Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Very brief comment on Ashburton

The media coverage of the Ashburton killer's background is sympathetic.

I have no sympathy for him. He lost his mother while still at college. So he should know what it feels like. Yet he has probably robbed children of a mother; partners, sisters and brothers, parents, friends of someone who added enormous value and meaning to their lives. Someone who was everything to them. Why?

It is unforgivable whatever his circumstances are. Harsh? I don't think so. My compassion is directed towards those innocent people just going about their work. Trying, in fact, to help this man. As had Presbyterian Support staff who also got kicked in the teeth for it and are probably thanking God today that he set his sights on WINZ and not them.

No. I have no sympathy. It's just a shame he didn't finish himself off and avoid all the further suffering the friends and families will have to endure as he appears repeatedly before them on their TV screens if not in the flesh.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I don't think the media is sympathetic - its just someone who knew him as a normal bloke wondering out loud what the heck went wrong. While I don't think the pondering really helps to prevent this type of thing we are naturally curious why supposedly normal people do something so awful. When people act out of character its hard to prevent something bad happening because you won't see it coming.

3:16