10 January 2013

How I lost all my FB friends, installment the third

So, we're all still upset (and rightly so) about the heartbreaking events at Sandy Hook, and we're all still instant experts on gun violence statistics. Here's how to lose some friends today:
"How complicit are you in our current culture of violence?"
 Heck, it's a question I ought to post on my own statuses.

ADDENDUM: Whether you're pro-gun or anti-gun (not that those are the only choices on the spectrum), nobody likes that people got murdered, so please do keep that in mind if a conversation develops.

2 comments:

Molly Whitt said...

Interesting way to phrase your question.

Personally, I feel frustrated over the casual regard of violence of our culture. I'm frustrated that really, really dangerous guns are publicly available, mental health help isn't available, and there are so many opinions and facts flying around re: gun violence that simply forming an opinion is nearly impossible(not to mention change to the status quo).

Do I feel complicit? Yes. But where do you start? What aspect of a cultural-level problem do you, an individual, attempt to address? What education/career/networking is required for me to change something? How much do I mettle in the affairs of another individuals sovereignty? Am I missing something amazing about owning a weapon of rapid destruction?? It all gets so overwhelming that rather than address my role in the solution, I end up thinking about other things...

Heydon Hensley, LCSW said...

I absolutely agree; it is a hard climate to make an opinion and evaluate our own complicity in this culture that disregards violence.
For instance, the book I just wrote has some fairly graphic violence in it, but I don't want people to commit violence against others. Also, I like action films. Where does that leave me? I don't want people to die, yet I pay to watch it happen violently on a big screen. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say that makes me a hypocrite.