We Are Virginia Tech

[sup-rbeast]

A motivational speech doesn't require facts. If she were spouting out "facts" she would have named times and dates...but that's not the point. This woman was trying to motivate, comfort, unify, and begin to heal the 33,000 people in that arena ( not to mention thousands around the world). And her words were strong and appropriate. I think she did a great job, and apparently other folks did too. When it comes to things related to tragedies like this, if you don't have anything positive and encouraging to say, it's usually best to say nothing at all.

[imported_VTgal]

Very well said. Thank you.

[imported_elp6n]

I also agree with that statement.
...............

I think when there is an event as overly extreme of this there's going to be quite a few different trains of thought from the masses, and that's what we're dealing with now.

[TheBeast]

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She was the one who tried to get him to get professional help - but he refused. And since he made no actual threats against anyone he couldn't be forced to a mental facility. The one or two days he spent at St. Albans in 2005 was voluntary. She told campus police about him. But there was nothing they could "do" to or for him.
The supporting information for this is in the various articles on MSNBC, CNN, etc. I don't have the time to go through them at the moment to quote from, but if you desired you could research it.


[/ QUOTE ]

Thank you for clearing that up, I was hoping that was the case that all details weren't supplied in the original quote.

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A motivational speech doesn't require facts.

[/ QUOTE ]

How can you believe that facts aren't relevant in any situation, more especially in motivational speeches such as this that are going to open to scrutiny everywhere. She is using these as examples of fact to prove a point in her speech/poem. If she didn't use this one phrase about the child her being killed on a regular basis in her arguments against mining/strip mining this isn't something that would just pop up in your mind or in general research as a tragic event.

[sup-rbeast]

Like I said..it was a speech..not a documentary. If the message you got from her examples in her speech was that there are alot of injustices and cruelty in the world...then you got the gist and that was her objective. And yes, that child's death was a tragic event...whether it pops into your mind or not.

[plantsman]

I hope I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that Giovanni used this sad, tragic event to promulgate her own philosophy and agenda.

[R0cketer]

Don't most motivating speeches talk about things like how we will overcome. We will grow. We will stive. We will thrive.

How many times do few of those things happen?

So what exactly would be a motivating, spirit rising speech.

Hey we are all here. We're not dead. Ummm hopefully we're not screwed up by the tragedy that we've had. I'm sure some of you will be. Rah!

Oh wait, saying I'm sure some will be isn't a fact.

So scratch that too.

Come on people. Dislike some of her views, etc, but I don't think she jumped up and said we've lost a lot of people today but lets do away with mining. Quit trying to find fault in everything.

[TheBeast]

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I hope I'm wrong, but I get the feeling that Giovanni used this sad, tragic event to promulgate her own philosophy and agenda.

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[img]/LDPforum/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beer1.gif[/img]

Exactly what I am trying to emphasize.

[sup-rbeast]

Alot of folks miss the point. Mining is fine. Mining unsafely that results in the death of a child is not. Just like gun control. Around here everyone goes and votes for Bush. When asked why half of em say "cuz the democrats wanna take our guns away". Just political spin. But I hope those same folks like payin the gas prices nowdays.

[ QUOTE ]
So this woman is equating the life of these Tech students with the life of an elephant?

[/ QUOTE ]

No she is not making a comparrison between the deceased students and a baby elephant.... do you understand hypathetical statements?