For the last couple of days, the big news story has been the 3 officers killed (and 2 injured) by a gunman , who has since been apprehended and will soon face charges (and subsequent court appearances) for his actions.
This is, no doubt, a very serious crime. An attack on the mounties, is very serious indeed.
But I can not help but to question, if the collective reaction (especially on social media, by those outside the area) was an OVER reaction. It seemed that everyone had to compulsively share every single little update that came out. Then there was the shocked off the cuff comments like “What is Canada becoming?!”. And of course the typical “pray for #Moncton” and “Keep #Moncton in your prayers”.
Alright, your sending condolences, no problem.
But as for the whole “hell in a hand basket” argument, and the whole of the reaction to the incident all together, I question it. Yes, it is sad that this guy took the lives of 3 (and possibly permanently injured 2 more). But no matter what uniform they happened to wear, or what their personal family background(s) happened to be, they were still people.
It makes me question if a good chunk of the city would have been shuttered, had the victims been just regular citizens. I do not doubt that the overall reaction would be similar. I just wonder if the uniform, is warping the way we are viewing this incident.
And most importantly, one person going on a rampage, is not a sure sign of how the nation is going to hell. Its a terrible tragedy. But lets keep our heads on straight.
To the families of the slain officers and the people of Moncton, I send my condolences.
A Raindrop In The Ocean 