Psychiatrist: Showing Video Is 'Social Catastrophe'

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/VATech/story?id=3056168&page=1 ^

[ventanax5]

— The videos of Seung-hui Cho, the man who fatally shot 32 people at Virginia Tech on Monday and then killed himself, shouldn't have been released because they don't offer the public any greater understanding of the gruesome crime, said Michael Welner, a forensic psychiatrist and ABC News consultant, on "Good Morning America" today.

"If anybody cares about the victims in Blacksburg and if anybody cares about their children, stop showing this video now. Take it off the Internet. Let it be relegated to YouTube," Welner said. "This is a social catastrophe. Showing the video is a social catastrophe."

[spanalot]

Leave it to the MSM to be a partner in crime to this killer.

Very sad. This is exactly what this devil wanted.

[Oztrich Boy]

Take it off the Internet. Let it be relegated to YouTube," Welner said.

Isn't YouTube part of the Internet?

And you expect a psychiatrist to know that?

[SmoothTalker]

I suppose they were waiting around for the Government to come in and talk Cho down to where he could see the error of his ways.”

Somewhat crass to make parodies of murder victims the week of their murder.

[Paleo Conservative]

It would have leaked out anyway and there is so much interest in the case that I have no problem with them showing it

Did the Klebold and Harris tape ever leak? I thought it was destroyed after the investigation.

[Paleo Conservative]

It was inhumane in my opinion. The entire media are all guilty of allowing this evil maggot to invade our homes and terrorizing the families of those lost. It is dispicable and continues tonight on some.

I'd rather have the media doing stories on the heroes like the 76 year old Holocost survivor professor who gave his life to delay Cho and save the lives of his students.

[Loyal Buckeye]

I refused to participate by watching any coverage about the killer.

The tapes, etc. should never have seen the light of day.

It was also clear to me that the police obtained the stuff of of the killer’s computer before it showed up at NBC. There was nothing significant in the materials that we didn’t already know.

[Capt. Tom]

I think there is great value in showing the video because doing so may make some people wake up to the fact that there are people out there who intend to do great harm—and we need to be prepared individually and as a society to oppose them with whatever force is necessary.”

There is a guy in Iran who makes these threats over and over and the world seems to ignore him. - tom

[Paleo Conservative]

Honestly I think CNN had the worst video with the one where you could hear those folks being murdered one by one.

If only Cho had contacted CNN ahead of time they would have rigged him up with a camera.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Statement: "...because they don't offer the public any greater understanding of the gruesome crime..."

Response: He is correct but beside the point. The basis for releasing the video being it keeps the story alive and reaps billions in ad revenue.

[Miss Marple]

Cho as he appeared on that video wouldn't be seen by anyone. In his everyday life up until he went on his killing spree he was very quiet and didn't look people in the eye.

If you think that watching this video is going to help you spot himicidal maniacs on the street, you are mistaken.

[Star Traveler]

You said — “If you think that watching this video is going to help you spot himicidal maniacs on the street, you are mistaken.”

If they are passing me in the streets, no I doubt it, too. However, if they are talking to me (and these people do talk to others from time to time), then I want to hear thes types of patterns and ideas that he spouts off, so I can get a clue to the type of “muddle-headed” thinking that these kinds of killers come up with.

And I hear from the so-called “experts” that usually these killers end up bragging *beforehand* about these things. A sort of “warning” that they like to throw up to people around them. The authorities said they have not come across anything like that for Cho, yet — but they are looking for that now.

So, the more information that we have, the better it is. Ignorance of these things is fatal. Knowledge is life-saving.

I go for knowledge and not ignorance...

Regards,
Star Traveler

[Star Traveler]

You said — “There is a guy in Iran who makes these threats over and over and the world seems to ignore him. - tom”

Yep, I see those same types of people here on Free Republic... “Don’t tell me any bad news or show me any bad pictures; you’re disturbing my pretty little world...”

Yep, that’s them all right...

Regards,
Star Traveler

[Star Traveler]

You said — “You’ve made my point. The video is useless from a public awareness perspective.”

Well, when I said “muted” — that means that it is lessened, but it’s not gone or completely covered up. That’s why I picked that word. The idea is that he’s very exposed in terms of his thinking in the video, while it’s muted otherwise.

But, the thing with people (and with this idea of “muting”) is that you can see through it, especially with people. You get the glimpses and the tell-tale signs, anyway. If you use a “pattern” that you can see *clearly* (which would be this guys “unvarnished” manifesto), then you can recognize the clues when they are “muted”.

That’s exactly the idea there. People need to see the total and unvarnished and “out-in-the-open” ideas and behavior, so they can recognize the smaller signs and the “muted” behavior.

That’s all the more reason for seeing it...

Regards,
Star Traveler

P.S. — To recognize the “little signs” you must have the “big picture” — the full picture. If you only have a wispy knowledge and limited information, when you’re presented with just “glimpses” of something (i.e., the “muted” behavior), you will *not* recognize that it’s coming from this “big picture”...