America gets the ‘side-eye’ for school shooting response
OPINION - Tuesday, another school shooting happened and I had the nerve not to be immediately enraged and disheartened by it...
Tuesday, another school shooting happened, and I had the nerve not to be immediately enraged and disheartened by it. It’s either I’ve become a robot, I’m suffering from Acute Outrage Fatigue Syndrome or these tragedies happen too often to punch me in the chest like they used to.
I think I’ll go with number 3.
Thirty-six school shootings have happened in 2014 alone, and we’re only halfway through the year. That means we’re averaging more than 1 shooting a week at places we send our kids to learn. We have failed so badly that the word “fail” is currently holding a grudge against us for giving it a bad name.
It is not ok that shootings have become so common that we just continue with our days. But I guess detachment is our coping mechanism since these things are now so common that being heartbroken and crushed by each one would leave me laying in bed every week singing “Another Sad Love Song.” That sucks to even type because it’s super selfish.
Another school shooting happened because we (America) are sitting around letting it. How did we get to a point where those injured and killed no longer feel like brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins? Now they’re just numbers to add to our “You are in trouble” chart. And what can we do to stop it?
The most obvious answer is tightening up gun laws, but that bid failed in the Senate last year and nothing new has been passed. Apparently, it’s too much to require that people who want guns be subjected to comprehensive background checks.
It makes NO logical sense that we won’t do anything related to gun control on a federal level with all these shootings. What else needs to happen? Congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford was shot, too many children have died by their desks and there’s now a need for a bulletproof blanket to protect them because parents don’t feel safe sending their kids to learn.
Congress is out here playing bald-headed games and allowing the NRA to keep them from taking actions to keep citizens safe.
Meanwhile, I have to go through airport security in socks and bring only 3oz of lotion because of that one time that the dude whose name we forgot tried and failed. You know how many people have used 4 oz. toothpaste to hijack a plane? Zero. Zilch. None. Do you know how many people die from gun violence in the U.S. every year? Over 32,000.
ALL THE SIDE-EYES, AMERICA! All of them!
Someone (folks think it’s Albert Einstein, but it hasn’t been confirmed) said “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” As these tragedies happen repeatedly, we are standing around doing nothing to prevent them. Basically, we’re insane as a country to think anything will change any time soon.
It’s basically like if you decide to play in front of a fan and the blades cut you since you got too close. Then next time, the same thing happens and you’re bleeding. By the 3rd time, shouldn’t you have learned to either put up the screen or just not go near it? Apparently not.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Shoot up 74 schools since December 2012 but we don’t act on it to keep it from happening again, shame on everyone.
Luvvie is a serial ranter and blogger who talks pop culture at Awesomely Luvvie, technology at Awesomely Techie and is the head behind DumbestTweets.com. She can also be found on Twitter (@Luvvie), Facebook and Instagram.
