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I live in Boston and feel my mortality with this one. Normally I would have been close to where the first blast happened when it happened - in years past, I went to the finish line to cheer on the recreational runners toward the middle to end of the pack. I spent part of that afternoon shuttling people away from the city in my car while worrying desperately about some of my student workers who were volunteer EMTs at the finish line - all were fine but are handling the emotional toil of caring for people with shredded legs versus their normal "sprained an ankle while drunk" calls. A dear friend was trapped between the two blasts and writes eloquently about his experience: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a...-felt-stunned-. I'm within one or two degrees of separation from all of the casualties and many of the injured. That final night, I had been at the Stata Center at MIT for an event and even caught a cab at the corner where Sgt. Collier was shot just 15 minutes before he was assassinated. I saw him a few hours before the shooting (which I remember because he smiled and waved back at me) and drive past his house every day on my way home from work. Friends and coworkers lived within blocks of the final shootout and had their homes searched while I was frantically handling social media for a university that was under lockdown from my home which was not sheltered in place officially, but you wouldn't know it from looking out your window.
I still haven't processed what happened, and it will take a long time for me. I still see images of blood splattered in front of places I've been on dates and the shattered window of the Lenscrafters where I bought my glasses. The Boston Public Library has long been a sanctuary for me - through college and now as an adult. Now, I can't think of that beautiful building without feeling sad.
What I think makes this harder for people with no connection to Boston is the sheer amount of injuries. Yes, only 3 people died in the bombings, but over 200 were injured with dozens of amputations. Many people are STILL in the hospital. Had the bombers not been such cowards as to put a bomb down next to a child and walk away, and instead detonated them while they were on their backs, many MANY more people would be dead. It was only because the bombs were on the ground and some of the world's best hospitals are within 2 miles of the blast site that so many people survived. So much of the Boston story makes it compelling - the mystery of the brothers (particularly the younger one who seemed to absolutely everyone to be totally normal and friendly), the terrorism aspect, the almost movie-plot quality of those 5 days in Boston...
I don't know if I would have mourned the West explosion if it had occurred at any other time. I can't process any other sadness right now - my brain won't let me. I cried over it, but again, I think it's the effects of what is happening here in Boston fraying on my nerves. Meanwhile, the factory collapse in Bangladesh that has killed more than 300 is something I truly have been mourning. The death of all of those people was just as much murder as the Boston Marathon bombings.
I had this discussion with a friend a while back over a beer. I honestly cannot feel any empathy for those I do not know. I just don't see how others can or why, it serves no purpose. I worry about things under my control and nothing else.
May seem a little selfish, but hell, I don't care.
Meanwhile, the factory collapse in Bangladesh that has killed more than 300 is something I truly have been mourning. The death of all of those people was just as much murder as the Boston Marathon bombings.
See... while you mourn and cry about it, I get pissed off. I will bring up an emotional topic. Shooting happened in Sandy Hook.
I blinked and moved on, just like 9/11. It dragged on for weeks and people made a big deal about it. Notice nobody cares about it anymore Why? Knee-jerk reaction. Yes the death of children **** me off more then anything, but what about the children that are killed in Palestine? How about the children that starved to death in Africa? How about the raped children of Thailand and many countries around the world? Yet YOU people want to get dragged into war and use everyone's children like cannon fodder. Like I've said before, I can't wait for martial law in the USA.
See... while you mourn and cry about it, I get pissed off. I will bring up an emotional topic. Shooting happened in Sandy Hook.
I blinked and moved on, just like 9/11. It dragged on for weeks and people made a big deal about it. Notice nobody cares about it anymore Why? Knee-jerk reaction. Yes the death of children **** me off more then anything, but what about the children that are killed in Palestine? How about the children that starved to death in Africa? How about the raped children of Thailand and many countries around the world? Yet YOU people want to get dragged into war and use everyone's children like cannon fodder. Like I've said before, I can't wait for martial law in the USA.
You people? You're barking up the wrong tree, kiddo.
I watched all the news about it and it was stunning and shocking. To think that people came to Boston for a fun athletic event - it was not political, it just was for fun, gymnasts getting severely injured, ironically what they loved, their legs blown off, so they cant run anymore, unless they get titanium legs. to think that we americans are being blasted on our own soil. Wars were always in some far away country.. then with 911 hitting NYC and these other incidents, makes it real and alive for us here. I do not wish this to happen. I think America is getting hit by enemies. It might even happen in my city.. what would i do? i dont know. its scarey.
My reaction? I think with the current president and all the ****e being covered up and all the people who dont get the facts as to what is going on, and just caring about kardashians, cell phones, texting and other stupid stuff, we better get it together. i dont think america is loved by other countries.. we have the president apologizing to mexico and islamic countries and not representing america as a strong country. i think other countries that hate us are going to take advantage of the weaknesses here now.
I am going to be ready as much as possible for anything that might come suddenly and i hope it does not happen again. but it might... i think people in this administration are trhying to play nice and kiss up to other countries and tryhing to make them our friends when they hate us.. and thier way of life is far far far different than our form of government. aint gonna happen. so stop trying to kiss up to them, mr president.
I had this discussion with a friend a while back over a beer. I honestly cannot feel any empathy for those I do not know. I just don't see how others can or why, it serves no purpose. I worry about things under my control and nothing else.
May seem a little selfish, but hell, I don't care.
I find this really scary ... as in, do you have psychopathic tendencies? I don't understand those who have no empathy. Then again, I sometimes think I have too MUCH.
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If you mean mourn as in weep and let it get me blue for days no, and I don't think that would be normal behaviour. When I heard the news I thought it was very sad, but like others have said people die everyday. Why should these deaths be any sadder? Just because they received a ton of publicity? How many Americans mourn the civilians who are killed in Iraq, for instance? Are they not human too?
I watched all the news about it and it was stunning and shocking. To think that people came to Boston for a fun athletic event - it was not political, it just was for fun, gymnasts getting severely injured, ironically what they loved, their legs blown off, so they cant run anymore, unless they get titanium legs. to think that we americans are being blasted on our own soil. Wars were always in some far away country.. then with 911 hitting NYC and these other incidents, makes it real and alive for us here. I do not wish this to happen. I think America is getting hit by enemies. It might even happen in my city.. what would i do? i dont know. its scarey.
My reaction? I think with the current president and all the ****e being covered up and all the people who dont get the facts as to what is going on, and just caring about kardashians, cell phones, texting and other stupid stuff, we better get it together. i dont think america is loved by other countries.. we have the president apologizing to mexico and islamic countries and not representing america as a strong country. i think other countries that hate us are going to take advantage of the weaknesses here now.
I am going to be ready as much as possible for anything that might come suddenly and i hope it does not happen again. but it might... i think people in this administration are trhying to play nice and kiss up to other countries and tryhing to make them our friends when they hate us.. and thier way of life is far far far different than our form of government. aint gonna happen. so stop trying to kiss up to them, mr president.
Good Lord! Simmer down and remain calm. The POTUS is NOT out to get you, I promise...
Good Lord! Simmer down and remain calm. The POTUS is NOT out to get you, I promise...
Hmmm, not sure, with all the scandals being uncovered. Terrible!
Actually the disasters happening everywhere,, in politics and nature. I think America is vomiting up all the crap going on in its borders.
Then again, theres people hollering about global warming, but its probably just natural weather patterns happening over and over. there was a weather expert on tv yesterday, he says this type of bad weather causing tornados and things happened in the 1950's... so its same ol same ol.
However, putting all this together,, it doesn't look like a good day for America nowadays.
The Internet is full of people saying that they are praying for the family and friends of the people killed or injured in the Boston Terror Attack and the accident that caused the fire that killed or injured 100s of people in Western, TX. I wonder if their emotions are real.
In my experience most people really don't care what happens to anyone outside of a small group of family and very close friends. They just strike it up to the human experience.
While these two events take up the media's time I suspect that there were thousands of people all over the world killed, or tortured all over the world.
Psychologically is there something wrong with people who really don't care about Boston or Western TX all that much and just write it off as life and death on the planet earth
I don't mourn them. I feel bad for their families and I get mad that it happened, but I don't mourn them. I do however mourn kids who dies or fall victims for crime. Like that little boy who died in the Boston bombings. I also feel very sad for the kids who died in Moore Oklahoma, and the little baby who was beat to death by his parents here in Chicago.
In other words, when kids are killed or victims of a terrible crime, It effects me deeply.
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Yes the death of children **** me off more then anything, but what about the children that are killed in Palestine? How about the children that starved to death in Africa? How about the raped children of Thailand and many countries around the world? Yet YOU people want to get dragged into war and use everyone's children like cannon fodder. Like I've said before, I can't wait for martial law in the USA.
