; in the balance courage triumphs over fear; kindness over cruelty, and grace over violence. We rise to the occasion because we must. It
is human nature.
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If you wish to comment, please think before you post. There is certainly much to be said about this incident, and much that is important. But this is a public forum and while the shock may be fading for those of us 1,500 miles away from these events, for those who lost loved ones the wounds are still fresh. Please do your best to keep all comments civil and non-divisive.
*For some unknown reason, the official page of the Human Security Report is creating a malware warning. I have no idea why this is. I visited without trouble. Use whatever caution you deem appropriate before following the link.
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If you wish to comment, please think before you post. There is certainly much to be said about this incident, and much that is important. But this is a public forum and while the shock may be fading for those of us 1,500 miles away from these events, for those who lost loved ones the wounds are still fresh. Please do your best to keep all comments civil and non-divisive.
*For some unknown reason, the official page of the Human Security Report is creating a malware warning. I have no idea why this is. I visited without trouble. Use whatever caution you deem appropriate before following the link.
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