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The headlines we make impact us all

By J. David Barron, What Gives

Published: Tuesday, January 15, 2013 1:09 AM CST

During a time in this country when the unspeakable has become a recurrent theme, the tragedy last month at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., may very well qualify as the most-heinous to date. The horror of losing so many innocent, precious babies to cold-blooded murder rent what was left of America's soul asunder.

And left mine staggering.

Not two days prior I edited a headline for a piece on a new Olympic-style shooting club to open at Allen High School. "Shoot 'em all for the fun of it," I wrote, thinking myself clever for my play on words regarding a competition emphasizing proficiency at hitting moving clay targets. A colleague challenged me with an audible gasp when he read the headline. "Barron! Are you sure you want to say that?"

J. David Barron

"Oh, my goodness, Man!" I indignantly responded. "Don't tell me you've drank the Kool-Aid, too! You've become dumbed-downed to the point of being hyper-sensitive," I huffed, then spun on my heel and fumed off back to my desk.

"It's too much," I thought. "You can't even have a little fun nowdays without some crybaby whining and moaning that you're being insensitive. Gimme a break."

After simmering a bit, I surmised that was the end of it with my level-headedness having prevailed.

The day after the tragedy I received a text from our Web editor, Monique Oaks, advising me that our Executive Editor Rick Mann had instructed her to pull the piece from online. "Absolutely!" I replied.

Then it hit me in my gut like a punch. "Oh, no!" I lamented, with an almost-audible wail deep down inside. I felt not only horrible, I was despondent, and certainly disgusted with myself for not yielding to the warning that my colleague tried to express before I so rudely ridiculed him.

Rick received a voicemail from an indignant reader demanding both an explanation and immediate censor of the piece and its repulsive headline. Within five minutes he called her back and sincerely apologized. Five minutes later, Mo - as we endearingly call her - had it expunged from cyberspace. Done. Just that fast.

But not so for the fallout. Over the next few days a couple of readers emailed and gave me the third degree. I responded to each explaining what had transpired and apologized profusely while thanking them for both their readership and demanding accountability. You bet. You got it.

It's been nigh almost a month now since the horror at Newtown. All those parents with crushed hearts staring vacant-eyed at their respective homes' Christmas trees on that holy morning could only wonder at the meaning of it all. What was the reason for the season? Where is God in all this?

Meanwhile many who take it upon themselves to try and shape the course of this nation have seized upon the mantra to never waste a good crisis. With howls nearly as loud as those horrific gun shots, they have ratcheted back up their ceaseless clamor to outlaw gun ownership. Maybe they will eventually have their way. It's not the solution, of course, but then, the solution isn't what many of them are really concerned with. It's all about the agenda.

I humbly offer as a possible remedy to allow principals and two or three others on each campus in the United States to have at their disposal for just such crimes as Newtown and Columbine a shotgun and a pistol available under lock and key. (Why do we think such cowards keep showing up to commit their crimes specifically at schools? Because they know there are no guns allowed on campus to be able to stop them.) Each designee would have to be specially trained and tested for such use. Other stipulations and much bureaucracy would follow, of course.

It's not the meet-all solution to the problem. But there isn't one short of some seemingly outlandish miracle like a virgin giving birth. Fat chance, huh? It's likely our only chance.

One thing I know for sure is that I am so very sorry for authoring that headline. I, at least, have learned from my mistake this time; whether we as a society has remains to be seen.

More importantly in all this, however, is the sorrow those truly devastated parents and families in Newtown are experiencing. Many of them may never recover. I don't think I could. Let's endeavor to continue caring for them with our prayers, our collective sentiment, and all the support we can give. It won't be enough, obviously. Nor will we ever really be able to heal our country. Not from this one, I'm afraid. But at least we still give a rip around here about an inappropriate headline.

Thanks for joining us in caring so very much. Tomorrow's headline will be better news.

J. David Barron is a staff columnist for Star Newspapers. Reach him at dbarron@starlocalnews.com.

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