I think his point is that people are pushing back against emotional stories that don't have actionable responses. It's more pleasant to feel righteous and smug

I think his point is that people are pushing back against emotional stories that don't have actionable responses. It's more pleasant to feel righteous and smug, to blame the victim, than to recognize that, no, this is the arbitrary tragedy of life. You could be next. And there's nothing you can do about it. (From the Pulitzer Prize winning article cited. "Humans...have a fundamental need to create and maintain a narrative for their lives in which the universe is not implacable and heartless, that terrible things do not happen at random, and that catastrophe can be avoided if you are vigilant and responsible.") I wonder what it would look like if we actually were presented with actionable solutions?