Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird
And the usual, experienced ritual begins...
As long as so many people, after these many, many incidents, still refuse to ask why in their society these things happen so very very often any way more often than in other civilised countries, my sympathy remains limited.
Wer nicht hören will, muß eben fühlen.
A culture gloryfying violenc, and media focussing on fear-raising sensationalism, create an emotional cultural climate that was well described and corfectly identified as a key answer in Bowling For Columbine. Violent neurotism.
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That would be true if it weren't for the fact that most gun owners are normal people without violent tendencies or mental illness who never engage in unlawful use of their firearms. Just like most knife owners or car owners.
It is very troubling that the media refuse to admit their complicity in encouraging people to go on a rampage with a firearm. They routinely publish the suspect's information, wedding their hands about the situation, and claim it's always white heterosexual men who commit these crimes. They were up in arms that the police refused to provide details on the suspect. They've completely ignored that the gunman in this case was a Syrian refugee who claimed that islamophobic people were after him. As soon as it turned out to not fit the media's narrative, they were not interested in his motivation.
They also rely upon statistics from countries where firearms are not legal, using circular logic - " see - they don't have any gun rampages in the UK!" completely ignoring that knifings, vehicular homicide, axe murders are at a record high in places such as the UK, Australia, etc. People bent on murder are going to commit murder, regardless of whether it is a gun, knife, or their bare hands.
One must ask - in other places where gun ownership is legal, what is the percentage of people who commit gun crimes? In those places, does the media sensationalize it and provide immortalization of the suspect like in the US?