On days like this one, the River of Constant Thought that cuts a reliable, refreshing swathe through the heavy jungles of my brain... shuts off. I can't remember things. I can't think of a better word for "things" than "things." And it irritates me. Thus begins the derision of my personality, the degeneration of my spirit. It's a painful spiral, and it requires a revolution (and all the fear, guts, blood and near-calamity that a revolution must entail) in order to prevail.
On April 16, 2007, a young man, a college student, an English major, carried out the bloodiest school shooting in history. His name was everywhere in the months that followed. He will not be named here. He didn't deserve what amounted to fame for his crime. In fact, simply acknowledging that he set some sort of record on his rampage (killing 32 people, Virginia Tech students and professors, and injuring many more) means that the bar has been raised for the next maladjusted student with an axe to grind.
Preface: The video described within this blog posting is heinous and hard to watch. It turned my stomach. For that reason, along with the reason behind my thesis found herein, I ask that you do not seek out this video. It's unnecessary, at best. At worst, it has the potential to spawn other similar acts of violence among our youth.
Recently, six teenage girls in Florida were arrested after allegedly luring a fellow student to a private residence and then proceeding to beat the young woman until she lost consciousness. Twice.
Described as "animalistic" by the media, this beating was documented on video by one of the assailants. So, it isn't really "alleged" at all. It's fact. Faces, names, addresses. A girl was beaten bloody by her peers... and now we can see it happen.
Over and over and over again.
You see, this video is evidence of more than the crime itself. It is evidence of intent. YouTube was the goal. The cheerleading squad took issue with something a fellow student said on MySpace... and, instead of ignoring it or confronting the issue with the involvement of principals and parents, decided to pummel the perpetrator until she begged them to stop. And then some.
In an alley? Behind Wal-Mart? In the Weinerschnitzel parking lot? Oh no.
"If we do this, we need the proper lighting... that way we can put it on YouTube and get a million hits! Tiffany, how about your house?"
No really, that was the plan.
Ignorance is the perfect climate for the mold of violence. Only a stupid girl would be moved to violence because she was insulted on MySpace. Only an idiot would record her own crime on video and then want the world to see it. Only the most ignorant people are unable to comprehend the necessity of basic humanity in every instance. Hitler, Stalin, Hussein, countless slaveholders throughout history, school shooters... and now a Floridian high school's cheerleading squad.
This return to purity
--a slow, redundant walk
through mud I will always
know--
is cherished by the
most masochistic part
of my spotted heart.
The hot water bubbles
and makes me think
of gluttony
--the starving man's
delight.
But rising again
from the steaming bath
my shoulders burn
with the scalding necessity
of spotlessness
--before You.
And I step out to make
the loop of life
again.
The digital clock in the truck's dashboard flicked over to 7:41 as I pulled into my parking space. Already the sun's warm fingers were prodding me to roll down the windows and roll up my sleeves. I wished I'd hadn't tossed my shorts aside in favor of jeans that morning, but quickly remembered the reason. While the heavy denim wasn't a good match for the heat, it did serve to hide the smudgy bruises which now dappled my pale thighs.Audrey Camp
I'm an American expat and freelance writer living in Oslo, Norway with my husband. I love language, adventure, dogs and classic movies.
