More shooting.
More mayhem. More calls for gun control. More calls for more guns to control
guns. More, more, more…
Panic is in the air; moral panic.
According to experts, moral panic is a collective human condition that involves
an extreme social situation in which agreement on action is difficult because
the core issue of the matter is taboo. In this case, the taboo is gun control –
brought about by various interpretations of the Second Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.
A growing fear is sweeping the
nation that has the potential to spiral us toward remedies that may not be
appropriate or adequate response to the issues of extreme violence we’re
facing. Make no mistake, America is experiencing a significant cultural dilemma
that continues to threaten our way of being. Yet, according to an old adage,
fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.
When fear envelopes decision
making, it can foment excessive and even irrational action. We begin to imagine
we can control all situations with force when it may not be possible. In most
cases, control is an illusion. Just ask any battlefield officer when the
shooting starts. And with respect to responses of violence in civilian society,
courses of action are typically disproportionate to the actual threat posed.
America seems to be experiencing
a collective anxiety attack as a result of the recent shooting tragedy at Sandy
Hook Elementary. Our worse fear happened: murderous havoc was perpetrated on
our culture’s most innocent of innocents -six and seven-year-olds. The response
has been predictable: fear and anger. The burning question in many people’s
minds is what immediate action do we take, right now, to protect ourselves and
loved ones? It’s a reasonable query for the short term. Yet, might an equally
prudent question be, what’s at the core of gun violence and how do we address
it?
There are two distinct camps of
thought: gun control and gun proliferation, and it’s all or nothing because
America’s blood is up. Been that way for a while. Folks have stakes in the
ground based on their own personal experience and understanding of violence –
what causes it and what stops it. Right now, it’s ‘either or’ among people. Might
there be middle ground? Is there room for compromise? At this point, there
seems not to be.
Fear can be a powerful and
controlling factor in a person’s thinking. Right now, most are letting fear
drive decisions. Thinking processes are short-circuited. And although the
threat of violence is not imminent, we are taking action based on perceived,
not actual threats. We’re not thinking, we’re doing. It’s the American way.
Then again, my kids weren’t one
of the 20 who were shot three times with an assault-grade military weapon at
close range. Had that been the case, I’m not so sure I’d be waving a flag that
says, ‘Let cooler heads prevail.’ By the luck of the draw (because these
shootings seem random, geographically), that places me in a position where
empathy and reasoning is easier to grasp.
A final comment about moral panic:
although it’s highly volatile, it tends to disappear as quickly as it appears
because of the tendency for the public to lose interest or move on to the next
big news event. Let’s not allow that to happen. It’s time for America to face
its issues around guns. Until we focus on the ‘why’ questions (i.e., why are
these shooting rampages happening?), we’re all destined to remain in this lottery
of extreme violence where, like it or not, everyone has a ticket. Let the correct debate begin.
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