In an effort to meet more people, I started checking out the weekly Meet Up listings that I receive every Monday. Confirming what I already knew about this lovely city known as The Live Music Capital of the World, there are so many interesting people and things to do…now reading
Meet Up, I know about even more things that all happen at the same time!
Just for shit and giggles, I decided to hook up with the “dinner and a movie” group this Saturday to watch the latest Batman movie. A few days later, every media source were competing with one another to break the latest exclusive angle on the mass murders that occurred at a midnight showing of Batman in Aurora, CO.
Years ago, I used to teach at a middle school close to that mall, but of course, the media didn’t care about the schools that were closest to the mall. Instead, some chose to show a map with the mall and Columbine High School highlighted, which was the last location of such horrific mass murder.
One of the differences between the two incidents was how much technology has advanced. In addition to several cell phone calls to 911, there were digital images, tweets, texts and good ol’ fashioned eyewitness interviews on camera. Law enforcement did its best to respond to the incident, including urging the media not to hype the situation and encourage copycats, but honestly, the amount of planning and preparation that Holmes underwent cannot be readily copied.
In addition to feeling sympathetic to the family of the murdered movie goers, I became angry that once again, some nutjob legally purchased weapons of mass destruction and killed and injured many people within minutes. Granted, I’m not a gun owner and I have next to no hunting skills with any implements, but I fail to understand why the average private citizen needs the type of fire power that allows hundreds of bullets to be sprayed in minutes. No hunter, novice or experienced, would carry such a weapon, but it seems to be the legal weapon of choice for the mentally unstable.
Despite my efforts to meet new people, I forgot that I needed to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to showtime and ended up watching Batman by myself. Nonetheless, I’m thankful that all the drama and violence occurred on the screen. Plus, I was proud to be among a full house of people who did not allow fear of copy cats keep them away from enjoying life.