You should be too. First of all, what happened on Friday was a completely senseless and absurd tragedy. I don’t know the guy who did it, or his mom, or his family or anyone in that movie theatre (Thank God) but- for a multitude of different reasons, it never had to happen, it shouldn’t have happened and somehow it did.
Now, hopefully you’re not connected at all to anyone who was affected by what happened in Aurora Friday night, like I’m not… but you may still be inclined to feel badly because the normal, good, human response is sympathy. I felt terrible… and it sort of lingered in this perverse way that I couldn’t really figure out. Maybe you did too. And today I realized I was furious about it it.
Because this piece of shit thankfully didn’t take anyone I know (although he took plenty of children, brothers, friends, sisters, cousins, real PEOPLE) he tried to take something I love very much. Something very, very close to me. And to you perhaps. He tried to take movies away.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I would never watch a movie again; I would quit my job entirely if it brought any of those people back. They are way more important than this post, or this idea. But I think it’s worth mentioning.
I chose to do what I do for a living because I LOVE movies. I love what they can bring to people, I love how anyone and everyone can get something out of them. I love that everyone has a favorite one, that people bond over them, and I love the experience of watching a movie in a theatre with a lot of people and sharing it with them. It’s one of the last things we all come to do together willingly with each other- with complete strangers. I love hearing other people’s laughter, excited screams, and genuine reactions to entertainment that a lot of people with the same love I have worked hard to produce. That guy, (who unfortunately, is clearly out of his mind) tried to take that away from us.
Don’t let him. I had planned to go see a movie Friday night, and then, honestly, felt actual fear about going. Fear, and sadness. I didn’t go. I’m going today. I can’t let anyone take such a fantastic, beautiful, incredibly transcendent experience and make me afraid of it.
I’m going to the movies today. I’ll go early, I’ll sit and think about those people who died, their families, their friends. I’ll think about all the people who were hurt or affected by it. I’ll probably do that every time I go to the movies, for a long time.
But no one is going to take movies away from me.
