Iraq vet killed in Duluth. Newspapers fueling the fire?

Posted July 5th, 2007 by Matt

On Saturday, June 30th, Iraq vet Staff Sgt. Adam Michael Sheda, 26, was shot and killed in a dispute in Duluth. This is tragic, don't get me wrong. The Duluth Police have apparently already arrested the individual responsible. Alcohol was a contributing factor in the case.

What I don't get however is the newspaper's blurbs about Adam's myspace account (most recently in the Star Trib). Can someone tell me what this has to do with the rest of the story?:

While still in Iraq, Sheda opened a myspace.com account that included the following:

"I'm on my second year in Iraq right now, which is wonderful! All my friends better throw me one hell of a party when I get home. My plans when I get back are to drink until my heart stops."

Comments

Reason

On July 6th, 2007 yearofglad says:

The reason is complex. We're supposed to think that we shouldn't be surprised he got into trouble while intoxicated (he crashed a party in a backyard while drunk). We should have seen it coming from way back when he was in Iraq.

I think, also, it's a sad irony that he wrote, "My plans... are to drink until my heart stops." It's ironic and sad, but now I'm just repeating myself.

I suppose part of it is that we're supposed to realize that he isn't blameless. Honestly, I think that's important - it's easy to, because he's a war veteran and a "hero" (in some sense of the word, for willing to represent his country in a dangerous war). So it's easy to assume that whatever happened wasn't his fault, which isn't an accurate representation of the situation.

Lastly, though, why mention myspace so prominently? Because, don't you know, MySpace is evil? It's led to school shootings, teacher-student sex, intense bullying, and now the senseless death of an Iraq war vet. The media needs to demonize technology that the kids are all using. You know, that Grand Theft Auto, the rock-and-roll music, MySpace, video games in general, etc.

Last thing: I think it's actually refreshing - a poor word choice, perhaps, in this situation, but ... - that the media is actually placing blame where it probably needs to go: on the shoulders of the victim and the perpetrator. They aren't explicitly blaming MySpace; they're sort of mythologizing it.

See, I told you it was complex.

http://www.yearofglad.com

Sheda's killer sent to prison

On May 19th, 2008 Matt says:

"Luis Hogan, 26, received a 12½-year sentence Monday after pleading guilty in March to second-degree murder while committing a felony for fatally shooting Sheda, 26, of Cloquet on June 30 of last year."

DNT Article