Over the last few days we have seen and been reminded of two massacres. Last weekend Norway remembered the first anniversary of the 77 victims of a bomb and gun shooting. During a brief television clip a young Norwegian man said that this tragedy hadn't changed Norway's commitment to an open and transparent society, if anything it had made Norway stronger. And in a wreath-laying ceremony at the bomb site, the Norwegian Prime Minister said the perpetrator Anders Breivik had failed in his declared goal of destroying Norway's commitment to being an inclusive, multicultural society. Earlier this week, President Obama having visited with the survivors and families of the Colorado cinema killings promised that their strength and courage will long outlive the deeds of the shooter. He said, "The perpetrator of this evil act has received a lot of attention over the past couple of days," "What will be remembered are the good people impacted by this tragedy." A moving message to a country in shock. Yet America has witnessed an upsurge in people rushing out to buy guns after this massacre, many convinced that they need guns for their own protection. Different kinds of terror lead to different reactions but such tragic incidents also say something about how individuals and nations choose to react and remember.
过去的这几天里发生的一幕幕令我们想起了两次大屠杀。上个周末挪威为爆炸枪击中得77名遇害者举办了第一次周年纪念。在一份简短的电视片段中，一个年轻的挪威人说这场悲剧如果有使我们更加强大的地方，那就是它并未改变挪威对于开放和清晰透明的社会的信奉。在爆炸地点的献花仪式上，挪威首相说罪犯安德斯•布莱维克的行为并没有实现任何关于他所声称的摧毁挪威成为包容和多元化的社会的信奉。这周早些时候，奥巴马总统访问了科罗拉多电影院枪击案幸存者和他们的家人，希望他们的力量和勇气会战胜这场枪击事件。他说：“这个罪恶行为的作恶者在过去的几天里受到大量的关注，”“值得令我们铭记的是很多善良的人们被这场悲剧所打击。”对于震惊的国人这无疑是感人的问候。现在在美国，急忙冲去购买枪支的人数被证实在屠杀之后急剧上升，很多人解释他们需要抢来保护自己。不同的恐怖活动引起不同的影响，但这悲剧性的事件可以反映个人和国家的反应和纪念的选择。
