Fake Outrage over Gun Violence in Aftermath of Movie Theater, Sikh Temple Shootings

A few thoughts on our collective fake outrage over mass shootings in America in the aftermath of the Colorado movie theater shooting and the Sikh temple shooting.

I don’t know what it will take for people to internalize these mass shooting events. I don’t know what it will take for people to understand that these violent events inflicted with military grade hardware can happen anywhere and at any time. It can happen at your supermarket, your church, your workplace and now when you go to the theater to watch a movie.

Obviously we don’t live our lives in fear of all possible random violent events but we need to find some way to make these mass-shootings have meaning at a personal level. These events need to resonate with you and I and everyone else not directly connected. Until we find a way to make this emotional connection, we will continue to show fake horror and fake outrage towards these violent events. Until such time, we will continue to do nothing about it.

This is why I say it’s fake horror and fake outrage. If it were genuine outrage it would prompt us to do something. Instead, it’s a reaction to something sensational. We don’t internalize it, and because of that we don’t experience the real horror and outrage necessary to rise up and do something to put an end to these events, or at the very least, take steps to make it less likely a lone gunman can cause so much carnage in such a short period. / photo by Frederic Poirot

Human InterestSensible Gun Safety

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