Arguments Not Helpful - What's Happened to Us?

I haven't posted to this blog in a long time. My first post here in a while was going to be a sort of year in review thing – and I will be doing that. A response to yesterday's tragedy http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20738025 is in order.

First of all, I think President Obama said it best when when he stated what was on my heart yesterday, what lingers today and will remain for some time to come. “We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years.  And each time I learn the news I react not as a President, but as anybody else would -- as a parent.  And that was especially true today.  I know there’s not a parent in America who doesn’t feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.” Overwhelming grief indeed.

“We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years.” Seven mass shootings in the United States this year alone. The response from humans that I know has been mostly focused on thinking about our own children, grieving for the victims and their families. As it should be probably, but also – in the words of James Brown “... I heard a disturbing sound!”

What was most disturbing was the (now inevitable) rage and counter rage between gun rights advocates and gun control advocates. I understand the rage. It's a natural response to a violent tragedy and part of a grieving process. The thing I don't understand is the inevitable defensiveness and vehement arguments that have ensued each time this kind of tragedy occurs.

The tone of the arguments often – if not always – take on angry and extreme points of view. In one case yesterday, I saw a comic book writer - of all people - tweet a few words (after shock, prayers and heartfelt sorrow) in support of “sensible gun control. We need this now.” The first argument to him came a few minutes later and asked about whether he advocated “banning baseball bats” for deaths occur in the US due to baseball bat violence, apparently. Other gun rights advocates jumped in and had like things to say. Most of the arguments from gun rights advocates either assume that gun control involves banning guns completely, disarming “law-abiding gun owners” and taking their guns away or a slippery-slope argument (hate the words slippery-slope when put together! Rrrrr!) that ends in the question “where does it stop!?” Sometimes, Adolf Hitler or Stalin are invoked as an argument for the slippery-slope. Arguments like this were all over the Internet yesterday (although Hitler and Stalin were thankfully missing from anywhere I read).

The comic book writer in question (and many others) decried a health care system and mental health care system that is broken, overwhelmed and overly expensive. No arguments ensued and no answers were given from gun rights advocates for that collection of problems.  The biggest gun control legislation that I ever remember were the Brady Handgun Violence Protection Act and the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. The Brady Act took a little less than 12 years to enact and its effectiveness was undermined by the Supreme Court when it basically made it unenforceable. Neither of these laws led down a slippery-slope – no matter which party was in power. No one's guns were taken away and no complete gun ban has ever been established in the US (or proposed, as far as I know).

I have a prediction that I hope will not come true. I predict that all of the Sunday talk shows tomorrow will have a guest from the NRA (or a gun rights advocate who holds an extreme view) as well as a left wing person who advocates an extreme view of very tight gun control.  A “debate” will ensue where no one will be convinced of the other's view. The producers and hosts of the show will be convinced that they will have done their civic duty presenting both sides of the argument. Yet, like the election we just had – where 90% of the information we got from either party was fabricated lies (a total fabrication on my part – I beg someone to prove me wrong – really – please) – we'll end up right where we were – just angrier at what we THINK our neighbors and friends believe.

False equivalency is not helpful. Our society is broken if all we can do is present specious arguments to each other that are both meaningless and have no basis in common experience (wait a minute, that's sort of a definition of specious).

I don't believe that ANYONE thinks that seven mass shootings – not to mention thousands of gun related deaths of individuals – per year is acceptable. If all we can do is argue vehemently about things that aren't true, we'll never make any change. I plead with you to demand from lawmakers and those in positions that have influence over change to begin to try to really understand what the problems are – then listen – listen. Listen to what solutions might work and why they might not work – not in a perfect world – not in Hitler's world – not in Stalin's world – not down some stupid fucking slope! Let's put down the Hitler dolls and our cold dead hands and make some real changes. I don't know whether that means Tension Tamer Tea distributed freely, meditation in schools or $5000 bullets. Sitting around waiting for the next horrifying tragedy to happen is not working.