NewMexiKen means absolutely no disrespect to the victims at Virginia Tech and their families — I think I have made quite clear my strong sense of loss over this tragedy at a place I know.
But if journalists, essayists and bloggers are going to continue to call this the worst shooting in American history, then I am going to have to suggest that they read a little about Wounded Knee, 1890, when as many as 350 Lakota men, women and children were killed.
American Horse: There was a woman with an infant in her arms who was killed as she almost touched the flag of truce, and the women and children of course were strewn all along the circular village until they were dispatched. Right near the flag of truce a mother was shot down with her infant; the child not knowing that its mother was dead was still nursing, and that especially was a very sad sight. The women as they were fleeing with their babes were killed together, shot right through, and the women who were very heavy with child were also killed. All the Indians fled in these three directions, and after most all of them had been killed a cry was made that all those who were not killed wounded should come forth and they would be safe. Little boys who were not wounded came out of their places of refuge, and as soon as they came in sight a number of soldiers surrounded them and butchered them there.
Thank you! Perspective, people, perspective.
Yes our society seems to have developed a severe case of temporal bias. Only that which has happened lately is of any consequence.
I understand there was a much bigger slaughter by, believe it or not, the Mormons in Utah back in the 1800s. Anybody know about this?
Do you mean the controversial Mountain Meadows Massacre?
Sadly, people have been killing each other in large numbers for a long, long time, with the Holocaust and Stalin’s pogroms unfortunately not being the most recent instances.
this is exactly the kind of shrewd and steady recollection one needs to resist the sucking tide of pop news confusion.