Violence Lust

I rarely comment on politics or current events because I seldom pay enough attention to what goes on in the world to be any kind of authority. But I couldn’t help being pulled into the drama unfolding over the shooting at the Dark Night Rises screening in Colorado. I must admit I’m sickened by what’s happened, not so much by the shooting itself, but by our society’s response to it, which has been talk, talk, talk.

I forget where I read it, but I remember a quote from some literary that a bold action should be responded to with action, not dialog.

But what I see happening in the tragedy, as with so many other mass shootings, is everyone engaging in a lustful orgy of words, all screaming loudly so their voice is heard. It confirms my long held belief that Americans have become addicted to violence. They crave it, relish it, wallow in it, watch it day and night in the theaters, on the tube, in the streets.

I saw a surprising stat on Twitter yesterday (and because it’s twitter we must take it with a grain of salt) that last year’s shooting deaths in the UK were 58 victims, USA were 8,489.

What will it take for Americans to put people’s safety over their lust for violence? What will it take for people to demand that Congress pass laws banning all gun and ammunition sales, and boycott any movie or TV show that spectacles gratuitous violence?

Do we wait until every man, woman, and child is packing a sidearm and shootouts on the streets become common, everyday occurrences?

The question in my mind is, how bad must it get before YOU take action? How many more people will needlessly die before YOU will actually do something about it—twenty thousand? Two million? Or will just watching your own family members murdered do the trick?

How high must the death toll grow before the nation tells the NRA that killing—targeting humans or animals—is not a sport?

There, I’ve stood on my soapbox and added my voice to all the words flying around about the shooting. But I’ve also taken action. Several years ago, I began to boycott any movie that showed killing; I haven’t watched commercial TV in over a decade; I have written to my congress person demanding action on gun control; and I vote for candidates who support stiffer gun controls.

Please join me. Take positive actions against guns.