Thursday, September 14, 2006
Bela Lugosi's Dead
Kimveer Gill, a 25 year old man from Montreal, went on a shooting rampage at Dawson College yesterday. The media's all over him being a goth; that's what makes it interesting. 18 people died in Iraq yesterday, 22 the day before that, but none of them were killed by goths. I'll come back to that.
Goths are so threatening
For now, it's fascinating to watch the mainstream media wrap their heads around the attack. The Star's Rosi Di Manno wrote a garish, incoherent ramble, apparently trying to recreate the chaos of the scene, or maybe that's what she writes like without a proofreader:
The CBC (national news) couldn't get over the fact that Gill kept a blog (actually a profile at vampirefreaks.com). They mentioned it 3 times in a 20 second spot. I can imagine the editors now; "The young people of today use computers! They write their musings on a web log, and - this is quite droll - they call it a 'blog'!" But that's the CBC - the national network for elderly stamp collectors.
Every story mentions Gill's a goth, as if that somehow explains it. It's natural to look for answers in the face of tragic events, but then, Gill provides them himself on his profile, finding:
Blame those in power, not high school students
Every teenager fantasizes about death and destruction; it's a natural response when you're faced with the contradictions of this world, never mind the psychological trauma of growing up. Goth provides an essential escape outlet, a way to explore death, pain and other facts of human existence in a culture that denies they exist.
Gill was deeply depressed and wanted to die. He liked guns and 'Germany' - by which I'm guessing he meant Nazi Germany and not the Greens or hippies. Expose a suicidal, angry young man to fascism and automatic weapons, and it's crystal-clear what will happen. If anything, goth culture postponed his killing spree, giving him a way to express his alienation in a creative, productive manner. It's a shame that it wasn't enough. One shockjock radio host this morning said, "People talk about bullying, but for christ's sake, you're 25; grow a pair, you know what I'm saying?" Unfortunately, that's precisely what he did, going out in the most macho way possible.
What Gill did
And let's be clear; for most young people, Gill's sentiment ""Work sucks ... school sucks ... life sucks ... what else can I say?" is accepted fact, not an aberration. Work does suck the life out of you, school is a source of pressure and humiliation. Life under capitalism isolates us from each other, and gives us meaningless rote work as compensation. Subcultures spring up to fill the void. The media treats Gill as a shocking deviation from the norm; this is true in one sense, because goths are peaceful, spindly types who just want to wave their arms when they dance and play Vampire.
But a lot of young people are completely alienated from the mainstream, for precisely the reason the media's so shocked right now: nothing in the mainstream validates their experience. Nobody talks about how shitty work and school are, nobody asks the big questions. It's just the same liberal, 'life is the best in the best of all possible worlds' bullshit. It's not that the kids don't fit in; it's that the mainstream is so far removed from reality, that it has nothing to say to them.
What the US military did - we never see what the Canadians are doing
Finally, let's not forget there's a massive subculture that encourages kids to play with guns, and murder, rape and torture people. It's called the military, and it's funded by the same politicians dropping pious phrases about the violence at Dawson College. With hypocrites like these in charge, it's no surprise young people aren't listening.
Goths are so threatening
For now, it's fascinating to watch the mainstream media wrap their heads around the attack. The Star's Rosi Di Manno wrote a garish, incoherent ramble, apparently trying to recreate the chaos of the scene, or maybe that's what she writes like without a proofreader:
The gunman stormed into the school over the lunch hour, with a scowl on his face and an automatic weapon in his hands. Yet there was somewhat of a miracle in Montreal yesterday too: From the spray of lead, just one person slain and the gunman himself, stopped dead in his tracks apparently by a police officer who was among the first to arrive at the chaotic scene.I'd think a school shooting is bad enough without dressing it up in cliches like a "spray of lead" or "scowl on his face" - and then following it with recounts of students obviously too traumatized to make much sense. It's worthwhile to compare it to The Guardian's account, which is much tighter, chronological and avoids exploitive language.
The CBC (national news) couldn't get over the fact that Gill kept a blog (actually a profile at vampirefreaks.com). They mentioned it 3 times in a 20 second spot. I can imagine the editors now; "The young people of today use computers! They write their musings on a web log, and - this is quite droll - they call it a 'blog'!" But that's the CBC - the national network for elderly stamp collectors.
Every story mentions Gill's a goth, as if that somehow explains it. It's natural to look for answers in the face of tragic events, but then, Gill provides them himself on his profile, finding:
the vast majority [of people] to be worthless, no good, kniving, betraying, lieing [sic], deceptive, motherfuckers".
He filled in online personality tests that deemed him "suicidal", an "angel of destruction" and compared him to an undertaker....
His "likes" included "goth girls, goth everything, Germany, first person shooters [video games], my knife, blood, rain, ravens, crows, fire, destroying my enemies, semi-automatic handguns, combat shotguns, assault rifles and the Grim Reaper".
Blame those in power, not high school students
Every teenager fantasizes about death and destruction; it's a natural response when you're faced with the contradictions of this world, never mind the psychological trauma of growing up. Goth provides an essential escape outlet, a way to explore death, pain and other facts of human existence in a culture that denies they exist.
Gill was deeply depressed and wanted to die. He liked guns and 'Germany' - by which I'm guessing he meant Nazi Germany and not the Greens or hippies. Expose a suicidal, angry young man to fascism and automatic weapons, and it's crystal-clear what will happen. If anything, goth culture postponed his killing spree, giving him a way to express his alienation in a creative, productive manner. It's a shame that it wasn't enough. One shockjock radio host this morning said, "People talk about bullying, but for christ's sake, you're 25; grow a pair, you know what I'm saying?" Unfortunately, that's precisely what he did, going out in the most macho way possible.
What Gill did
And let's be clear; for most young people, Gill's sentiment ""Work sucks ... school sucks ... life sucks ... what else can I say?" is accepted fact, not an aberration. Work does suck the life out of you, school is a source of pressure and humiliation. Life under capitalism isolates us from each other, and gives us meaningless rote work as compensation. Subcultures spring up to fill the void. The media treats Gill as a shocking deviation from the norm; this is true in one sense, because goths are peaceful, spindly types who just want to wave their arms when they dance and play Vampire.
But a lot of young people are completely alienated from the mainstream, for precisely the reason the media's so shocked right now: nothing in the mainstream validates their experience. Nobody talks about how shitty work and school are, nobody asks the big questions. It's just the same liberal, 'life is the best in the best of all possible worlds' bullshit. It's not that the kids don't fit in; it's that the mainstream is so far removed from reality, that it has nothing to say to them.
What the US military did - we never see what the Canadians are doing
Finally, let's not forget there's a massive subculture that encourages kids to play with guns, and murder, rape and torture people. It's called the military, and it's funded by the same politicians dropping pious phrases about the violence at Dawson College. With hypocrites like these in charge, it's no surprise young people aren't listening.
