Sadly, there is another mass shooting in the news. I’ve been thinking about these tragedies more intently since my oldest daughters are at an age when they are becoming more aware and thoughtful about such things.
I’ve been attempting to piece together some coherent thoughts about this kind of overwhelming violence so that I can talk to my girls in an honest way. I don’t know that I’ve reached any great epiphanies or that I have any of the answers, but I do know that most of the rhetoric out there is self-serving and aimed at symptoms instead of root causes.
What Changed?
Why don’t people ask themselves what has changed to cause the increase in these types of attacks? We hear on the news that these mass shootings are on the rise (I understand there is some valid debate about whether this is true or not) but no one seems to be asking why this is so beyond the immediate knee jerk reaction to blame guns.
It isn’t guns in general. Guns have been part of the fabric of our nation as long (or longer) than there have been organized schools. It isn’t any specific type of gun. Semi-auto firearms (and even full autos if you go back a few decades) have been around and accessible for decades. It isn’t kids. Every kid starts out life just as flawed but with as much potential as any other. So, what changed?
Our culture changed and we changed with it.
Guns are incapable of doing anything on their own and kids are a reflection of their parents so neither can truly be at the root of problem with violence. The mass violence we are seeing is the result of the godless, self-centered, largely absent form of child rearing that our culture peddles. It is a result of a cultural devaluation of human life and relative morality. These are the deep seeded issues. These are hard to face issues that you can’t assuage with legislation. But, these are also deeply offensive issues in today’s politically correct environment.
The answers won’t come from politicians. Politicians seem to be happy to sell the lie as it is a useful means to their political ends. It would not be politically correct address the root cause of the problems we face as a culture. It could hurt someone’s feelings, after all, to hear that they are personally responsible for their actions and that their choices have consequences – even in the lives of subsequent generations. Beyond that, it is too scary to think that, even when a culture is on the straight and narrow, evil still exists and there is no accounting for what it will do.
Maybe I am overreaching by even attempting to discuss root causes. We can’t even get a politician to address the symptoms effectively (allowing or providing some form of armed recourse)! They are only interested in a quick and easy “solution” that lets them tell their constituents that they’ve done something.
The Change Will Start in Your Own Home
Our culture did not become what it is overnight. Changing it will not happen over night. It won’t be as easy as writing a letter or throwing money at it.
Yes, you should absolutely invest money in your favorite Second Amendment advocacy groups but also invest your time in your kids. Yes, you should write a letter to your representatives to let them know you are still here, demanding representation. But, you should also let your kids know that you are still here and always will be here for them. Yes, you should demand common sense, honesty, and strong morals from your politicians but you should demonstrate the same qualities to your children in your own home.
The future of your liberty might depend on the actions that you take to counteract the culture in your own family today.
What a brilliant piece of writing, it should be shared far and wide.
We’re luck over here in the U.K. that these events aren’t as common as over with you but we do have the same culture of political correctness, not wanting to offend anyone and people not wanting to take responsibility for their actions – it’s always the states, governments or somebody else’s fault.
My HS had a shooting range in the basement. I was on the ‘rifle team’ and my team mates and I often brought our guns to school. Nobody screamed at the sight, nobody called the cops and nobody ever got shot. That was 40 years ago. Guns haven’t changed, people have.
I would also add that the levels of frustration and ego are higher now than ever before and that is a toxic combination. Kids used to compare themselves to the people in their town or school and those comparisons were based on realistic standards since they saw the people in real life. Now because of social media, kids are comparing themselves to kids in the entire country/world and they are comparing themselves to the completely manufactured image that the kids post (only good stuff, look how great my life is, etc.). It seems like everyone else has an amazing life and you are forced to suffer alone through your problems that seem unique to you. Combine that with the fact that it used to be if you fucked up then the people that saw it would make fun of you. Now it gets shared on IG and the whole world makes fun of you and the mob piles on because there is no reason for them to hold back (they don’t know you, will never have to face the damage they’ve done).
That and kids can’t take an ass kicking and think their life is over if it happens. It used to be if you got punched in the face your reaction was “well I probably shouldn’t have said all that stuff about that dude’s mom; that was out of line.” and that was the end of it. Now you get punched in the face and you go and get a gun to settle the score, instead of realizing that you getting punched may have settled things.
It also doesn’t help that kids aren’t able to move on from bad event because they it most likely caught on video, so now the whole school has seen it and they will have their face rubbed in it on a daily basis for the rest of high school. There’s only so many times you can push someone before they snap (how much just depends on the person). These days kids can get pushed by everyone in the country (and easily) so that pressure builds up much faster and more frequently. Combine that with the guarantee of fame (or infamy) that school shooters get and it’s a recipe for disaster.
Brillantly written, this is why Inlove your blog