On the subway home a couple of days ago, I happened to glance over at the magazine the man next to me was reading. In it was that picture of the man in the suit and tie falling out of the World Trade Center, upside down. The shot was even magnified a few times so the man was clearer.

Seeing this photo the other day, I couldn't help but think of the outrage and pandemonium that occurred over the airing and publication of photographs of the Virginia Tech shooter, along with the broadcast of his video tirade/manifesto. I even remember "Access Hollywood" or one of those nitwit programs taking a poll that asked something like "Was the media right in airing the photographs and videotape?"

Why is it OK to continuously air and broadcast videos and photographs of the World Trade Center but not the Virginia Tech shooter? Why is it ok to watch people burning and falling to their deaths but photographs of the Virginia Tech shooter are somehow off limits? I could rant and rave about this indefinitely, so I will try and whittle my thoughts down to a couple of points:

My theory is that everyone wants to feel somehow connected to the World Trade Center ("We're All New Yorkers"), and by constantly seeing images of it they get that connection. Also, it's a totally abstract event that people can't really grasp and seeing the pictures over and over somehow make it more real to people.

The Virginia Tech shooter, on the other hand, nobody wants to feel any connection to that (no "We're All Virginia Tech Students" tagline), and it's so real and completely grasp-able that people don't need to see pictures of him over and over again. The just want to forget about it. Whereas with 9/11 it's all about "Never Forget."

Don't worry. No one's forgetting.