On Running Amok

From Malaysia, the English language borrowed a word that describes the many shootings in the United States. The word is amok, as in running amok, without rhyme or reason, intent upon violence. This strange tendency has percolated up from ancient times and is by no means a modern novelty. People run amok for reasons having to do with long-repressed anger and rage, often aggravated by mental illness, especially depression.

What is modern is the widespread availability and popularity of firearms. Guns have changed the equation of running amok for the worse, from society's viewpoint, although for the killer, the gun is a godsend. If you run amok with a scimitar, your victims can at least run away if they see you coming. There is no adequate defense against a stranger with a loaded gun. Every one of us is vulnerable, from rich to poor, unless one chooses to live in a fortress for life.

Should we make guns illegal? No, because making things illegal just creates a huge black market, as we can see today where drugs and prostitution are concerned. Guns have permeated so far and so deeply into the U.S. population that it seems unlikely they can ever be removed. There's also the risk of the government being taken over by a military coup. The availability of guns to the people helps to safeguard liberty. Liberals who favor making guns illegal should bear in mind that freedom is not guaranteed. There could come a time when the homegrown Taliban here in the U.S., the religious right, takes over and begins building concentration camps for all the people that they hate. At such a time, guns may be the only thing standing between you and becoming a statistic to their religious fanaticism.

The answer to gun violence is to remove the "cool" factor and reduce the prevalence of violence in the American psyche. Instead of movies that glorify gun violence and recommend killing as the solution to all problems, we should watch movies that better reflect our ethics and social values. This is a recommendation for people to make informed choices about their entertainment, not a prescription for censorship.

Raising awareness is key. Media sources that exaggerate the severity and prevalence of crime, like FOX news, tend to make people afraid for their safety and to think that they need firearms for self-defense. Right-wing outlets also tend to glorify war, and if war is acceptable, murder cannot be half-bad--as long as you're murdering the "right" victims.

If you want to reduce gun violence, turn off FOX news and quit subscribing to right-wing media outlets like USN&WR. Turn to media sources that place a value upon peace and thoughtful and mature behavior. Choose entertainment that reflects your values, instead of mindless militarism.