[ 
Mood: Shocked ]
[ 
Currently: Listening to CBC Radio ]
A Facebook friend commented on the blaming for the horrific events in Aurora on the Joker. A discussion ensured and these were my thoughts. I wanted to capture them somewhere more permanent than Facebook, so I pasted them here.
| Quote: |
| I find it fascinating that in a country where you can get a gun for opening a bank account, that they are quick to condemn a fictional character for this tragedy. Last I heard, we don’t even know if the Joker link is true, it is based on a statement by a New York cop who may or may not have heard it from a former New York cop who now works in Aurora. Who knows if the shooter said it seriously or at all? But sure enough, the media is running with it.
So let’s imagine the Joker is his inspiration, what if he’d never been created? I bet someone disturbed enough to walk into a theater and shoot people would have found someone else to fixate on and model himself after. Perhaps a real person? Al Capone? Jesse James? Would we then be talking about banning teaching history in schools? Removing history books from the library and bookstores? No. We wouldn’t. And yet every time one of these things happens, there is a knee jerk reaction to blame something else for creating the situation, instead of doing the deep soul searching as a society that is really required. Why is it that semi-automatics are available to any member of the general public in the US? Why is it the mentally ill are so hard to treat? Why can’t politicians think beyond the next election cycle and look to affect real change for the better? Why does someone think wondering why no one in the theatre was armed and shooting back, blaming the victims as it were, is acceptable? The reality is this man was in need of help, and those around him missed the signs, big time. For him to have gathered that much weaponry and ammunition, someone had to have know. Given the sheer amount of money that has been spent in the last ten years in the US on terrorism prevention, why is it still possible for one man buy so many weapons and explosives off the web? How could the FBI, Secret Service and NSA not be tipped off or be monitoring this? Let’s also ask, what about mental health awareness? Why are we not trained from a young age to recognize when someone is deep trouble like we are with a heart attack? Why don’t I know what to do beyond call 911 when someone is in trouble with a mental breakdown? Are the police even trained? (I know the answer to that one already, and for the vast majority, it is no.) But no, sadly our leaders, political, media and legal, are going to continue with the shallow "blame everyone else" and "find a short term solution" that they do after every one of these events. And then the next one will happen and nothing will have changed. |