Fixing what is Broken

Looking at social media today, seeing a lot of the same conversations going on that have gone on before when we have had horrific tragedies occur that involve someone going on a rampage and killing a lot of people.

People at their best, offering love and support to each other.
Hurting people reaching out for support.
Frightened people asking for reassurance.
Angry people demanding justice.

And a lot of folks who are once again using a tragedy being heavily covered by the media (and We are the Media) to promote their own personal agendas.
Christian extremists claiming some sort of retribution for sin as the cause.
Gun control advocates claiming that abundance of guns is the cause.
Gun ownership advocates claiming that an inadequately armed/educated populace is the cause.
People standing up and pointing to bullying, the economy, lack of mental health care, chemicals in the environment, you name it.

And all this before anyone has released the actual name, or any official information about who did a crime and why. Because that doesn't really matter. Getting that spotlight for a moment to plug your POV is what counts. For the Greater Good, of course.

We all have our prejudices and experiences that influence how we view the world - and these determine how we react to situations and what sort of assumptions we make.
But the fact is, that the problems that lead to this kind of horrific culmination do not have one simple cause that can be easily fixed. It takes a lot of failures to produce the kind of chain reaction that leads to this sort of bloodshed, which is why it happens so rarely. Too damned often, certainly, but within the population still pretty rarely.

I have my own prejudices too, and tend to go right to lack of mental healthcare - but I have no more idea than anybody else if that is a contributing factor in this case. And to use something so horrible and tragic - to see it as an "opportunity"- is beyond icky.

So the short version? STFU and just be supportive. Save the soapbox for a respectful time after the funerals. Show some class.