Audiences never groaned often enough toward the end of grade 'B' scare movies when the individuals who remained alive during the killing spree came to the conclusion that they should "split up". We all knew how that would work out.
In recent years there have even been product promotions making fun of the meme. Just a little something to keep in mind...
Over the decades of mass shootings, American schools have been hardened to become fortresses that could thwart violent invasion by one or more lunatics. There are cameras that can count the pimples on student's cheeks, secured entrances and exits, one-way glass, and so on.
Now, its true that the security officers in any given school may be nothing more than a retired lady or gentleman who isn't intimidating anyone. Still, its more than nothing.
Furthermore, the entire staff at schools and many businesses are trained in survival techniques - hiding, sheltering, and much more. The most critical advice involves the question of fight or flight. This is not a decision that is to be taken lightly and a healthy feedback loop of information - one would think - will include the risk involved in taking a stand. After all, the concept of "Can I win this fight" - "What are my chances of survival" - and other such considerations come in -cough- handy.
I think you can sense where I'm going with this line of reasoning.
I think its fair to say that the Sol Pais example richly illustrates how fucked up law enforcement has become in protecting citizens, in accurately identifying the problem, in covering up their compounded stupidity, and in, far too often, aggravating already bad situations into total cluster fucks of incompetence.
Let's peel the onion together.
Sol Pais was a 5'5" (65") tall high school student who bought a shotgun to kill herself with. That information was telegraphed in plain english for any intelligent human being to see. And we know the authorities saw it before the rest of us did.
She wasn't intending to attack a school or anyone other than harm herself. She wasn't buying easily concealed automatic weapons or even heavy artillery long guns. No. I mean if she wanted to attack anywhere, she would have done *that*. After all, she probably never shot a gun of any kind in her life - she spent her time in her room, depressed listening to death metal music, and she curated a website pretty much dedicated to it. She certainly wasn't at the shooting range. And she certainly wasn't trying to sneak into a school with an obviously difficult-to-hide shotgun given her stature.
So when the authorities circulated a photo that made her look like a thirty year old crack addict, machine-gun momma they were not only wrong, they were causing a panic in Denver. Furthermore, they claimed she was insane because her father (drinking the official kool-aid) said there must be something wrong with her. The complete context of this exchange is yet to be pieced together.
So. Circling back to our previous thoughts about fight or flight - people in the area had no reason to believe it was not riskier to fight than flee if it came to that. It seems to me that the public should expect a more comprehensive profile than that.
By now the parents were crawling up the asses of the authorities to do *SOMETHING/ANYTHING*! And so they did. The authorities quietly panicked. They not only dismissed Columbine but schools all over the area - because, hey, you can't be too careful.
Right?
Right??
Of course that meant instead of being locked down in a protected fortress students were sent home in unprotected school buses that clogged traffic lanes and neighborhood streets. Had an actual shooter or shooters been loose, these targets would have been easy pickings. Or malls congested with congregating teenagers.
Genius.
First draft.
.
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