Fear and Loathing

(I am trying to say a lot of different things here, and I've re-written a lot and I finally decided I am kind of tired of this particular entry and I'd rather publish something that's okay, and be able to move on to other things, than spend another week trying to make it great. So, my apologies if this seems sort of disorganized)

Fear

I have been thinking a lot lately about all the million or so factors that combine to produce particular human behaviors. This is chiefly about the Newtown and other recent mass shootings and the evolving discussions about mental health services, violent video games and movies, access to firearms, and everything else that's been raised as a possibility. Lots of folks are talking about this from lots of different perspectives, and I'll throw in as a mom of 2 young kids, someone who grew up in a home with firearms, a licensed mental health professional and the spouse of a clergy person.

The two issues I'm thinking about lately are tied together by fear and paranoia. The first is the "Sandy Hook truthers" phenomenon - if you haven't heard of them, they are a bunch of, ah, people who postulate that the entire massacre was a complete hoax, the parents and school officials and law enforcement are all either "crisis actors" (whatever that is) or have been paid to promulgate the myth of not only Sandy Hook but the Aurora movie theater shooting back last summer, and I don't know what all, in order to push President Obama's "anti-gun agenda."

I hate to even acknowledge these folks' existence, and I'm sorry that when I was just now looking at a clip of a local mudslide on YouTube I clicked on the link to one of these videos that was on the little sidebar, because I would hate for that to count as a "view" (although I didn't watch it) and build up their credibility. Because, I think they should all be sent to a mental institution for evaluation. Yes, as a mental health professional that was likely insensitive and I should know better. But unless they are simply mean, totally insensitive jackasses (which they may well be) that level of … paranoia? denial? what in the world would it even be? is bizarre (and I am a person who has seen a lot of bizarre crap in her lifetime).

I would love to think this is supposed to be tongue-in-cheek as some sort of ironic criticism of the inability of the government to protect us. And/or, I'd rather believe that these folks are mentally ill - that the overwhelming stress of this national tragedy has caused a break with reality 

(Pay attention, this association may seem kind of loose but I swear it's good). We talked about this in our most recent young-adult Sunday School class. We are looking at starting a 5-part study by Ann Vosskamp, One Thousand Gifts, that promotes discussion about trusting God and letting go of the fear, anxiety, etc, that we can easily allow to dominate our lives. Matt was distressed that in difficult times, people turn to conspiracy theories (whether it is specifically the Sandy Hook thing, or the well-publicized fear that the 'government is coming for our guns'), that we live in an age in which people would rather follow any random, ah, paranoid freak than trust information and intent by the government. I'm completely in favor of inquiry and healthy skepticism about just about everything, but in the more well-publicized cases I think many folks would qualify as officially mentally ill. So why jump on board? Because it's easy. Choosing to follow these various theories completely externalizes everything, and you, Random Person X, are not required to to examine or question anything about yourself. You are not challenged to actually do anything about the problem, you just stock up your doomsday bunker with supplies for …. what, exactly? I refuse to imagine a future wherein police and soldiers coming into our homes and taking anything, especially when that's an abstract possibility and right now, little kids and teenagers and grown-up folks are getting killed. And I am much more afraid of the militia-type setup than of the actual military. 

And, why jump on board? I realize folks are scared and are trying to make sense of the world as a scary place. But none of these folks offer anything but more fear - there's no comfort, no compassion, no hope, only more guns and separation. And some folks have quickly (or immediately) made the jump to the threat of armed insurrection. Is that supposed to make me feel better, that there is this group of people who are ready to take up arms and some sort of pre-emptive strike? No, thank you. 

Loathing (some additional thoughts)

[Aside from being a personal fan of/voter for President Obama, I have tried to look at his Presidency through a semi-objective lens. And I finally realized, he is never going to do anything that the Republican majority and the right-wing, uh, pundits like. Not one thing. I came to this conclusion last summer, when the Treyvon Martin case was brand-new. When Obama spoke about it and said, "If I had a son, he would look like Treyvon," and everybody jumped all over it as being "divisive," I nearly threw up my hands (and my lunch) and planned a moving-to-Canada thing. Not one thing is ever going to please them. And now, as Obama is working to appoint his Cabinet for the 2nd term and he is being criticized for thus far nominating all these old white guys, and not including enough diversity. This kills me, slays me, knocks me over with hilarity.]

[And the new NRA ad that calls Obama an elite hypocrite because his daughters' school is protected by armed guards while other schools are declared 'gun-free' zones? You guys are getting desperate. I tell you what, gun-rights-advocate X, when your child is at risk of being killed or kidnapped as part of an international political conspiracy/agenda, then you can have armed guards at his/her school. And the gun-rights advocates who have been comparing their struggle for firearms freedom to the civil rights movement? To say that if Rosa Parks had had a gun, she wouldn't have sat at the back of the bus for as long as she did? To say that if black people had been granted the right to have firearms "from the beginning" that slavery wouldn't have lasted as long, or even happened in the first place? The first theory is so disrespectful to the sacrifices and struggles of the civil rights movement, whoever that dude was (I think it said he was associated with plans for National Gun Appreciation Day) should be glad I wasn't around to spit not only in his face, but maybe directly into his nose, mouth and ears as well. The second idea is just so $*&#ing stupid I'm not going to bother to respond.]

[I feel folks who have criticized the idea of "Gun-Free School Zones" and the signs that designate such, really misunderstand what it's about. And to name that as a reason that Adam Lanza chose this particular school is another one of the dumber things I've heard lately.]

[Please stop talking about the 2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment should not be interpreted as absolute any more than the 1st. There are laws against things like libel, slander, child pornography, etc., because those things harm other people, and protecting those people outweighs the rights of the individual to express what they want. And the role of the Constitution is to limit the government, not the people? Okay, but the role of Congress is to make laws and those frequently limit people ... jesus I'm tired of listening to these people.]

[I would admit/acknowledge that the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding yadda yadda yadda, and I will say that's true, but I would also suggest that you law-abiding guys need to reel in your spokespeople. The more of them that come out of the woodwork and are granted interviews on national television, the worse it reflects on the sane among you. Maybe you could splinter off into the RNRA - the Rational National Rifle Association. Plus 'rational' and 'national' rhyme].

[I suppose the NRA and other old-conservative-people are afraid of dying out, of irrelevancy. That's an awful feeling, I presume, but the way to make yourself active and vital and appealing isn't to do exactly the same thing you've always done. Right?]

[What a hilarious shell-game they are playing. Let's yank funding for every single conceivable service that might have helped prevent these mindless tragedies (note that I say 'might' - and this is state, local and national govts.) - Early Intervention, mentoring programs, after school programs, art and music initiatives, and last but not least,  mental health services of every kind. You cut mental health services two ways - when you directly cut funding to facilities and programs, and whenever you cut Medicaid funding. Then, don't pay any attention whatsoever to the thousands of murders that occur every year all across the country because many of the victims are young black men, folks with mental illness or other vulnerabilities, or other statuses that put them off your radar. Then, when someone suggests banning 'assault or military-style' weapons, point to these murders (because they occur mostly from handguns) and say that wouldn't do any good, because most gun murders are handguns, but we're not going to ban assault weapons either and we're not going to look at handguns either, oh no, because there is absolutely no way in the world that any gun can ever be held responsible and you utterly refuse to open your minds to the tiniest possibility that something might need to change. Blame the violent movies and video games and the under-funded mental health system that you created, and then claim that Obama and others who are focusing on guns at the moment are neglecting these other areas when there is no way we are neglecting them, we're just choosing the ugliest and the hardest to change first.]