Using the Boston Marathon bombing for attention is uncool

Tragedy struck in our country yesterday when two bombs detonated at the scene of the Boston Marathon. What had been a day of excitement and joy shattered into a horrific nightmare as two bombs went off within seconds of each other. Three people died and over 170 people were injured.

Today I wanted to write a poem about what happened -- specifically, to remember those lost that day and to offer my thoughts to those affected by it. I could not write this poem yesterday; I was too stunned when I learned about what happened and would not have been able to write about it. But today I did. First, though, I read all of the articles I could find about it. I watched the videos and looked at the pictures. Had to stop, though, after I started to cry because it all just got to be too much. After I recomposed myself, I wrote the poem.

And I thought that was the last of it. I found out otherwise later on!

First, I'll say that my 11-year-old daughter, Jennifer, does know about what happened yesterday. They were talking about it at her school and I explained it to her.

Now, Jennifer plays an Internet game with her friends. Of course, other people have the option of playing this game, too. It's a very popular game and it's on a reputable site. Well, today, when she was playing the game, she got my attention and told me, "This kid is saying his dad and brother died in the Boston Marathon bombing yesterday."
 
Right after she told me that, alarm bells immediately went off. Something about that wasn't right. I did NOT know for certain if that was true -- in all the articles I'd read, I didn't come across names of those killed -- but this struck me as incorrect somehow. I told Jennifer to be careful. I said she should just say "I'm sorry" then move on. Don't talk to that person. She told me she did but she was also feeling a little sad for that person. I told her, "I don't think he's telling the truth so don't get too close. Just go do other things." She said she would do that.

With that settled, I grabbed my phone and Googled for the names of the people who died in the bombings, hoping that information was out there somewhere. Thankfully, an article came up with the names, and guess what? There was NO father and son among the dead. I knew that there was a little boy who died, but not sure of the others. But there was no father and son.

I went back to where Jennifer sat at the desk and informed her of what I found out. She was confused why someone would do that and I told her some people tell lies on the Internet to get attention or to trick people into sending them money and stuff. My husband and I have told her MANY times not to trust people she doesn't know on the Internet but I guess sometimes she needs the occasional reminder.

I went back to cooking dinner but I was really upset about this. I was shocked someone would use something like a national tragedy to get attention or to have people feel sorry fo him. Or to just deceive others. I was also angry about it. What kind of sicko DOES that??

Later, as we ate dinner, I told my husband about what happened. (He'd been at work.) After I told him, Jennifer asked him why someone would do that.

"Because they're liars," he said.

He went on to say more to her about it but I did not pay attention. I was in my own thoughts, remembering how I'd been angry someone would do that. But, like Jennifer, I could not understand how someone would do such a thing, or even why. Yes, I know there are liars and tricksters and people who deceive others. But it's still hard for me to understand why any person thinks it's perfectly okay to use a horrible tragedy as a way to get attention. It's just wrong. It's so wrong.


Jennifer did speculate that maybe these were two guys who died later. I told her that could be true, but I'd been going through several news sites since this came up and still did not see anything about a father and son who died from their injuries. So it is very likely that what happened at her game today was just someone using this story to get attention. That's pretty pathetic.

If only more people would understand the devastation we feel because of terrible tragedies such as this. The nightmare it causes for all of us. And the devastating loss of a loved one, of a child. Something like this should not be used for selfish reasons or dishonest motives. People who think it's okay to do that should think twice and ask themselves if they think it's worth dishonoring the memory of those who REALLY lost their lives on that day.


NOTE: Since posting this, I have NOT discounted the possibility that maybe that kid was telling the truth. I'm not saying this was indeed a person telling a lie just to get attention but right off the bat, the way it looked to me at that time, this person could not be trusted. I have since come across this article and have considered that perhaps a father and son related to this kid did indeed perish because of the bombing.