Everything I read today is made me angry. Usually I can find something that makes me happy, but not today.
I came across an especially annoying article today that got me worked up enough to write this blog. Remember the Colorado theatre shooting during the July opening of The Dark Knight Rises? Twelve people were killed and 70 were injured by a man named James Holmes, who is now facing multiple counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder. This article, http://news.yahoo.com/colo-theater-shooting-kin-reject-movie-invitation-184020439.html is about how the theatre where it happened, Cinemark, is inviting the families of victims to their reopening of the theatre and a "night of remembrance" for the victims. The families think it's a "disgusting offer" that came at a really hard time. I agree the timing is crappy, but the gesture is not.
Some of the families are also suing the theatre, for reasons not stated in this article. (http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/22/justice/colorado-shooting-lawsuit/index.html --- this article talks more about why) In my opinion, the theatre has nothing to do with the fact that a crazed killer shot their family members. That killer made his own decision - however insane it was - to come into that theater and shoot people. Holmes didn't have some deal with Cinemark, the Texas-based theatre company, to come in during their biggest movie of the summer and kill people. Actually, it would make no sense whatsoever for that to have happened. It was a big release and companies usually try to squeeze every last penny from something instead of stopping income altogether. It's just petty of the families to then turn their sights on Cinemark as well as just plain greedy. The money is not going to bring back their dead loved ones and it's really just going to create a lot of negativity in a town already dealing with something horrible.
I read later on into the article where one of the family members, Sandy Phillips, acknowledges that it's unrealistic but she would like the theatre, where her daughter was killed, to be demolished. This is completely absurd. Why in the hell would they do that? It was a huge movie and of course the theatre The Dark Knight was played in was one of their biggest ones, as to pack as many bodies in on opening night as possible. The theater would be taking a huge hit if they got rid of their theatre, but also, where would they build another one? I don't understand where the money will come from for them to do this, and I don't expect that these families have thought of it. Sounds to me like it's people grieving and will hopefully all blow over, for the theatre's sake.
Nobody is talking about the theatre being a victim, so I will. Their whole summer was messed up because some jerk went crazy and one of their theaters had to be shut down. It also will affect the other theaters and whether people want to come see a movie after something so horrific. Imagine this happening in your hometown - I am sure it would change your decision on which theatre to attend. Yeah, now everyone has heard the company Cinemark but in a negative light and they also have multiple families suing them and spitting at their kind gesture. The families even go on to say that it's a ploy by the theatre company to show that the victims and their families support the reopening. My question is, why shouldn't they? The theatre was a victim, too. If anything they should be helping to open the place back up so everyone can move on. Plus, was it so bad that they offered to make a memorial? If that was so absurd we wouldn't have Ground Zero.
I am just fed up with people trying to sue other people and companies especially over such stupid shit. Not only is the theatre company not responsible for paying these families their grievance pay but why aren't they focusing on the guy that is responsible? James Holmes' hearing is next week and I hope this story will blow over and people will start focusing on what is important, getting this guy in a mental institution or behind bars, not suing companies who didn't do anything wrong.
What do you think about this article? Do you agree that people are focusing their grief in the wrong place? How would you handle the situation if it was your family member or yourself who sustained an injury? Please comment below to give me your feedback.
