On Pacific time
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Moderator's Pub
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This just makes me sick. I think we should bring back the rack for the guy who did this.
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http://www.azcentral.com/php-bin/cli...quesne-ON.html Last edited by Windswept : 2006-09-17 at 13:17. |
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Veteran Member
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This story angers me on two levels.
One on the simple level of why the fuck is there a recessive gene moron running around shooting people. Bullet + Head = problem solved. I can remember a time when a gun 'accident' was abnormal, not the norm. Second is the fact that the article seems to go out of its way to highlight that these boys play basketball, and truth be told, probably quite good at it. But is the fact that one of the players is 6'7" really an important fact here? How about it being a tragedy that five students were shot. That they were basketballers is very much secondary in my opinion, but for sensationalism this little tidbit seems to help..... 6' and can't shoot a hoop, Ω..... Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress |
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Whilst it is no excuse, and shooting people is very very wrong..
This quote does make me wonder what really happened.. Quote:
What exactly does 'calm down the man' mean? I am playing devils advocate here, and bear no ill will to anyone. And this guy needs something to happen to him for what he has done. But, my question is, what did the eleventy-five foot high guys do to him? 'Remember, measure life by the moments that take your breath away, not by how many breaths you take' Extreme Sports Cafe | ESC's blog | scratt's blog | @thescratt |
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Rocket Surgeon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
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I think it's reasonable to report any distinctive features of a person you are describing, and 6'7" is a notable height. |
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On Pacific time
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Moderator's Pub
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Well, Omega, the basketball aspect is a major part of this particular story. The university had hired a brand new coach just six months ago with the mission of rebuilding their basketball program from scratch.
He'd recruited ten new players, which is a *lot*, including some pretty outstanding ones. I imagine news of these recruits had been making sports headlines in the area for some time, with lots of interest and excitement from local fans. (Edit:...especially considering the school's win/loss record last season was 'really' bad at 3 wins/24 losses.) And yes, two were 6'7" and one was 6'10", which is a major asset on any basketball team. I do realize that this sport is not of much interest in many parts of the world, so think if your local uni had acquired 10 extremely promising brand new football players and 5 of them had suddenly been shot all in one incident. I think that would be shocking news, and the sports aspect would be a major part of the story for people in your area, don't you think? Quote:
Last edited by Windswept : 2006-09-18 at 04:56. |
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What is shocking is that people were shot.
To me that they were basketballers is irrelevant, but it seems to sell 'papers'. Where does your moral outrage stop as far as sportspeople are concerned? If they were the nations best petanque players would you care as much? The sport is irrelevant. The crime itself is not. Angels bleed from the tainted touch of my caress |
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Rocket Surgeon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
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So, by your argument, if someone shot, say, Conan O'Brien* tomorrow, the newspapers shouldn't be able to report what he did for a living? It is reasonable to report any distinctive features or facts about the people involved.
And of course the newspapers are out to sell copies. That's what they do. they aren't charities. *=I have no idea why this example was the first to present itself to my mind. |
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My argument is that the papers are focusing more on the basketball aspect than the shooting tragedy aspect.
The story is the shooting, not that they had/have game. |
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On Pacific time
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Moderator's Pub
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The fact that they composed nearly half of a basketball team simply adds another dimension to the story in the eyes of many readers. As we all know, newspapers refer to such details as the 'human interest' angle. If the human interest angle were ignored, we'd have bare-bones stories like this: "Local man suffers fatal stingray wound on Monday while snorkeling in shallow waters." So, the 'human interest' angle can make a huge difference in the reality of a story, don't you think? |
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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Beyond all the basketball-ness (or not) of everything, the real story - and tragedy - is that people are, once again, shot over stupid things (words, maybe?). That it's even someone's first or second instinct to address this sort of situation with a gun is what is so troubling. And idiotic.
Who does this? Honestly? What's their thinking? They can't flash-forward a few minutes, or hours, and think "okay, I'll shoot all these guys and then my problems will be solved...oh, wait...no they won't. I'll be arrested, I'll go to prison, I'll be someone's girlfriend for several decades, etc. Maybe I should count to ten or go home and watch some TV". Whatever happened to people just getting into a quick, simple fistfight - and whoever got beaten, that's how it went. You licked your wounds, went home and healed. But you lived to fight - and love, learn, grow and everything else that makes life what it is - another day. I really don't know what's wrong with people, that this is how they "fix things". Who knows. More school athletes, so who will ever know the truth? Like those lacrosse players, those two guys who put the fake deer on the road and countless other stories involving high school and college (and professional) athletes, I'm sure things are never as they seem. Things will be covered up, spun, suppressed, retold, embellished, played-down, lied about, PR'ed to death, other parties demonized, etc. And it ain't "a gun problem". It's a people problem...that one's natural impulse is to REACH for the stupid gun to begin with in situations like this. That's what is so wrong and sad. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pittsburgh
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Some of the neighborhood around Duquesne is pretty rough. There are streets you shouldn't be found alone on at night. A street altercation and shootout in that neighborhood is not too uncommon. Just driving through at night, on three occaisions i've been offered crack while waiting at a red-light. [Edit: Come to think of it. This hasn't happened since I bought a new car. My old car must have been a dealer magnet. ]
An interesting thought... Were the five guys being menacing toward someone? Not that it would justify the shootings. But it would be interesting to know exactly what transpired. Five big-ass dudes being intimidating could easily cause an unstable person to flip-out. Perhaps they simply menaced the wrong thug? Not too difficult in that area. |
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On Pacific time
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Moderator's Pub
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Here's ONE version. I'll post another version of the story in a sec. Quote:
They were careless about letting just *anyone* in, and now they're paying the price. What a shame, especially for the student in critical condition. Here are excerpts of another version, with a somewhat different take on things: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14904346/ Quote:
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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Sounds like we're dealing with sheer genius types at work here.
Because, you know, my first impulse when I see someone "talking to my woman" is to shoot them. It's the only viable solution, you know. It pretty much solves everything and is the most sensible course of action, right? Idiots. |
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On Pacific time
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Moderator's Pub
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I *really* don't think charges should be dropped for the female student.
She definitely needs to spend some time suffering in purgatory (ie, in the state lock-up) for the part she played in all of this. *seethe* |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pittsburgh
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It's all speculation at this point. I could see either side being the instigators. Although allegedly only one side had, and used, a firearm.
I could see it going down as alledged in those stories. But it is equally plausable that the men were hitting on the woman in a lewd manner. The boyfriend tells them to stop. The five ballplayers then may have used their large stature to intimidate or threaten the boyfriend. Maybe they were about to beat him and his girlfriend into an inch of their lives, and that is when he pulled out the gun. Remember... it is Duquesne's PR machine that is in full gear here. What we have seen on the news so far is only one side of the story. Last edited by dfiler : 2006-09-19 at 15:19. |
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