When I heard about the horrific massacre that took place in Colorado last week, I, along with millions of others, was shocked and saddened by this senseless slaying of innocent souls, guilty of nothing but buying a ticket to see the latest blockbuster at the local movie theater. There is no explaining a crime like this, and no understanding what motivates a person to walk into a crowded movie house and open fire on random people. The sadness of last Friday goes even further than grieving for the loss of innocent lives, we also grieve for the loss of the movie theater as a safe haven in which to escape from the troubles of the world.
Since the early days of cinema, people have gone to the movies to temporarily erase the problems in their lives. From the Great Depression to World War II, to the Vietnam War and even the financial crises of today, nothing mattered when we went to the movies. We walked into another world, and everything was ok for those two hours spent within its walls. On Friday, that safety was savagely violated, fearlessly and unmercifully. It is hard to say now, one week out from the shooting, what effect this will have on the psychology of moviegoers, but it is certain that for those individuals who were in the theater and survived the shooting, will never again see going to the movies as an escape.
As the owner of this blog, I am joining forces with other movie bloggers, classic and otherwise, to help raise money and awareness for the survivors of the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting. In this day of the online media being the primary source of much information, I believe that we bloggers have a responsibility to do our part to raise awareness for causes that need attention. This is a fund drive organized by the website The Movie Pool, and all donations go directly to the victims through the Colorado Organization for Victims Assistance (COVA),working with the Aurora Police Department. Donations start at $1, so if you can stand not having that chocolate bar you were hoping to get, your dollar will go toward paying a victim’s medical bills and/or other expenses incurred as a result of the shooting.
Please donate here:
If you would prefer to give directly to the source, there is a link on the COVA website that will lead you to the right place. Any money donated through this post will count toward The Movie Pool’s fundraising goal of $10,000 for the victims, in which case your donating through this post would help The Movie Pool reach its goal.
Thank you for reading, and may we soon feel safety at the movies once again.
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Backlots 
Thank you Lara for this sensitive post. I will donate now to this worthy cause.