BBC use college shooting to dig at US

[ascendinglark]

Just a little example - seeing a "Q&A" link on their coverage of the Virginia college shooting, I immediately thought "oh, so they'll use such a format to have their predictable little dig at US culture" and I think I was right.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6562529.stm

Why are shootings at educational institutions so common in the US?

This depends on who you ask. For those opposed to the country's liberal gun laws the key problem is easy access to highly powered weapons. They say the school shootings merely throw into sharp relief what is happening across a country where 30,000 people die of gun wounds every year. Others contend that these killings take place within a deep culture of violence, which they say is promoted in the US through music, film and video games.

But there are those who argue these incidents take place not because there are too many guns, but because there are not enough. "All the school shootings that have ended abruptly in the last 10 years were stopped because a law-abiding citizen - a potential victim - had a gun," said Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America. "The latest school shooting at Virginia Tech demands an immediate end to the gun-free zone law which leaves the nation's schools at the mercy of madmen."

Of course, straight away, under their usual "some say" pretense, it's a dig at US gun laws, US "gun culture" and then, as "others contend" (especially those writing the article, for instance), it's America's "deep culture of violence", which is "promoted in the US through music, film and video games" - as if music, film and video games are any different here than they are anywhere else in the West.

Barely cloaked in all this of course is the BBC's innate disdain for US culture and a country they see as vulgar and barbaric. There is so much more leftist slant in this article, but for now I have to go to work.

[Teddy Bear]

Since it's been reported that the gunman was in fact an alien resident from South Korea, while residing there legally, it's my understanding that one has to be a citizen to get a gun license there. Ipso facto, if he has a gun illegally it wouldn't make any difference if there were tighter gun laws, if somebody wants to obtain one they can.

One of the symptoms of inferiority complex is to seek examples in others that show their weakness, thus 'diminishing' ones own. Regarding culture of violence, I would be feel far more secure attending ANY sporting event in the States than a football game here. We've had shootings here, most recently of a pregnant woman, and numerous stabbings involving 14 year olds. But by focussing on 'gun violence' in the States, the BBC reporters can feel 'superior' for a time, and it suits the agenda of the BBC bosses.

In any event, these kind of 'post mortems', before the victims are even cold show how tasteless and crass the BBC really is. It would be the same as asking Jackie Kennedy just after her husband was assassinated, "but apart from that, how was the drive?".
The only good thing is the BBC are increasing the resentment and hatred towards themselves, and justifiably so.

[steevo]

There's a lot of info now about the shooter Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old South Korean and English major.

From the ChicagoTribune:

"You caused me to do this," said Cho in the disturbing note he left in his dorm room.

The note included a rambling list of grievances. The words “Ismail Ax” in red ink were on the inside of one of his arms. He railed against “rich kids,” “debauchery” and “deceitful charlatans” on campus. (Ismail bin Jafar may be the religious figure which Ismaili Shiah Muslims follow and are named after?)

He first shot a girl he apparently had affections for and a guy she was with in one part of the campus before going to another building.

It should be understood he has no terrorist ties.

Prof Liviu Librescu was killed after he stayed behind throwing himself in front of the door to block the shooter, keeping him out long enough as his students escaped out the windows. He was a Holocaust survivor and the shooting happened on Holocaust Remembrance day.

Jan. 31, 2006, Housebill 1572, which would have allowed handguns on college campuses, died in subcommittee. The bill would have given college students, administration and security employees the right to carry concealed handguns on campus and died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly.

There were 3 bomb threats made at V Tech earlier this week and police have indicated they believe they were from Seung-Hui testing out the nature of security's response. He may well have understood there was no one capable at the time to respond with force. It was known as a "firearm-free zone."

[ascendinglark]

Here's an interesting article regarding Britain and gun control:

www.reason.com/news/show/28582.html

[Teddy Bear]

Yeah, like I said, Britain has nothing to crow about, but the US tragedy provides a diversion from the social problems here and temporarily makes the populace feel better about themselves. It really shows mediocrity, both of the people and the media.

[Teddy Bear]

Here's another article that highlights this point.

In a recent study, "The UK was ranked only the ninth happiest country out of 15 EU nations and finished tenth in a parallel survey of life satisfaction levels. "

Britons are getting unhappier, with falling trust in institutions, such as the police and government, to blame, a Europe-wide study has suggested.

So how does the BBC present this?
First bear in mind that they are one of the 'institutions' responsible for failing trust, but of course they won't highlight this particular fact.

To make Britons feel better they write: "While Britain finished lower down the league, it still managed to beat France and Germany in both tables. "

A real losers perspective.

Then to try and turn bad into good, at least as far as their thinking is concerned, they bring in an obscure politician to xlant the reasons as "Martin Bell, the former independent MP elected on an anti-sleaze ticket, said: "I think there have been issues happening in the last ten years that have really shocked people."

Mr Bell pointed to the alleged abuse of the honours system as one possible reason for the claimed reduction in trust.

He added: "There is no more serious decision a government takes than going to war, and people have to have trust in the people who make these kinds of decisions, and that is where we are failing, it seems to me."

If the BBC was really honest they would report the real reasons for the malcontent here, and the Iraq war would come very low down on the list as to what affects people's happiness.

It would have made sense to show the entire list, since there's only 15 countries considered, but they avoid it, perhaps not to show that Luxembourg and Belgium beat Britain. ;D

Here it is:
Most satisfied
1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Sweden
4. Luxembourg
5. Ireland
6. Netherlands
7. Austria
8. Belgium
9. Spain
10. The United Kingdom
11. Germany
12. Italy
13. France
14. Greece
15. Portugal

Happiest
1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Ireland
4. Sweden
5. Netherlands
6. Luxembourg
7. Belgium
8. Austria
9. The United Kingdom
10. Spain
11. France
12. Germany
13. Greece
14. Portugal
15. Italy

Britons 'are getting unhappier'

Britons are getting unhappier, with falling trust in institutions, such as the police and government, to blame, a Europe-wide study has suggested.
The UK was ranked only the ninth happiest country out of 15 EU nations and finished tenth in a parallel survey of life satisfaction levels.

Denmark, Finland and the Irish were the happiest people while Italy finished bottom just behind Portugal and Greece.

The 2004 University of Cambridge study analysed 20,000 responses.

While Britain finished lower down the league, it still managed to beat France and Germany in both tables.

Dr Luisa Corrado, who lead the research said: "The survey shows that trust in society is very, very important. The countries that scored highest for happiness also reported the highest levels of trust in their governments, laws and each other.

"The UK shows falling trust in government, the police and other institutions and higher social distrust, which might explain why the level of happiness among British people has also fallen."

HAPPINESS TOP FIVE
1.Denmark
2.Finland
3.Ireland
4.Sweden
5.Netherlands
Source: University of Cambridge, Faculty of Economics


What can the Danes teach us?

Martin Bell, the former independent MP elected on an anti-sleaze ticket, said: "I think there have been issues happening in the last ten years that have really shocked people."

Mr Bell pointed to the alleged abuse of the honours system as one possible reason for the claimed reduction in trust.

He added: "There is no more serious decision a government takes than going to war, and people have to have trust in the people who make these kinds of decisions, and that is where we are failing, it seems to me."

Women 'happier'

In Scotland, Wales, northern England and south-western England the average score out of 10 for happiness fell to 7.5 in 2004 compared with almost eight in 2002.

However happiness in East Anglia, London and the East Midlands remained at an average of eight.

The results from this study were then compared to another report into what makes people happy in society and this produced the link to trust in institutions.

UNHAPPINESS TOP FIVE
1.Italy
2.Portugal
3.Greece
4.Germany
5. France
Source: University of Cambridge, Faculty of Economics

Other trends noted were that women appeared to be happier than men while the study claimed that where trust in the government was lacking, in countries such as Italy, even the well-off tended to be unhappy.

Dr Corrado added that people in the EU were relatively happy but warned that the report suggested government had to focus on more than just improving wealth.

Denmark also topped the life satisfaction table, with Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg and Ireland making up the top five.