Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Why mass killings? The reasons are obvious.

We live in a culture that glorifies violence - and de-sensitizes us to the pain of others. On the one hand, this enormous outpouring of sympathy for the families of Newtown - on the other hand, not a word or a tear for the Afghan and Iraqi families, the Palestinians in Gaza - literally thousands of children, women and families - who have been killed or lost loved ones as "collateral damage."

Any society that accepts the concept of "collateral damage" except as the rarest of ocurrances in the most desperate of situations is sowing the seeds of it's own destruction. It's a mindset that says the lives of some don't matter. Then where is the moral boundary on anyone to restrain their murderous rages?

Our television and film glorifies "men with guns," and every problem is solved in 30-60 minutes by killing the "bad guys," or at least capturing them at gunpoint. Those with larger, more deadly guns are seen as "more powerful."

An assault rifle backed up by pockets full of handguns and ammo is  such an easy way for those who feel themselves "helpless" and  "powerless" to gain a grandiose, illusory - but deadly - moment of potency. As in this case, the act itself is often a "suicide note," a lethal "fuck you and everything you hold dear," from one who feels an outcast, to the society that fails to offer a way out.

There will always be crazy people. Some day we may care less about our tunnel-focus on "getting my share" and understand that we neglect those with more desperate problems at our own peril. We ignore the ignorant, the criminal, the mentally ill, the poor, the elderly, and when we do so, we create the climate in which cases of repressed rage and delusion like this one, and so many others - can flourish.

Then, of course, we make some of the most powerful weapons the world has ever seen available too pretty much anyone who wants them, or has enough guile to get them from others. Given what we know about some of the recent shooters, you don't have to be the brightest bulb on the string to figure out how to arm yourself up like Rambo.

It's a multi-faceted problem. We have to address all the issues: the culture, the care of those suffering from mental illness, the availability of military-style weapons to the general public. But we will make progress by addressing each one individually, as well as by seeing them altogether in context. The complex, interconnected nature of these problems can't be used as an excuse to avoid facing them...

Gun control legislation, Mental Health services improvement, and an initiative from the public to find something other than sensationalist violence on which to focus our "action/adventure" entertainment are among the areas we need to address. Pick one and get to work - unless you want to continue to be part of the problem.