to notice that the killings in the USA

[butisthismyname]

Are HUGE NEWS, but the children who are being shot and killed every day in syria, the children who live on the streets and die every day in south america and the children who are dying in third world countries are 'part of the furniture'? I know what has just happened is horrific and sad and awful, but it's just so fucking unfair. It's like the twin towers - OMG the USA is in trouble, lets be outraged ( not negating that but just an example) When will we be as understanding and sympathetic and make what is happening everywhere else in the world as important and newsworthy as this?

Mini-I feel that I probably have more in common in terms of day-to-day living with an American family than a Syrian family. Why is that racist?

Who is saying you have to post a fluffy kitten?

But my first reaction wouldn't be to get out my ruler and start measuring column inches either.

Solid-can people in the UK not get involved in political protest etc against the US gun legislation though? (Genuine question)

Mini, it's quite a long-standing psychological phenomena that people will identify with those livign a life similar to their own more strongly than they can identify with someone living a completely different existance.
Most people can very clearly imagine someone dropping their primary-school aged children off at school in the morning, much more difficult to imagine living in a war-zone (obviously for Mrs Average in the UK I mean). It hasn't got anything to do with skin colour or religous bias or anything else, just to do with what the person has fully experienced.

We don't need to have more in common to feel empathy and compassion, other than the fact that we are parents, they are parents and they have lost their children.

You can get involved in any politics you want, but if you don't get the vote then you're unlikely to make much impact (to Wishitwaswarmer)..... :-)

Compassion and empathy are not the same thing though. I can imagine dropping child off at school more readily than i can imagine living in a war-zone. Therefore I am likely to have a stronger sense of empathy with parent whose child dies at school (but not necessarily feel more compassionate toward them, or be more likely to get off my butt and do somethign about it).

Shocked and appalled.

I dont think anybody on this thread is saying that the shooting is not a tragedy. The question by OP is not saying do not grieve because it is America. It is asking questions about media, about responsibility, about double standards. It is very narrow minded to take this thread to be anti-American or calling it distasteful.

Can we not acknowledge and 'feel' also the grief of the people that we KNOW are suffering on a daily basis, suffering not just one blow - but loss after loss after loss - in part due to USA. But many can't or won't. We do tend to think that because it is not happening in our part of the world, then somehow, it is not as shocking.

Why do we have these double standards? Why is our grief more valid than someone else's? Why cant we talk about someone else's tragedy too if it means looking at reasons closer to home?

And what can be done about it? The general consensus is that children should not die. But we are allowing it to happen.

Due to this tragedy are we not 'allowed' to mention the wrongs of USA or the media? The fact is that USA is grieving today but it has not stopped or suspended any of its operations in the big world which are causing thousands of non-american mothers a lot of pain. To hold USA to account over its wrongs is not disrespectful to today's tragedy at all. It is questioning the inequalities of our world.

If this incident had happened in the uk, it probably wouldn't get any more than a brief mention on their news - seriously? Er...Dunblane?

Didn't realise we should be partaking in an 'Imperialistic' American bashing moment. I just felt horror and sadness

I find writing off a nation and clubbing all of it's people under one umbrella racist and discriminatory Mini so I should be careful re pulling the racist card.The only racism I see on here is the anti American racism.My dp's extended family would find this thread very upsetting.

Well said solidGold couldn't agree more, talk is cheap. I like the new name.

Galv people have said over and over again why it has been widely reported today,several posters(yourself included) are choosing to ignore this and are trying to make a nations horror and grief into something it isn't and to make a political point on the back of children dying which is horrible.

I honestly do think that the OP has a valid point but I just don't think it needed to be done tonight and by using the murders to make the point. I do think a separate independent thread in a couple of weeks would provide a really interesting discussion but evidently quite a few people (myself included) feel that it is just too soon. I'm not sure why it's been said that protesting about US gun law is pointless but protesting against the atrocities in Syria is not?

I like Americans, I don't like America. The Grand Canyan is great and so were the reservations and I love Arizona. But I'm not talking about the natural geography but the American State. In the same way I find it strange when our own politicians talk about "we are all in this together" we must suffer the austerity to make Britain great. We must fix our economy, we must work to build a stronger Britain. What is Britain? I'm more concerned with people, whilst we fix up the decor people are dying, 25% increase in homelessness, benefits are being cut, 1 in 3 uk children living in poverty, families using foodbanks etc,.

Galvanise-I can't think of any tragedy that has happened in the UK that has led the UK to pull out of anything they were doing that was harming other people (as you mentioned the US haven't done this). I don't think that happens in Syria either to be honest. Or any other country in the world for that matter.

Those poor little children. May they rest in peace. What a terrible loss.

Hearing of child murders makes me think of all child murders. I'm far from alone in this. It's valid to question whether we fail the less-publicised victims when we pay more attention to American ones. The link with American gun-toting laws is not only valid but long overdue, and to be welcomed. I'm one of many who see this as part of the wider problem, also, and hope the weapon debate will continue.

This atrocity has provoked important questions, as is right and fair. It is repulsive to me that some would like to stifle those questions out of - what? I don't know; is it sentimentality?

On the other hand, SGB, people are entitled to put things on their FB & Twitter pages that make them feel better! That's hardly a criticism, is it?

polka I completely understand why it has been widely reported today. I completely get the shock - i cried too. I cant even bring myself to think about what those parents went through. It is too painful. I am not USA bashing.

What is ALSO horrendous is the other stuff that goes on in the world. Not just because of America. Our media runs a lot of stories that would be of 'public interest'. Unfortunately those stories seem to be more about 'sleb' sleaze or more sterile stuff than the atrocities being carried out all over the world -not just by USA. It is unfortunate that the media believes that the public does not have so much of an interest in what is happening in Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. Just take Burma for example, more ethnic cleansing going on but the world is still relatively silent or ignorant.

The OP has highlighted these inequalities of the world, be it policy or media. She has not been American-bashing on the back of this tragedy. She gave an example to put things into perspective. It is sad that some cannot see that.

A massacre has happened this afternoon.

Why wait for this to happen to discuss ANY of the issues you have mentioned?

Any incident like this in a school in any country would be heavily reported.

There is not an infinite amount if empathy in the world. This has happened now and today.

Why can't you raise awareness of other issues WITHOUT using this as a springboard?

Call me as narrow minded and sad as some of you like. That's what I find distasteful.

It is repulsive to me that some would like to stifle those questions out of - what? I don't know; is it sentimentality?

I don't think anybody wants them stifled in general, maybe just put on hold for a few days out of respect for the people that the events of today might have really effected either directly or indirectly. If people feel awful about the murders that happened in the school in America tonight it doesn't mean that they don't care about a child that died in Syria tonight, it is just that the school tragedy is the focus in their mind tonight. Certainly I take an active interest in the events in Syria but tonight my thoughts are taken up by 20 children who were shot in an American school.

YY, Galvanise.

Why can't you raise awareness of other issues WITHOUT using this as a springboard?

Of course one can, and people do. It's perfectly natural for feelings about one event to be a springboard to thoughts of others. A thread about a road accident, say, would prompt posts about others and about road safety in general.

Pickled - I agree completely. These are very important issues and I don't think anybody would deny that, but they can be raised as an independent issue - not on the back of the murders today.