Sandy Hook:The Face of Tragedy?

In this article titled “Sandy Hook:The Face of Tragedy?” we will examine the curious reactions of parents and participants of the Sandy Hook Event.

I have mentioned, many times, my lack of interest in the more subjective aspects of the Sandy Hook research effort. Whether it’s facial comparisons, photo examinations or even the reactions of participants, I have chosen, for the most part, to avoid them. I avoid them not only because of their subjective nature but also because they are extremely provocative and easily attacked by opponents.

That being said, I have also contended for 2 years that there can be no doubt about our psychological/scientific understanding of general reaction to trauma, ptsd, the stages of grief and the connection between memories and emotions. But it wasn’t until I watched The Fifth Estate’s program on the harassment and death of Amanda Todd that it crystallized for me.

The REAL Sandy Hook Stalkers

While I have been choosing to ignore this particular area of research the reality is this is the very issue that compels so many people to begin asking questions. Women, especially mothers, from around the world see images like the ones below and are incredulous…gobsmacked…that these could be parents in the throes of actual grief.

Sandy Hook:The Face of Tragedy?

The above image is of Robbie Parker, the father of Emilie Parker, one of the children allegedly killed at Sandy Hook. The image is a screencap from a press conference that Mr. Parker and his family held on December 15th, 2012. There is no doubt in my mind that the first 2 minutes of this press conference has brought more people to question Sandy Hook than any other single piece of information.

As you can see in the below photo the smiles weren’t limited to Mr. Parker.

Notice in the caption on the above picture how CNN describes President Obama as “wiping away tears” during his press conference? I know it may seem like a small thing but a comment like that has zero basis in fact and is designed to overwhelm your cognitive functions.

There were no “tears” from Obama. It’s all just theatre. A show designed to distract and confuse. How’s it working?

The curious reactions of Sandy Hook families was enough of an issue for us that we took the time to search out and catalogue as many of them as we could. If I’m not mistaken this is still the most highly viewed video from Insanemedia.

If I had a dollar for every time someone said something to the effect of, “When my dog died I didn’t leave the house for a week. How could those people be grieving?”…well…I could probably hire someone to write these articles for me.

Sandy Hook:The Face of Tragedy?

There are many scholarly studies discussing the connection between memory and emotion, but the following description will do for our purposes.

When remembering an emotional event, you recall not only what happened, but also how you felt – an emotional memory. Both sorts of memory can be triggered by something you heard, saw or even smelt, at the time. Scientists think that you store early emotional memories, even if you cannot remember what actually happened. These memories may still affect you as adults

“When remembering an emotional event, you recall not only what happened, but also how you felt”

If you’ve viewed the entire Fifth Estate program you will no doubt have noticed how well the parents of Amanda Todd are able to maintain their composure. This is slightly over a year after the death of their daughter. But notice what happens when they’re asked to remember, to revisit, a painful moment.

They not only remember the details, they also remember…re-feel…the emotions they experienced at the time.

In this video we will meet Carl Kiefer. Mr. Kiefer was a cook, driver, and rifleman with Service Co, 33rd Armored Regiment, U.S. 3rd Armored Division. In this short video you will hear Mr. Kiefer describe an event from WW2. Notice at the point he’s asked about the stove and the pancakes he immediately smiles. Then…moments later…another memory creeps in and his emotion changes to reflect the experience…over a 1/2 century later.





Now compare those reactions with the ones in the following videos and keep in mind these reactions are days/weeks…not months or years…after the tragic death of their children.

Note how when asked about having to tell their other child about the death of his sister Mr. McDonnell describes it as being “by far the hardest thing”, but there is not one indication from him that he’s remembering it that way. Actually, it doesn’t seem as though he’s remembering anything at all.

Notice how Mrs. McDonnell speaks of finding the peace sign on the fogged bathroom window the very next day. Tell me that wouldn’t rip a parent’s heart out…but she smiles and remembers it happily.

Notice when they talk about the funeral home…and the casket…no display of the sort of emotion you’d expect while remembering, what must have been, one of the most devastating days of their lives. Mrs. McDonnell even describes the experience in deeply painful terms. “You felt like the floor was falling out beneath you and your breath was taken away.” Even the terminology is interesting. “You” felt like the floor was falling out. “Your” breath was taken away. A lie spotter might be tempted to refer to that as “distancing language”.

Even as she describes this apparently painful experience we see no emotional evidence of it. On the contrary. At first mention of the casket Mr. McDonnell breaks into a beaming smile and Mrs. McDonnell isn’t far behind.

And here again we see the same sort of inexplicable disconnect between the emotions being described and the emotions being experienced. Mrs. Hubbard describes the grieving process as Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. The implication is that it’s very, very difficult. But we see no evidence of this. Likewise with her response to being asked how they’re making it through the holidays.

Cooper asks…the holidays must be tough. Mrs. Hubbard’s response? “Yes…and no.” “Christmas in our house is not going to be a sad time…it can’t…that’s not what we’re about.” What would you sacrifice to have the ability to so easily control your responses to a tragic loss?

Then watch as Mrs. Hubbard recalls her experience at the firehouse on Dec.14th and how she knew…she knew…she (Catherine) was gone. There is not one single indication that this woman is recalling any sort of tragic event. Actually, as with the McDonnells, she doesn’t appear to be recalling anything at all.

Now go back and watch the clip of the Todds one more time.

Regardless what anyone will try to tell you, these reactions to emotional trauma are not the norm. The reactions to recalling deeply emotional experiences is not the norm. The acceptance of the loss of their loved one so soon after the event is not the norm.

Now I invite you to watch this short clip from a Ted Talk by

Pamela Meyer:How to Spot a Liar

“What you want to look for here is an incredible discrepancy between horrific events that she describes and her very, very cool demeanor.”

I’ll leave it for you to decide if there are any meaningful parallels to be drawn between Ms. Meyer’s examples and our discussion.

Sandy Hook:The Face of Tragedy?

At this point you may be saying, “Ok, Swan, fair enough but you have to know not everyone experiences grief in the same way. You can’t judge the legitimacy of an entire event by the reactions of one or 2 participants.” And you’d be absolutely correct. That would be unfair. In this case though, these are but a few pixels of a much larger picture.

As Ms. Meyers states in her presentation, “These behaviours are just behaviours. They are not proof of deception. They’re red flags. They don’t mean anything in and of themselves. But when you see CLUSTERS of them, that’s your signal.”

The question is…what does it mean? There are a few options, I suppose. These people could have such strong spiritual or religious convictions…the sort with which I have no familiarity…that it allows them to deal with tragedy and loss in this manner.

It could be that the responses are perfectly accurate…for someone who lost their child a much longer time ago…under very different circumstances.

It could mean their children weren’t really dead at the time these interviews were conducted.

Or it could simply mean that this entire event is every bit as contrived and disingenuous as it appears.

I really don’t know. I may never know. But I won’t pretend this aspect of Sandy Hook research isn’t as troubling to me as it is to millions of others.

~swansong~

Thanks for reading Sandy Hook:The Face of Tragedy? If you have any thoughts on this, or any of our articles, we’d like to hear from you.