I know... we're not supposed to judge...

We've heard the remarkable and heroic stories of the men who died in the Aurora theatre protecting their girlfriends.  They are role models whose actions deserve the attention they're getting and who acted in ways men have traditionally been expected to act, to the seeming chagrin and wonder of some.

And then there are these kind of men:

When the shooting broke out, the “gentleman”, who was holding the infant, thought to himself that he was being a larger target (not his words, but along those lines), so he put the infant down and ran away. Away. From his girlfriend and the babies.  Out the door.  To his car.  And then?  He drove away.  From his ‘family’.

He didn’t see her again until he got to the hospital.  Once he got there, he proposed to her, and she accepted.

Oh, did I mention that she was suffering from shrapnel wounds?

And then he goes on national television and gets his 15 seconds (unaware that many people in the nation will think him a coward).

What are your thoughts?

My thoughts are pretty simple.  We've been conditioned culturally to look the other way when we see and hear these kinds of stories.  To not speak up about them.  To not judge.

This guy left his children and his girlfriend in the theatre with a killer.  Abandoned them.  Walked (actually ran) away.

But we shouldn't judge him.  That would be... wrong.

Here... let me be most wrong then.

This guy represents all that a man should never be.

This guy is an embarrassment to men.

This guy is the poster boy for feminized men.

God help him become who he needs to be.

Comments

[Marla Hughes]

One word: Coward.

[Kris, in New England]

What does it say about the woman that she accepted his proposal? Shock from her ordeal no doubt.

Perhaps he's a good father who just panicked in the face of pure evil. It's not an excuse certainly...but maybe that's why she accepted him. Because she knows him by more than his 15 seconds of infamy.

At least - I hope so.

[Rick]

Kris,

I so hope, and pray fervently, that you are correct.

[tim aka The Godless Heathen]

If the shooter can be considered a lunatic, as he is, and the men who gave their lives for their girlfriends can labeled heroes, and rightfully so, then I don’t believe it’s beyond acceptable to judge this despicable creature for what he is, a coward.

May his children grow up to be better people than him (and his girlfriend for not recognizing human scum sliming her shoes).

Just being Brutally Honest.

[GoneWithTheWind]

Everyone is essentially on their own. what this man did is about what everyone should have done. Would we all be happier if he had been one of the three men who died supposedly protecting their girlfriend? Everyone, girlfriend and boyfriend, should have taken cover and/or crawled/ran to safety. Should a man die because others think it is "manly"? Why didn't the girlfriend protect HIM?? Aren't we all "equal"?

[RandomThoughts]

GoneWithTheWind, please tell me you are being sarcastic. Lie to me if you must.

If "everyone is essentially on their own," who protects children and babies from harm in dangerous situations? Any father worthy of the name protects his entire family, his babies and their mother as well. With his life, if need be.

The alternative is behavior which is lower than that of most animals, destructive to the survival of any species.

[Rick]

GoneWithTheWind epitomizes for me all that is wrong with what society has become or is becoming.

"Everyone is essentially on their own. what this man did is about what everyone should have done."

Pathetically sad stuff.