The more things change, the more they stay the same. Have you seen Gladiator? Did you find yourself pondering about how barbaric those activities were and how bloodthirsty the masses must have been to enjoy something like that? I'll bet you were comforted by the fact that in modern times, people are much more civilized...or are they?
A couple nights ago, there was a shooting in my neighborhood. Not many details have been released at this time, but the investigation is being conducted, and bits and pieces have been released to the public. Allegedly, the girl who made the 911 call was locked up in a bedroom, abused and threatened for hours, and when an opportunity presented itself she grabbed the abuser's rifle and shot him with it. I just read an article posted by a friend with the latest details, and between the comments posted on that article and the vicious attacks on Tony Stewart in the last 6 days, I've definitely reaffirmed my belief that the blood lust of the Roman Gladiatorial games is still alive today.
Maybe the young man who was killed was an evil son of a bitch who locked up his girlfriend, threatening her and beating her until she broke down and shot him with his own gun; maybe what actually happened was nothing like that. Dead men tell no tales, and there's only one survivor. I don't know if he got what he deserved, and neither do you. Why are we so quick to judge? More importantly, who the fuck made you judge, jury, and executioner? You all have the right to an opinion, but rights come with responsibilities...like the responsibility not to act like an asshole on social media. Nobody knows if that woman killed her boyfriend in self defense or in cold blood. Nobody but her. Nobody knows if Tony Stewart intentionally hit Kevin Ward Jr. except for Tony Stewart. What we do know, is that people die every day. It's always unfortunate, at least for the victim and their loved ones. In too many cases it was entirely preventable and only ended in death due to a misunderstanding, mistake, or negligence on the part of someone.
You can have your opinions, and discuss them in a respectful and civil manor. Unfortunately, what happens all too often in situations like this is a race by the uneducated masses to throw someone under a bus and pat someone else on the back. We have to have a good guy and a bad guy, a winner and a loser. What happens next is often that we find out we judged too quickly and things weren't as they initially appeared. If you've been guilty of knee jerk comments in the past condemning someone after nothing but speculation, I urge you to think twice next time and reserve judgement. No matter who deserved it and who didn't, they still have friends and family members who might read your comment. Aren't they already going through enough between losing a loved one due to some senseless tragedy and the vultures in the media skewing and misrepresenting things? Do you really think you're helping anything by adding your $.02? You have the right to be a dick head, must you exercise it?
"From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step." - Denis Diderot
-DS
