Ok, somebody has to say it.
The Berkeley deaths were horrific, tragic and the victims and their families deserve a compassionate and appropriate response.
But some of the reaction is over the top and far from appropriate.
Here’s a recent comment:
It’s such a tragedy. It’s not a plane crashing; it’s not something like the guy with the gun in America last week. It’s a tragedy that could have been avoided.
What would the family and friends of the nine people shot to death in Charleston have to say in response to this comment?
What would the family and friends of the 150 people who died in the recent plane crash in the Alps have to say in response to this comment?
There is not the slightest doubt that the person who made the comment did not in any way mean to cause offence.
But the suggestion, and sometimes outright claim, that the Berkeley deaths were somehow more tragic than other horrifying incidents is not only disrespectful of the people involved in those incidents but is also disrespectful of the Berkeley victims and their families.
It’s time for calmness and measured respect.