Airing the Killer

So, during the two hours or so between the first and second shootings at VT, the killer mailed a bundle of photos, videos, and writings to NBC News. And the Today show--which I just switched off--is going to run some of the video. This is, I think, a horrible idea.

Whatever one wants to say about the VT killer, there's no question that part of the attraction of his plans was that they would make him famous. Now, he would be dead, if the plans were fully carried out, but he would be famous, anyway. And for a disturbed, angry young man in a society obsessed with fame and celebrity . . . this might push him off the edge.

But there are other such folks out there--disturbed, angry young men (mostly men, I think), resentful, and they're seeing that, if you just kill a bunch of innocent people, you can become famous. You can, perhaps more correctly, become a celebrity. It's not that hard to buy the handguns, especially in Virginia, even if you have a history of mental problems, etc. If you do this, you will get your face on the frontpage of the newspapers, be the lead story on the television, etc. Everyone will read your (crazy) prose. From obscurity to celebrity in one short day.

There's probably no way to stop the crazies altogether. But let's not provide extra incentives. Plus, I'm sure that this is hurtful to the friends and families of the VT dead, too, which is another reason not to air this sh*t.