More Shootings, Probably No More Questions 12:30 pm / 31 August 2012 by DarianWorden, at DarianWorden.com
Another workplace shooting occurred this morning, and this time the police didn’t shoot nine bystanders.
What kind of conversation will arise from this?
The United States is a county run by plutocrats and industry lobbyists where last generation’s promises don’t stand up to today’s reality, where much of the population is either overworked or out of work or sees little hope of basic economic security, as debt and expenses keep piling up. American culture is strongly framed by reverence for militarism and conquest, while soldiers who return from the latest projection of Washington’s power are often on their own when it comes to adjusting to a new life. Innocent victims of military violence are uncounted collateral damage or redefined as militants. The country is still burdened by centuries of institutionalized racism, which manifests itself today in the course of the drug war, in the scapegoating of people born across certain borders for trying to improve their lives, and in the devaluing of ideological foes.
But the serious people who refuse to ask serious questions will say either that America is violent because guns are easier to attain here than they are in most wealthy countries, that constantly being ready to shoot attackers is a good long-term solution, or that it’s necessary to force stronger reverence for the traditions that have failed to bring peace and liberty to millions.
Real long-term solutions require rethinking and restructuring things often taken for granted. Authoritarian methods can only cut down on violence through subjugation, which typically means peace at the point of a gun or at the brandishing of a bludgeon. Acting towards more liberty, solidarity, and cooperation is the way out. In the meantime, being armed and alert is a reasonable back-up plan.