A shotgun-toting man in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin killed three women and injured four others before turning the gun on himself.
There have been at least seven separate incidents of mass murders in the U.S. so far this year, with 110 killed or injured. Has anyone ever stopped to ask why such actions occur with seemingly increasing frequency? I don't mean asking yourself a rhetorical question about it as if there is no known answer to the situation. I mean sitting down and analyzing why a country touted as the land of milk and honey, where opportunities abound, and where the American dream can come true for anyone, has violence on the scale one expects from a third world country steeped in poverty?
Sit down right now and make a list of all the ways in which the U.S. is quite different from most developed countries. The answer will be in front of you. Some of the items may seem counter intuitive to spurring deadly violence on a large scale, but if you think outside the box, you may come to understand the connections.
Then go out and preach the message.
Some of you will think I'm talking nonsense. Others of you won't care, because as long as you're getting yours, so what if (other) people are dying. It's the cost of doing business, right? Wrong. People living in other places in the world are consistently shown to be healthier, happier, more content than Americans, and with a fraction of the threat of violence. It boggles the mind what some people accept as normal and hardly ever give it a thought.
Once again, police respond to a multiple shooting-death scene.
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Almost every nation has had a mass killer. There are crazy people born into the world, and that (unfortunately) will never stop. We have an outrageous number of gun owners (legally & illegally) in the U.S. I suppose if we used math; less guns could equal less mass killings. Less bullets to use (think semi-auto) could mean fewer deaths. Still, that lacks a clear reason why people pick up a gun and kill others.
ReplyDeleteDiscouraged people? There are other nations that have political and social issues that leave its people frustrated. The U.S. does promise its people much more than other countries. It is very frustrating indeed to be told you are in the land of milk & honey, only to awake daily to water & bread. Still, is that a clear reason?
Have Americans become desensitized to killing? History is filled with horror stories of nations that have closed their eyes to the slaughter of people. Germany comes to mind. As does Rwanda. Again, not clear enough.
We aren't the only country that has seen an increase in this type of violence (mass killing) over the past 5-10 years. Canada, Norway, Scotland, ... all have had incidents of this type. What has changed for these countries?
Maybe it is fear? Maybe it is everything combined - Frustration, anger, fear, lack of compassion, access to an arsenal? I can't find an absolute cause. Help me out here.
In order of appearance...
ReplyDelete"has had a mass killer" is not the same as "has such a rich history of mass killers that the movie industry makes billions on it".
True, crazy people are born everywhere, but some places have a climate that is conducive to producing bigger, better and more sociopaths/psychopaths, wouldn't you, agree?
You are right that availability of guns is not a major factor.
The U.S. promises more to all, but only gives more to a few--a lot more. And to the masses, they get less than many people of other developed (and even some poor) countries receive. For example, health care. This is the crux of the matter. The spread between rich and poor is greater in America than most developed countries. Such a chasm is usually only seen in countries with dictators where there are no rules and the rich and connected can oppress the poor.
In such countries, the poor have little they can do to change their circumstances. They are being put down at every turn and if they dare try to rob or steal, there's a good chance they will suddenly disappear. But in the United States, they see wealth all around them, are told they can have some too, but they never quite seem to make it. Racism is alive and well. So, what do they do? Some of them decide that a life of crime is the only way to get their "share". That often leads to murder. The homicide rate is six times greater in the U.S. than it is in Canada. For others, the everyday grind in a dog-eat-dog society is too much for them to cope with emotionally and they snap, or "go postal", if you will.
In places where it's easier to get government assistance in all its many forms, people tend to be more at ease and less likely to feel stressed at the prospect of losing a job, for instance. Can you imagine the difference it makes to one's life knowing that no matter what happens, you'll make it through?
The wealthy in America have been very successful in propagating the lie that paying taxes is sinful. That taking the money from a man's labour to give to another should be avoided at all costs. The opposite is closer to the truth. In all livability and happiness studies, it is shown that countries rich in social programs have a greater overall satisfied population. When people know there's a safety net, there's no fear and no need to steal, rob, stress out, snap and "show those bastards". Of course it takes high taxes, but it doesn't cost as much as one thinks. If you consider the higher costs of policing, security, insurance, courts, judges, property damage, never mind lives lost, it is probably cheaper to house and feed anyone who can't or won't work.
Another lie conservatives spread is that society would collapse if no one had to work to eat. Poppycock. Some people are driven. They wouldn't be satisfied with the necessities of life even if they could stand to sit around and do nothing productive. Most people want more than that. We have made a very complex world with strict rules (the rich have "Get out of jail free" cards), and some people just don't have the wherewithal to cope. They have no say in being born and no option to go elsewhere. We OWE such people a life.
Your mention of mass murders rising in Canada--as far as I can see, is either false or meaningless. This link ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rampage_killers:_Americas ) shows there have only been four such incidents in all of Canada since 1922. Also, crime is at a 40-year low right now.
It's taken me a lot more writing to say what you pretty much said in your summation. I would finish with: No nation is perfect or even close to perfect, but in every
livability study, there are nations at the top and nations at the bottom. Even if the methods of the publishers are flawed, I think there is inevitably some truth in the numbers. And when a country's position is repeatedly high or low in studies by diverse organizations and over decades of time, you have to put some credence in it.