...OK, I wrote this whole long essay, but figured that nobody would bother to read it....
So, what many people are essentially claiming is this:
1. It's possible to assess someone's general emotional state and overall reaction to a major tragedy after only observing him or her on television for, at most, 10-15 minutes. (And we'll ignore that fact that much of this footage was prerecorded and edited.)
2. Everyone who experiences a tragic loss reacts by falling apart, breaking down in tears, going into shock, etc - never mind that a good deal of recent scientific findings say otherwise. [
link to faculty.tc.columbia.edu]
3. In any case, since we didn't see it on television, the Sandy Hook families
never ever fell apart, went into a state of shock, or broke down in tears.
4. If somebody isn't reacting "normally" to a tragedy, then the only possible explanation is that s/he is an actor or faking the death of his or her loved one.
Therefore, the family members of the Sandy Hook victims must be actors!!
IMHO, there are some significant flaws in this argument.
