So I just watched Obama's speech.
"Does anybody really
believe that?"
"Those of us who are lucky enough to hug our kids a little closer..."
And that's just a couple lines that jumped out at me alongside what else has been quoted here. Damn. He pulled absolutely NO punches.
And thank god for that. I'm glad he's angry. And I'm glad he showed it. That was a really, REALLY cathartic speech. Love that he called out Congress, too, for blocking any reform on this issue.
Honestly, as defeated as we may all feel right now, I can't help but feel, in the way back of my mind, that eventually we may start to see something change. I really think the pro-gun side should start paying serious attention, because I do sense that eventually, there is going to be a point where the scales are tipped so far that people will finally get legit fed up with the NRA and their ilk and tell them to just fuck off.
I know that seems unbelievable, especially considering Sandy Hook didn't seem to change things, but I have heard about individuals working in recent years to get some sort of movement going (including some of the people who've been intimately affected by some of these mass shootings) and as Obama himself noted, a good percentage of Americans do support changes to our gun laws. So I think the seeds for serious change are there. It's just a matter of pushing to make them a reality.
Maybe that's just my idealistic side talking again, too, trying to grasp at some sort of hope and optimism I can find after this horrible news. I dunno. But it's something I certainly would like to see happen (though, obviously, without yet another mass shooting accompanying the notable change).
The way these events seem to be upticking in frequency, I'm left with the feeling that America has a lot more than just a gun problem (although better regulation would indeed be a much needed panacea there).
Indeed. The fact that it very often seems to be men, most of whom are young, carrying out these shooting sprees, should tell us something about our culture of masculinity, too, and the negative effects that come from that. Women have occasionally carried out mass shooting sprees, too, yes, but not anywhere near as often as men do.
And regarding the comments from our Australian posters here...see, that is one of SO many things I do not get about this issue. If our allies, the people we're supposed to trust and listen to, think we've got a problem with this issue, shouldn't that be TELLING us something? I know our country's got a very individualistic mindset and all, but good lord, our allies
are there for a reason. And we can learn things from them. Lots of things.
I just want to cry, I feel so defeated right now.