"One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic."--Stalin
Here in D&ST we all love to debate and argue. We throw around statistics, academic research, rhetoric, and theory to aid our arguments. What we usually fail to acknowledge is the human dimension of our debates. I know I have. As many of you know, I love to debate the gun-control issue. The shortcommings and omissions of our arguments really hit home for me, today...like a baseball bat to the face. (You might see where this is going.)
Many of us like to throw around jokes and make "non-PC" comments. I have nothing against that. However we need to acknowledge that our arguments, our theories, our statistics have a human side.
I was reading over "Another USA Shooting" thread and noticed this:
I know the second poster meant no harm.
Last night, I could not contact one of my NIU friends. Try as we did, none of us could reach her by phone or online. She was already gone.
This is part of the human side of the story.
Meet Ryanne Mace, one of the victims of the NIU shooting.
To try to describe her, here, does her an injustice. I have not the words to convey anywhere near what I feel. However, to leave out this story would be a greater injustice.
Ryanne was the kind of person who could make your day better just by smiling. She was the person who was everyone’s friend, and always had something witty and upbeat to say. She had a love of music and a talent for being nice to everyone. Ryanne managed to succeed more than most, but did not put others down or brag of her successes. Ryanne really was the person who would cheer you up and make you laugh, for no other reason than wanting to see you happy. The world lost a good soul on Thursday. The world needs more people like Ryanne. I and all the others who knew her will truly and deeply miss her.
When I heard the reports that the shooter appeared to target certain people, I thought, “It couldn’t be Ryanne, no one would have a reason to even be angry at her.” I was wrong.
RIP Ryanne. You will be sorely missed.
I am not advocating an end to debates or to jokes, but please realize that for every news article and statistic you find, real people were involved.
Here in D&ST we all love to debate and argue. We throw around statistics, academic research, rhetoric, and theory to aid our arguments. What we usually fail to acknowledge is the human dimension of our debates. I know I have. As many of you know, I love to debate the gun-control issue. The shortcommings and omissions of our arguments really hit home for me, today...like a baseball bat to the face. (You might see where this is going.)
Many of us like to throw around jokes and make "non-PC" comments. I have nothing against that. However we need to acknowledge that our arguments, our theories, our statistics have a human side.
I was reading over "Another USA Shooting" thread and noticed this:
Fortunately, it sounds ThomasMorgan's friends are OK.thats because the rest are dead, lol, kidding, but really, i hope they're fineI know a bunch of people who go to school there. So far I've only been able to get in touch with one.
I know the second poster meant no harm.
Last night, I could not contact one of my NIU friends. Try as we did, none of us could reach her by phone or online. She was already gone.
This is part of the human side of the story.
Meet Ryanne Mace, one of the victims of the NIU shooting.
To try to describe her, here, does her an injustice. I have not the words to convey anywhere near what I feel. However, to leave out this story would be a greater injustice.
Ryanne was the kind of person who could make your day better just by smiling. She was the person who was everyone’s friend, and always had something witty and upbeat to say. She had a love of music and a talent for being nice to everyone. Ryanne managed to succeed more than most, but did not put others down or brag of her successes. Ryanne really was the person who would cheer you up and make you laugh, for no other reason than wanting to see you happy. The world lost a good soul on Thursday. The world needs more people like Ryanne. I and all the others who knew her will truly and deeply miss her.
When I heard the reports that the shooter appeared to target certain people, I thought, “It couldn’t be Ryanne, no one would have a reason to even be angry at her.” I was wrong.
Ryanne and I graduated high school together, not too long ago it seems. We were not best friends, but we were friends none the less.WLS Chicago wrote:
Ryanne Mace, 19, of Carpentersville, recently posted on her MySpace Web page: "Happy Valentine's Day Everybody! ... Saying you love someone is not enough, it's how you treat them that shows your true feelings." She was a 2006 graduate of Dundee-Crown High School in Carpentersville and a recipient of a scholarship from the high school's French Club, according to The (Crystal Lake) Northwest Herald.
RIP Ryanne. You will be sorely missed.
I am not advocating an end to debates or to jokes, but please realize that for every news article and statistic you find, real people were involved.
