I find it necessary to chime in on this whole gun debate after the tragedy at Sandy Hook last month, and the ensuing rush to opportunistically enact gun controls in American society.
Everyone (mainly, but not exclusively the left) jumped all over Wayne LaPierre of the NRA for even suggesting that schools have armed guards on duty throughout the country, but the thing that I find most interesting is the blatant hypocrisy coming out of Washington D.C.
David Gregory, moderator of Meet the Press, however, conveniently failed to mention that he sends his children to a school staffed with 11 security guards, all presumably armed, in the nation's capitol. The President's children also attend the school, so there is a Secret Service presence at the school as well.
So why did Gregory mock LaPierre's suggestion? Are his children, Hollywood's children, or anyone else's children more precious than yours? Why should there be a double standard?
Another hypocritical thing is Jamie Foxx (I love you, man. But I gotta go there.) popping up in the ad after starring as a bounty hunter in Quentin Tarantino's new film "Django Unchained." If he feels so strongly about the subject, he would forfeit all of his proceeds from the film to a charity of his choice, such as to rehabilitation for victims of gun violence, or to supporting victim's families of gun violence. I don't think it's going to happen.
People want to blame violent television shows and movies.
People want to blame violent video games.
Maybe a "culture of violence" does exist to some extent, but I do not believe that is the culprit.
Rome had gladiators, and children didn't go around hacking each other to pieces or thrusting spears through each other for sport before committing suicide.
In many ways, society as a whole is just depraved, evil, and perverted, and this is the ultimate copycat crime for some sick, twisted reason with 24 hour news networks and internet news sites who are willing to give these people the infamy they desire after going down in a suicidal and homicidal hail of gunfire.
I do not blame guns any more than I blame cars for drunk driving accidents.
Another major issue, unfortunately (even still, in 2013) is the stigma,
ostracization, and ignorance surrounding mental illness. Even still, television shows and movies portray people with mental illnesses as something less than human, and unnecessarily often something to be feared. Veterans returning home after enduring and witnessing some jarring things during long deployments in the field with PTSD? They're "unstable ticking time bombs." Name-calling, stigmatization, and cashing in on trite stereotypes to sell tickets to cheesy movies isn't going to help. Paying attention to mental health services and encouraging our friends and loved ones to seek help will.Things like Schizophrenia, PTSD, or Bipolar Disorder are not contagious, nor will you catch them from someone else sneezing on you, or from sharing the same glass as someone else.
The list of injustices is long and unacceptable in this, the supposed Information Era.
Where is all the information?
There is no other explanation.
People's spirits are sick, and as a result, society is dysfunctional.
It's happened before.
Malachi 4: 5-6
