H2O Man Survey #39

[hay rick]

24. Gun violence sets us apart from our cultural peers.

The availability of guns and the lack of rational controls on their possession and use gives people in our society opportunities for carnage that aren't available elsewhere. That's obvious.

I feel that the dominance of commercial television in this country has contributed to the carnage by making people think of themselves as consumers rather than citizens. Consumers are free agents seeking the best possible deal. It's all about them and only them. The downside of being a consumer is nobody owes you anything either. The consumer is not closely attached to other people. Citizens, on the other hand, have rights which are balanced by obligations. Our country and our society should be our family writ large.

Commercial media pressed into the service of our plutocratic, corporate society also promote violence by constantly pushing myths of extraordinary self-reliance. While statistics show that median incomes have been stagnant or declining since the mid 1970s, the media trumpets the wonders of entrepreneurship and deifies the "winners" in an imaginary land of limitless opportunity. If you're not one of the deserving rich, you're a loser.

I suspect there may also be a public health component to the violence. I look at the startling proliferation of autism and new allergies in the population and it would be no great surprise if some of the violence we see is a symptom of newly emerging diseases.