don’t panic

Sunday, September 02, 2007

don't panic
-douglas addams

people are stupid.

you say, "now, greg, not all people are stupid." i agree, individuals are smart, people, by and large, are cattle. this thought comes to me while reflecting a recent tragedy, the virginia tech massacre.

at this point i would like to make a disclaimer: these observations are meant in no way to disrespect the dead or make light of the grief of the living. that being said, here are my thoughts: panic is an extremely powerful and useful phenomenon.

a man walks into a building housing 895 people with two handguns, an 8 round walther and a 15 round glock. he fires 174 rounds killing over thirty people. while heroic attempts were made to protect students by keeping the shooter out of classrooms, no one tried to stop him. what troubles me is the numbers, with those guns he would have to STOP AND RELOAD at least seven times. an act requiring both hands, so if one gun was empty he would have to put down the other to reload it.

he wasn't a train shooter, this resulted in the high shot to kill ratio, so i wouldn't assume he was extremely proficient at speed reloading. so how did he do it? panic...

in this situation, a situation no one was mentally prepared for except the shooter, he was in charge. what's the old parable about "if you can keep your head about you while those around you are losing theirs"? the same with the airplanes on 9/11, how do you blow up a building with boxcutters? panic

if our shooter walked into a room with thirty people and five of them were willing to rush him, he would go down. now the margie oden adage of "i may not get all of you, but i'll get one of you" applies, but there is no way he'd have a chance.

i'm not saying everyone should carry a gun, i know several people who shouldn't, but people should be mentally prepare to deal with any situation. would i be willing to rush a man with a gun? i don't know, but i know if i don't panic he has less of an advantage...and if the room turned on him, he could panic. they have the guns but we have the numbers.

so, be ready, willing, and able to do whatever you have to.

i dare do all that i may become a man, he who dares more is none.
-macbeth

have a nice day.