A night not consisting of Halo

For the last 3 hours, I have found myself in and out the weavings of the Internet. I have travelled from common sites to what I consider unchartered territory for myself. Beginning with a blog focusing on the recent trouble Opie and Anthony have gotten themselves into on XM Radio, I moved to a extremely conservative blogger, Neal Boortz. I went through his archives, reading his responses about current topics such as Don Imus and the Virginia Tech shootings.I have never connected well with the political world. Within the spectrum, I do imagine myself a bit more to the left than others, butI further and further avoid any type of political name thrown at me. I appreciate Mr. Boortz' intelligent and articulate manner in approaching many of the issues he talked about. Yes, he is a bit arrogant, and I found myself rarely agreeing with him, but I liked his manner of reasoning. Examine, attack, examine, attack. I mainly paid attention to what he had to say about Virginia Tech, which was to the point and possibly a bit too bitter. Here is his website http://boortz.com/.

Despite his credibility, I cannot get over the fact that he is in his safe office trying to critique the actions of those facing a loaded gun. How can he and myself included understand the situation those kids went through? I remember asking myself the day it happened, a month ago from today, "What would you have done in that classroom?" To be honest, I have no. fucking. clue. I would hope it would be strictly biological; the initial shock would dissolve and I would only be left with either fight or flight. It's that simple. Yet here I sit, in the safety of my own home, considering a life or death situation. Touche, Mr. Boortz.

I watched a film a few years ago that still occasionally finds its way onto HBO in the wee hours of the night. It's called Elephant. Directed by Gus Van Sant, that guy who also did Good Will Hunting, the film simply observes a highschool during an ordinary day, until two students walk in with camoflouge and shotguns. The camera simply follows characters in and around the school and listens to their daily rituals. This film is the closest I can get to understanding the utter absurdity of it all. There is no reason as to who is killed or spared. As the students walk in and begin shooting, the frailty of life echoes in and out of the shotgun blasts. Many students run, many students hide in the classrooms, and a few help. But the end result is tragedy and death for many. Nothing really determines who lives and who dies., except where the barrel of the gun points.

I don't want the incident at Virginia Tech to bring out sorrow from myself. I have quietly refused any public display towards it until now, mainly because of other tragedies occurring in the world. I wonder if an American soldier was killed in Iraq on April 16th, 2007. I wonder if the media felt his death wasn't as "upsetting" as what happened in Blacksburg. What happened at Virginia Tech was terrible, but no worse than what happens every day in the farthest corners of this world. There has not been a single day since it happened that I have not thought about it, and that's the respect I feel I can give to the Hokies. Sympathy for them was needed, but too much sympathy can be dangerous. Instead, I try to empathize and most importantly, understand the absurdity of the event.

Further into my Internet exploration, I then came across the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. This one again led to my complete bafflement of a situation I simply do not understand. Although I have been quiet with my grief towards Virginia Tech and the war in Iraq, the WBC are the exact opposite. Their viewpoint, however, is so skewered from what our society believes and promotes that it's almost unbelievable. I began searching for footage of their gatherings on the ever scholarly Youtube, and I found myself fascinated with them. Often, they left news reporters completely disgusted and confused with what they had to say. One video, however, really compelled me in trying to understand the psychology of this family. This video delves deep into how this family functions on a completely amoral level. They realize they are being offensive to others, but something within their beliefs supercedes any idea of morality. Watch this and see. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O228AQRvcqQ


The most fascinating thing this reporter said is how hate often is a personal attribute and a possible sign of weakness within an individual. How true! It is very hard to remain calm and collected when listening to the WBC. Seeing their young children holding signs that say "Thank God For 9/11" is enough for a triple-take. But ignore their message, and instead observe their mannerisms and how polite they can actually be. It's a bit like Hannibal Lecter.

I didn't mean to do this. I've covered things that I rarely talk about to anyone. I am not a political man. My intentions were not to decry many recent events that have happened. On any other night, I would still be playing video games, watching a movie, or listening to music. It's when I let my guard down that these big ideas float into my head. It's ok, Mr. Boortz, if you want to examine and attack while I observe and reflect.


To each man his own.

Jk