I was really, honestly saddened by this, as I am by all these stories. I was very nearly sick to my stomach when the news about Anders Behring Brevik's deranged actions in Norway broke out all those months ago, so another story like this just made me want to curl up under the table and mope for months. I will never understand people like this. And I don't ever want to.
As the names of the victims are finally announced, and as I read through articles like this one, I just wonder how any good can come of something as awful as this. I think of the families, I think of the 50-something others who were injured in the cinema during the shootings. And I wish there was something we could do.
Guess what. There is.
It's not often I break my posting rule and allow myself to post on Sundays. But this is really, really important. And it can't wait.
Facebook may be a collosal pain in the backside at times, but my-oh-my do its denizens have some very good ideas:
There is currently a spree of status updates across Pages and profiles urging people to get the attention of current Batman actor, Christian Bale.
Why? Because, in honour of their love for the character he plays, the originators want him to come and visit the injured in Aurora.
As Batman.
The message urges us to get this message as public and as far-ranging as we can. People have already taken to Twitter and Reddit, but we're going to need every bit of support we can get to really make this happen.
Because these people need a hero now. A real hero.
I don't know about you lot, but I'm going to get my butt in gear and support the motion as best I can. Although I'm a long way behind the actual news, this blog post is my first step in that direction. After that, I'm going to put something up on my Facebook page, and go hunting for places where the effort is still rolling - which I desperately hope it wil continue to do.
And I'm really hoping you guys will join me.
My Tumblr blog has a meagre number of followers, my YouTube channel even less, but here on this blog I know I have a goodly number of all of you watching me. And I know some of you have accounts in some of these places that have a better following than I do. So I reckon this is my best chance.
Let's prove to the world that heroes are still real. Let's give the victims something to smile about.
Let's make some noise.
~Charley R
EDIT: This just in from the lovely Cait - Christian Bale has indeed been to Aurora, visiting memorials and victims in hospital! Whether or not this internet campaign had anything to do with it, IS THIS NOT AWESOME? Hooray for nice people, for they are true heroes :D
