by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 11/06/2017 at 11:43
by "functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
Published 11/06/2017 at 11:43
Tags: rants
STARS: 7
Warning: quasi-political/societal rant below the fold.
For some reason my truck decided to start collecting water in the driver’s door every time it rained. I looked pretty hard and couldn’t see where there was a drain clogged, although there kind of has to be, because I’ve had the truck for a year and a half; this only started happening about six weeks ago. So I finally said f-this and drilled a 3/16" hole. “FIXED THE TRUCK DOOR!” I called out, in Chevy Chase / Christmas Vacation fashion.
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On a totally unrelated note, I tend to stay off social media, news, and technology in general over the weekends. Everyone says, “your kids are only small once, enjoy them while you can, etc.” so I really do try to focus on them when I’m not doing the necessary chores, or whatever else the weekend throws at me. Weekends are about family for me.
So today I came into work, checked the news, and almost shut off my computer and walked out of work. I mean, I know that
yet another mass shooting
is just par-for-the-f**king course at this point, and I really should not be surprised. Nor should I be any more upset about this one than the last (big) one that killed twice as many and injured way more.
I guess as a parent, when I think about my kids and how I try to keep them from getting a splinter by telling them to wear shoes on the deck; then I hear about this stuff happening at such a huge variety of places... I just lose hope that
everything will be okay
. I just cannot grasp how this country got to where it is, with citizens shooting fellow citizens at such an alarming rate, and not always for
any reason at all.
I think, “what is preventing someone from going to
their
preschool, today, and shooting everyone. Why wouldn’t I think that could happen, even in my sleepy New England town?” Because it could happen.
I want to go pick them up from school and go live in the mountains somewhere in Canada. Or Switzerland. Or any other place with less gun violence, like Afghanistan. I don’t even have time in my day to process how I feel about this egregious pattern of nonsensical violence, and the repetitive dialogue but
complete lack of real action
that follows every damn time. One could even argue that we are way too late in calling for sensible gun control. Not that we shouldn’t do it, but it just seems like we’re so far down the road at this point that real change will take generations. You know what doesn’t help? Having a President who says things like, “...maybe the 2nd amendment people could do something...” like, is that promoting gun-related violence? I’m not positive, but it definitely doesn’t sound like advocacy for the safety of all citizens.
Those people who keep telling me to enjoy my kids while they’re young, I don’t think it’s just because teenagers are eternally difficult. I think it’s because they know I’ll never sleep at night as well as I once did, thinking about my kids out there in the world - specifically, a world where they just might get gunned down at any time for no reason. Once they leave the house, I can’t do anything to protect them, and I hope they’ll be able to make safe, reasonable decisions on their own. That I can help them with, and I consider it my most important job as a parent.
I’m comfortable with reasonable risks. I ski and mountain bike, I could hit a tree one day and die. I drive on public roads with all the other crazies. If they want to play sports, or drive cars, or basically exist out there, they just might get struck by lightning (so to speak) and that’s life. But this kind of threat isn’t something we should be dealing with. It just isn’t. Maybe my kids will decide to move to
literally any other developed country on Earth
where gun violence is a small fraction of what it is here.
My wife was home on maternity leave with our first kid when Sandy Hook was in the news, and she was a wreck. Hormones, plus new responsibility of another human life, it was a lot. I empathized with her but didn’t have the same depth of feelings; but now every one of these incidents hits me a little harder as I have more and more of my life invested in my kids. Maybe that’s a weird way to explain it, but that’s how it feels. I thought at the time,
for sure
, Sandy Hook would be THE incident that literally every human being could get behind as something we absolutely, unconditionally, must never endure again as a society.
Surely, meaningful legislation will follow.
But no. Not really.
I don’t blame Republicans, or Democrats, or the NRA; it’s a larger issue, but the root problem isn’t that complicated. We’re all too busy with the minutiae of daily life to get behind any one cause to the point that it will precipitate substantive change. If we approached other problems like this, nothing would ever get done.
Oh my god I have to do laundry, cook dinner, feed the pets, mow the lawn, clean the house, change my oil, and do my taxes, how will it ever be done?
One thing at a time, that’s how. Prioritizing. So why can’t we take steps to end this? If one of those issues was
people keep coming to my house and trying to shoot me
, well I think I might address that before the laundry.
Just to end on a
slightly
lighter note, the Onion (re)published this headline after the weekend’s shooting. While I don’t condone the blatant recycling of a headline (albeit their own), it’s spot-on satire:
‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens
WTF people. If you’re still reading, thanks for letting me vent. I feel better having written some of this down, so that’s something, I guess.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
11/06/2017 at 11:53, STARS: 4
Imagine if we had social media during the Cold War O_O
As for “surly meaningful legislation will follow,” no American politician is running on a platform to repeal the 2nd amendment, so you are right.
"PotbellyJoe and 42 others" (potbellyjoe)
11/06/2017 at 11:57, STARS: 0
Meaningful action on guns would do two things. Single-issue right-wing gun owners would be angered by their representatives and elect different ones at the primary level. Therefore the right-wing digs in heavily to preserve this group as it also does not seem to turn-off their pro-life single-issue voters, or the myriad other single-issue voters.
Next, the Left uses this as a way to ensure their single-issue voters for expanded gun restrictions stay loyal by appearing to fight for this. Keep in mind, if sweeping gun regulations were to happen, these single-issue voters are now free-agents as well.
Politicians don’t like free-agents. They want buckets of reliable voters.
The problem is the public, then, that we do not force the hand strongly enough to take it out of a compartmentalized voting-bloc and turn it into an universal demand.
That’s my cynicism on all of this.
Put gay marriage, abortion rights, healthcare, and tort reform in the same category and the argument from me will sound similar. We don’t have an acceptable solution because the last thing the entrenched politicians want are people satisfied with the solution.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
11/06/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 1
On Saturday night, hours before this shooting, my wife and I (over a couple drinks or ten) had already seriously gotten into a discussion about moving somewhere else. I’m more in the camp of “I can’t puss out, I need to help effect some change!” But at the same time, her immediate desire to live in peace with our 2 kids is starting to outweigh the need for material prosperity (which America still has in spades).
In the meantime, I’m writing to my Senator AND the two fighting for Jeff Sessions’s spot to express my support for the 2nd Amendment, but my absolute disgust over how easy it seems to be for everyone to buy a gun.
I’m starting to think a hefty tax might help. If you look at drug habits, they correlate strongly to cost. That’s why opiates are such a problem today — most are acquired for nearly free via Rx plans.
For lack of any real plan, how about a 200% tax on (legal) guns until we figure something better out? We already do this for things like suppressors, why not expand it? That would also drive the black market price up in turn. At least until someone does something more fair and sustainable. IMHO, the gun lobby should have zero clout at this point in time.
Further, how about a voluntary media blackout on ALL coverage of the shooters’ names and life details. Stop creating a publicity market for notoriety. It might help stem just a few of these situations.
"Wacko" (wacko--)
11/06/2017 at 12:09, STARS: 2
owning a Gun ain’t a right, it’s a privilege just like driving a car is.
why is it easier to buy a gun than get a license??
unless all states change gun laws, it won’t change anything.
"crowmolly" (crowmolly)
11/06/2017 at 12:31, STARS: 2
One could even argue that we are way too late in calling for sensible gun control
There’s why we have an issue. Sensible is subjective. A word used by some to paint the opposing side as “the crazy ones”.
Sensible? Yes, citizens owning a M134a minigun (yes, it’s legal) is not a good idea.
Sensible? Yes, waiting periods and federal background checks are a good thing.
But
Sensible? Why is a bayonet lug illegal? These two rifles fire the same cartridge, why is one legal and the other not?
Sensible? Why is it illegal for me to stop for gas on the way to the range, with a bolt action rifle in one locked case and the ammunition in a separate, locked safe?
I’m setting my bar super low. SUPER low.
I don’t want any new laws. Not yet. I want what’s already in place to get fixed and work as intended. That means updating FBI and other databases with correct information. That means dragging shop owners that don’t file 4473s into federal prison. That means MANDATORY MENTAL HEALTH RECORD UPDATING. That means actually spending the money (yes, it’s a money issue) to fund existing gun control measures rather than pass new laws that don’t matter since they won’t be properly enforced.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/06/2017 at 13:01, STARS: 0
The problem is the public, then, that we do not force the hand strongly enough to take it out of a compartmentalized voting-bloc and turn it into an universal demand.
This is what baffles me.
People die in car crashes -> we make cars safer.
People die in hurricanes -> we make building codes stronger and force more evacuations.
People die from cancer -> we do research and find new treatments.
People die from gun violence -> ???
Other countries have long ago figured this out.
"PotbellyJoe and 42 others" (potbellyjoe)
11/06/2017 at 13:12, STARS: 1
Exactly.
I’m not saying I’m not baffled by it.
Although our founding fathers didn’t write constitutional amendments about an ability to have and bear cars not being infringed upon.
I have no problem with super-aggressive background checks that would be a deterrent to many desiring guns, due to cost and time, but that’s me.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/06/2017 at 13:18, STARS: 0
I cannot think of an analogy where people don’t take meaningful action. Even cars, another hallmark of ‘Murican Freedom, are being more regulated, made safer all the time, and harder to get a license for, because people get hurt by unsafe cars and bad drivers. No one is running for office on a platform to take cars away from us, even if they slowly become automated... but it seems like if these issues were on parallel paths, we’d all be driving Mad-Max-Mobiles, making ourselves only marginally safer while posing ever-greater threats to those around us.
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
11/06/2017 at 13:20, STARS: 1
Pretty much every general aviation accident is an analogy for not taking meaningful action after an incident.
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/06/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 0
Good point!
"Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)" (galileo-humpkins)
11/06/2017 at 19:50, STARS: 0
This has been my mindset for about 17 years because every day I wake up and just have no words:
"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
11/06/2017 at 20:20, STARS: 1
Seems about right. This is like, high school drama at the national level. If people just actually talked to each other, they’d be fine. But this “other side is the worst” thing just gets us nowhere good.
"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve)
11/08/2017 at 11:43, STARS: 1
Because the conservative-controlled media has changed the conversation from “Maybe we should make it harder for people who shouldn’t buy firearms to get them,” to “LIB’RULS WANNA TAKE AWAY YOUR GUNS! AND GIVE ‘EM TO CRACK DEALERS AND WELFARE MOMS!”
It makes a real debate impossible.