Incredibly tragic and so sad. I can't fathom how scared the victims were, and how shaken and shocked their loved ones are. I saw a couple interviews with survivors, but it's too sad to watch. I hear that the news media has been airing constant coverage of this crime, but I haven't been watching. There's no need to wallow in all that sensationalism. For me, it was enough to read a
thorough article in order to feel informed, and then not dwell on every detail and speculation. The deranged shooter obviously wanted attention, and I don't want to give him that satisfaction.
I'll point out this video,
Charlie Brooker's Newswipe 25/03/09, in which a forensic psychiatrist (and Charlie Brooker) give insightful perspective on the news coverage's perpetuation of mass shootings. If you don't care to watch, I'll recap the final quote which says,
"I have repeatedly told CNN and our other media, if you don't want to propagate more mass murders, don't start the story with sirens blaring. Don't have photographs of the killer. Don't make this 24/7 coverage. Do everything you can not to make the body count the lead story. Not to make the killer some kind of anti-hero. Do localize the story to the effected community, and make it as boring as possible in every other market. Because every time we have intense saturation coverage of a mass murder, we expect to see one or two more within a week."
It's disappointing that many of the news headlines start off by mentioning the name of the movie playing in the theater where the crime took place, even going as far as attempting to draw connections between the fiction of the film and real life tragedy. When a mentally unbalanced person is determined to perform a selfishly violent act in a crowded place, they're going to attempt something sooner or later, be it in a school, post office, or at some other movie premiere. It might be more appropriate to talk about topics like gun laws or mental health diagnosis methods. But certainly movies and music and video games shouldn't have to take the blame. In a world where such sad events happen, we need escapist entertainment as a refuge. Roger Ebert contributed an interesting
opinion piece on these topics.
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan also
released a statement saying,
"I would like to express our profound sorrow at the senseless tragedy that has befallen the entire Aurora community. I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me. Nothing any of us can say could ever adequately express our feelings for the innocent victims of this appalling crime, but our thoughts are with them and their families."
Anyway, I say we do our best to remember those who were lost and show our love for those around us. Stay alert but don't live in fear, and keep appreciating and enjoying life.
I can't get my head round why someone would do it. What hits me worse about this story is there were children there/caught up in it, makes my stomach lurch. Prayers to survivors/injured as well as it must have been traumatic 
