I'm confused

[Nuclear Unicorn]

I'm told we should suspect RWers because it was Tax Day and Patriot's Day in the city of the Boston Tea Party --

-- but any suspicion towards people of Middle Eastern descent would be wrong because jumping to to conclusions is wrong especially is based on nothing more than personal bias --

-- but there is our Middle East policy to take into account and by doing so we should understand that this might be blow back --

-- but we should focus of the TP because they complain the government is corrupt and oppressive --

-- but they're nothing like Chris Dorner whose methods may have been wrong but he speaks to the larger issue of government corruption and oppression.

Whatever. It looks like people are trying to shoehorn events into their own political paradigms which itself is pretty repugnant because that means they're advancing their agenda over the bodies of the killed and maimed.

I'm of the opinion we should let the professionals do their jobs and we should prudently constrain our comments to the fruits of their labor.

[el_bryanto]

1. I sort of agree, but - this is a discussion board. You come here for discussion

People have to keep their fingers typing or there's no board. So even though we don't know much; we have to keep typing and discussing with each other what we know or don't know. And speculation fuels discussion.

That's the nature of a discussion board.

Bryant

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. I suppose an argument for "the Jews did it" would also fuel discussion

But it would also be a discussion based on nothing more than personal axe-grinding that reveals more about the "discusser" than the thing being discussed.

[whatchamacallit]

6. Certainly not likely

but is it impossible?

[el_bryanto]

7. I agree that people should make more restrained reasonable posts

But I'm just saying that the nature of a discussion board implies that they don't have to.

Bryant

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Very much like the Texas DA shootings this year: the Left said Neo-Nazis! The Right said Cartels!

Round and round it went.

Then the banal. The utter banality of it.

I suspect a similar result here.

[FSogol]

4. The solution is to jump on a high horse and criticize the posters here on DU, right?

Whatever, indeed.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

8. I would like to think criticizing those who politicize the dead and maimed is not a high-horse act

but baseline humanity.

[FSogol]

9. Rhetoric. No one is politicizing the injured or dead. They're just

trying to wrap their minds around the evil that can commit acts such as these.

[sabrina 1]

28. Lol, but you would never, ever politicize anything tragic??

I still like MY high horse even if you don't. How do you like yours?

And this seems like a meta post to me which is 'whining about DU' just fyi.

Poor Tea Baggers, I feel so sorry for them.

Muslims too, but they don't count, do they? Any complaints about the speculation it might have been a 'terrorist', which of course always means someone from the ME.

'Let the professionals do their job'. Yes, let's do that rather than writing OPs drawing attention to all the speculation.

[geek tragedy]

5. People project their own beliefs into the hazy set of facts

in the aftermath of such tragedies, and seek validation for those beliefs.

[Skidmore]

10. Who has told you this?

All I have heard from officials is that they do not yet know who did it but are investigating and factoring in all possible scenarios as the evidence dictates. I would suspend forming a conclusion about suspect and motive until there is actually some evidence to support those hypotheses. In the meantime, join all of us in the free floating anxious state into which we have been plunged,

[Nuclear Unicorn]

14. "suspend forming a conclusion about suspect and motive until there is actually some evidence"

My point exactly.

[Robb]

11. Who we choose to blame, this early, only describes who we are.

However, so does who you choose to defend.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

12. I'm not accusing or defending anyone. That's the point of the OP.

[Melinda]

13. It's human nature to look for cause and for someone to blame; it's normal human behavior,

albeit confusing and at times downright awful. We all strive to make sense of horrific acts and tragedy... some of us jump to extreme conclusions, others urge calmness and to wait, others become confused by others actions. It just is what it is, it's normal, and your reaction is normal too.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

15. It may occur naturally but that deosn't mean we should accept it as our nature

If so a case could be argued that Islamophobia is natural. It may well be but our world will never improve if we do not rise above that nature. And we can choose to do so. We are not mere animals rooting around from one morsel to the next. We get to decide who we want to become.

[ieoeja]

16. Let's see...

1. Four years ago a group of people initiated a series of riots to shut down town hall meetings across the country.

2. These same people have spent the four years since repeatedly threatening armed violence against all who disagree with them and exhorting others to "exercise 2nd Amendment rights".

3. Rabidly anti-tax.

4. They call themselves the "Tea Party".

5. In the city of the original Tea Party which most people mistake for an anti-tax protest.

6. On Tax Day.

7. Rabidly pro-gun.

8. Death threats against families of Newtown massacre victims.

9. Bombs situated in the vicinity of familes of Newtown massacre victims.


And you think it is our politics that make us suspect a RW tearrorist?

[uponit7771]

18. +1

[Nuclear Unicorn]

22. So when the RW points to

9/11

The Underwear Bomber

The Shoe Bomber

The DC Snipers

The Fort Hood Shooter

The Fort Dix plotters

The would-be Times Square Bomber

The Denver cabbie

etc

Then they it isn't their politics that makes them suspect Islam.

That's what you're saying?

[uponit7771]

17. You're right, the TP been smart and stable part of society...no need to look their way

[kcr]

19. Oh, right. It's soooo confusing.

Give me a break. I know it's hard for some to accept that the facts do indeed point in a certain direction, particularly for those of a certain political persuasion. Get over it. It may indeed turn out to be something completely different. There's nothing wrong with waiting for the facts. But people speculate. It's a fricking discussion board. It's like complaining that water is wet. And board nannies suck.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

23. Alex Jones speculates too.

[kcr]

24. So

You would equate the posts on DU to what Alex Jones does? That's interesting.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

25. Some posts. Yes.

[sabrina 1]

29. The police speculate also every time a crime is committed. They ask themselves questions, such as

'who had the most likely motive to commit this crime'?

'who had the opportunity'?

'who owns weapons similar to what were used in the crime'?

'why were the victims specifically targeted'?

They speculate because they do not know initially.

They search for clues.

If the clues match their speculations they have taken a step forward.

Everyone speculates when a crime is committed.

Speculation is part of every investigation.

People have every right to speculate.

People who make public, threatening statements should expect to be viewed as suspects.

If you don't want to be viewed as a suspect, don't act like one.

Up to a trial and before conviction by a jury, everything is speculation with the most likely suspect on trial. Sometimes the speculations turn out to wrong. Sometimes they turn out to right.

Maybe if people didn't go around arming themselves and calling for Revolution, people would not speculate about them. Maybe they're just blowing off steam.

We'll see. Meanwhile, if speculating threads bother you, thrash them.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

30. Some of it leads to a mob mentality

Like when Randi Rhodes went to the hospital and so many whipped themselves into a panic claiming it was political. Or when Rep. Giffords was shot and people were demanding Palin be arrested for something.

(Let me guess, I'll be accused of being a Palin supporter now.)

It's no different than the reflexive Islamophobia and they both seem to have a hope the preferred enemy is guilty so as to justify some sort of response.

[rrneck]

20. Nobody does anything for just one reason.

Some people think - and type - out loud. Others are upset. Some may have friends or relatives in Boston. And I agree that political orthodoxy and personal agenda peddling play a part as well. All the usual suspects seem to be pointing all the usual fingers. Of course, those suspects may have a personal stake in pushing their orthodoxy as well.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

21. OK everyone, Nuclear Unicorn told us to stop speculating

Without further ado, let us, for the first time since 2001, stop speculating about the big news stories of the day.

[cthulu2016]

26. No, Nuclear Unicorn suggested not being cartoon bigots

[DisgustipatedinCA]

27. ok, sparky, start diagramming this sentence

Let me know when you get to the cartoon bigots portion.

"I'm of the opinion we should let the professionals do their jobs and we should prudently constrain our comments to the fruits of their labor."

[Nuclear Unicorn]

32. What's wrong with that sentence?

[LWolf]

31. People need to process their fear and grief.

So they spend hours on tv, hours on the 'net, and in person, talking, talking, talking...

Sometimes that helps them process. Sometimes it just feeds the emotional drama without resolving anything. People like to have someone or something to blame. If the cause is not clear, if there is no identified perpetrator, they'll speculate, because they need to assign blame in order to process the event. It's human nature.

I don't have much to say about it, other than to express sorrow. I'm fine with waiting for enough information before coming to a conclusion or assigning responsibility.

But then, I don't spend the time watching tragedies on tv or rehashing them in other ways that most people do; I avoid excess drama when I can.