Would we (as a nation) be paying more attention to the tragedy in Texas had it not happened the same week as the Marathon bombings? Or, are accidents just tsked away, not thought about, while things that are done purposely, and thus feel like they can be prevented, given more press and more emotional space?
The accident in Texas is just as random, and the destruction there much more widespread, so I have been debating in my mind which it is. I'm not sure, though I do think it is easier to focus on the tragedy of something in which there is a villain, and then potentially there can be a feeling of retribution/balance when the person is caught. It gives something more concrete then the randomness (as random as it is) of an accident.
We've noted before the overreaching desire or need to assign blame or criminality when accidents happen, and I think it is this grasping at something less random that fuels it. Because as random as an attack is to the person going about their daily life, someone, somewhere decided that they would do something, something directed at people, thereby making an element of the event more purposeful.
Don't know if it makes any sense, just going through it in my head.
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