Words can’t explain how a human being can conduct a mass killing and yet we have come to live with it. At this point we have no idea what was in the mind of the Arizona shooter. Sadly, he is not the first such demented person as we all know too well. Presidents, celebrities, college students, high school students and young children in a rural school-house have all been victims in recent memory. The only common thread seems to be an aggrieved person real or imagined targeting those whom he perceives responsible in some bizarre twist of logic.
This recent event seems to be taking a unique twist in that it is receiving a political spin that was not even present in the shooting of three presidents and candidates. Are we all feeling a little guilty or are we so polarized that we can’t escape partisan politics no matter what? I have already seen and heard allusion to conservative frustration as the cause of this individuals actions. “Target” is rapidly becoming a politically incorrect word. Our short memories forget much of the abusive rhetoric aimed at our immediate past president and other members of his administration or that many similar events have occurred with no such rhetoric present.
We simply do not know what triggered this action or the mental state of the individual that would cause such violence and we may never know. We hear the Congresswoman was the target, but why indiscriminately shoot other innocent people if that was the sole objective? We certainly don’t know that a tasteless ad is even relevant, but that does not stop politicians from reacting like…politicians.
Consider this from a NYT blog:
“Representative Bob Brady of Pennsylvania told The Caucus he plans to introduce a bill that would ban symbols like that now-infamous campaign cross hair map.
“You can’t threaten the president with a bullseye or a crosshair,” Mr. Brady, a Democrat, said, and his measure would make it a crime to do so to a member of Congress or federal employee, as well.
Asked if he believed the map incited the gunman in Tucson, he replied, “I don’t know what’s in that nut’s head. I would rather be safe than sorry.”
He continued, “This is not a wakeup call. This is a major alarm going off. We need to be more civil with each other. We need to tone down this rhetoric.”
I wish we knew how to stop such violence or any violence, but we don’t. But we should know how to wait until all the facts are confirmed before we react or draw conclusions. The extreme right may be extreme, but violence can be part of rhetoric from anyone.
“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun,” Barack Obama ( in Philadelphia )
Why should you bring a gun Mr. President? Oh, right,, it was just a figure of speech. Kind of like we are putting that Congressional district in our cross hairs for defeat.
I just listened to radio interviews of random people on the street, I woman from Sweden said she was shocked but that she had heard the Congresswoman was on Sarah Palin’s death list. Thank you very much mass media. Are we gullible or just stupid? Could it be that political rhetoric, while abusive at times and intolerant rarely calls for killing or violence, is the latest scapegoat? Have you watched TV lately for violence, or a video game, movies or even some music? Which do we think may trigger abhorrent behavior and desensitize some people from the impact of violence, being exposed to constant violence every day in a variety of media or the words of some obscure right-wing ideologue?
Which of the shows from this weeks lineup are your favorite (and I didn’t even count the medical theme shows)? NCIS, NCIS-Los Angeles, Detroit, Criminal Minds, Law & Order SVU, Chase, CSI, The Mentalist, CSI-NYC, Law & Order-Los Angeles? Since I don’t watch any of them, you tell me, is there any violence, shootings, or murders on any of these shows that perhaps could affect a disturbed mind?
Paul Krugman attacks the right-wing as the sole source of violent rhetoric. What short memories we have. This self-proclaimed liberal no doubt defends the freedom of speech that supports what we see and hear in the media. Hey, free speech is a good thing, but don’t give it all a pass as not impacting the thoughts and actions of disturbed people.
Rhetoric on the right; consider this from a Obama campaign rally in 2008, and we are worried about “targeting” a congressional district for defeat…
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 