From Columbine to Parkland: A Semi-Auto Relapse
As many people tweet the joys of toking up on April 20th (4/20), recent events of mass murder fatalities reminds us why this day is somber.
It’s not uncommon that on a day like April 20th (4/20) we see the posts of getting lit, lighting a doobie or getting on that grass as a rejoice of the cultural acceptance of marijuana. However, to some individuals, a day like April 20th is met with deep sadness and pain of remembrance; and after witnessing recent events of violence and fatality it’s all too familiar.
Taking a step back into the year 1999, nearing the end of a millennium, who would have thought that a simple high school in a Colorado suburban town would become the center of a depiction of bloodshed, anger and gunfire and how 22 years later we’re still seeing renditions similar to this horrific scene. After seeing what this high school has went through, seeing what students have went though and what other people in America have been caught in, we still keeping WHY? Why is this happening? Are we simply just violent in general? Is it a matter of guns? Is it the music, video games and television shows that our “faithful” leaders have demonized? We have asked these question too often with every tragedy, but have we explored into answering these question. Unfortunately, Not.
I myself am always reminded of Michael Moore’s Documentary Film: “Bowling For Columbine” whenever I see news reports about another mass shooting, and for good reason. It was not only a stunning picture that won a Oscar in 2002, but I was by far one of well credited doc films that took an attempt to dive in to an issue like gun violence. Well I give gratitude to Michael Moore for his work, it felt like it was only the start. I felt like it was going on the right track but somehow got faded out at the end. After all, It may have been critical about Columbine, but what about the senseless fatalities just shown on your local news. I went to college in Niagara Falls, Ontario and the times that I’ve flipped on the TV to see the nearest Buffalo, New York station reporting yet another shooting fatality. Ironically, in the city of “Good Neighbors”. I guess the real question that should be asked is, How do we become less Violent? One struggle that no one really has a simple answer to.
I’ve personally have been on the fence on gun control. While I do support background checks and don’t think every Tom, Dick and Harry should be garneted a semi auto rifle or bazooka, it would be bogus to over reach given my family members of hunters, target shooters and even my early childhood years of playing with cap guns quoting lines from westerns. In regards to decreasing violence, we need to focus on why we turn to gun violence and how we can move from fighting in the streets to preventing crime. We will find that answer after this commercial break brought to you by Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, NRA and Winchester Rifles. Oh damn, I think I just stumbled into something.
Is Violence a business model? Well I mean you look at the manufactured machine to sell us into pharmaceutical pills, invasive laws, and dehumanizing military occupations followed by propaganda news reports and business stocks soaring. It’s almost a bonus for the corporate state that ordinary citizens kill other citizens in a paranoid manufactured rage. Take into consideration, Canada, which has no official NRA and has a bare boned background check has fewer fatalities. Australia, banned guns in 1996 after one of their worst massacres in the country and they’ve drop as well. I’ve never seen gang attacks on the regular in a country like Sweden, or Denmark. If we end the profit motive of violent acts, could we decrease violence all together and give society a chance. Crime Prevention Policies have already proven well in other regions on earth and have done significantly well in regards to mental health and poverty. The saying goes the establishment wants us divided so they can conquer and seeing the rise of hate, bigotry, violence, crime and the decline of community stability plays into their profit playbook. They see as a like ginnea pigs trapped in a cage and pushing us to eat up each other instead of fighting back. WHICH WASN’T THAT THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT? Fighting powerful corruption that overrules the society as a whole. Maybe I’m just jealous that these mass shootings are occurring in schools, stores, bars, parks and city street but never on Wall Street. Whatever the case of what we feel about this and what steps are needed to be taken, something needs to be done. Conversations need to happened. Columbine was a national statement on gun violence with 22 years counting and still no progress relief in sight.
AMERICA MAKES MONEY FROM DEATH