Why is it that nothing captures the attention of a society like a tragedy? Across the world, nations of different people and people of different nations have joined together to mourn for Japan. That unified us, in a sense.
In the Dayton area, we’ve had two horrific moments in the last few months that dominated the local news scene. In this new era of social networking—and by extension, social discussion—it is near impossible to avoid the news. So even if you don’t read the newspaper or watch the local newscast, you ran a decent chance of catching wind of either.
The first story that captured us was the tragic killing of Deputy Sheriff Suzanne Hopper, a mother of two. Just in case you didn’t understand the scope of that story, consider that The Daily Mail newspaper in England picked it up. When that happens—and it doesn’t often—the power of the story shouldn’t be ignored. Hopper’s death was heart-wrenching.
Then came the slaying of Tiffany Brown and Gladis and Dick Russell. That entire episode lasted weeks. The Dayton Daily News and all of the local TV networks covered it extensively. It deserved the attention. The police searched and searched for Samuel Littleton II, whom they suspected had killed Brown and—at least at the time—was suspected of having abducted the Russells.
As the police searched for Russell, we can remember hearing people say things like; “Why would he take those old people?”; “What could they have done to him?”; and, in the end, the saddest of all, “I just hope those two are okay.”
They weren’t okay. Littleton has admitted to killing all three, and will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Why did those stories catch us? Is it a matter of scope? Both the Hopper and Littleton stories had twists and turns. Take the Hopper story. First, we find out that she’s a decorated cop who died in the line of fire. That itself is a sad story. Then we find she is a mother of two, and we see via TV the outpouring of support from the local community and from across the country.
So, again. Why does it take a tragedy to get and hold the collective attention of a community? Not that the community could’ve stopped either of these two tragedies from occurring, but in the sense that the good stories don’t always resonate in the same way. A nice story about a local foodbank receiving enough donations to stay afloat won’t stick with you. It might make you smile, but do you find yourself bringing it up in idle conversation?
Maybe you do. But we don’t see that too often.