Amok

Today I heard it from my colleague at work - who, in turn, had heard it on the radio in the car: there was a shooter running amok in a town close to Stuttgart, not far from where I live, too.

To my own shame I have to admit my first reaction was a double one. On one side I was terribly sorry, for the 16 victims (17 if you count the shooter who killed himself in the end in a shootout with the police), for their loved ones, for the injured and also for the psychically scarred. It happened at a school, yet again, and was even on CNN news this evening.

On the other side I was more or less waiting for the first mentioning of “Killerspiele” yet again - because it always happens in such cases. I can’t help it, I just know the politicians and the media too well.

By now the first mentioning of “Killerspiele” has happened, but on the whole there’s more focus on why the parents and brother didn’t realize something was wrong with the young man - and where he got his guns from. He’s probably gotten them from his parents’ home - they legally own quite some weapons, which is rather unusual in Germany.

I’m still terribly sorry something like that did happen ... had to happen. At the same time I know they will not accept there’s more to this amok run than just a few violent computer games, that society is to blame for it. It’s always easier to blame others than take the blame yourself.