I read Brian's very moving blog entry about Virginia Tech. (He's a good writer, I like his style, even mathematics seems simple and clear)So I am thinking about this topic when I read (yet another) outraged article about the excesses of AIG and the humble taxpayer who lost their retirement due to the ineptitude (in some articles) or willful neglect (in other articles) of bankers.
I think about the anger of the consumer, they stalk the leaders of the industry who received bonuses when their companies failed; the protests at court proceedings. I'm pretty far from US-24-hr-news television but their anger is easy to see.
So, why, I ask myself, are we furious and taking action when we lose money; but to Virginia Tech, and Columbine, (and many others who are celebrating a sad anniversary in April) do we just send teddy bears?
What is most alarming, and my students make similar comments, are the attitudes. One attitude, is that if there had been more guns among the students this would never have happened. Another attitude is that we think that somehow this is a naturally occurring phenomenon. When a shooting occurred related to a bus stop in Las Vegas near where we used to live, I quick called the kids in Las Vegas to see that they were fine. Some hadn't heard about it. One remark was something like" whatever, those things happen all the time"
Do they? Must they?
Thanks to Amy for the photograph of Bogota taken from Monserrate
