I don't understand all of the "shock" over what Loughner did

[Duer 157099]

We, especially those of us in the U.S., live in a society that adores violence, that is exposed to it from birth, in every aspect of our culture.

If we ourselves are not involved in the military, we at least are exposed to what goes on there in terms of training people to kill. We are actively engaged in two actual wars, plus untold numbers of covert actions around the world. It's in our blood, it's practically what defines us, especially in the eyes of the rest of the world.

So when a Loughner does what he does, why all the furrowed brows and expressions of bewilderment?

*That's* what I don't understand.

[ananda]

1. Rachel Maddow has been focusing on gun violence this past week.

These kinds of incidents are COMMON and FREQUENT.

[Duer 157099]

5. I don't think we need delve very deeply to understand it

It's not like it's some deep, dark, obscure mental illness that causes something like this! It's out in the open, it's on TV EVERY DAY, EVERY MINUTE; it's in our music, our films, our literature, our art, our video games, every aspect of our culture!!

It's thinking that we can segment and compartmentalize things neatly that is the problem. That we can have thousands of troops who can kill because they are trained to and ordered to, but that somehow someone without that training and orders must be severely ill to act in the identical manner?

[treestar]

2. After all of the mass shootings and school shootings

It is true that shock is out of place.

[customerserviceguy]

3. The last time there was a politically-oriented assassination attempt in the US

it was thirty years ago, with the attempt on Reagan. For people 35 and under, this is a 'novel' thing, but those of us who lived through the 1960's are not as shocked or amazed.

I'm a bit surprised that they're that far apart, given the amount of political polarization that has existed in this country for the last three decades.

[lunatica]

4. We all knew it was going to happen sooner or later

It isn't shock as much as it's grief for the loss of valuable and precious lives.

[cali]

6. not where I live

that culture is not dominant here- and it's not dominant in other places in this country.

[HockeyMom]

7. It wasn't always so

Before instant, 24 hours news, the Net, etc. Broadcast channels didn't show all this violence decades ago. That is why it so shocked the public to see all those images from Vietnam on their 6 PM news shows. That brought war right into the living rooms of Mr. and Mrs. Average American, AND their children.

Over the subsequent years, violence became an every day thing with cable news shows competing against one another for ratings. Being the FIRST, to show more and more violence across America and the World, increased their ratings. This had the effect of desensitizing Mr. and Mrs. Average American, and of course, their kids.

[cascadiance]

8. This mainstream war game ad shows how war violence is a "family event thing to do"...

Ever since I saw this broadcast back in October, it made me disgusted with how they are depicting war as "normal" and the message explicitly says there's a "soldier in all of us"! This is exactly the symptom of what creates the mess that creates the Loughner's of the world. Note the comments on this video too. That also gives you an idea of how th sickness has spread!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62P3Ma2Xd9s

[Codeine]

17. It shows a video game as being a family thing, not war violence.

There's an important difference. I've never taken a bullet playing a video game.

[cascadiance]

19. Semantically it's a difference, but viscerally, what I see is the same thing...

And I suppose it does show violence in a sanitized fashion without the blood and gore of it in this commercial, but in my book that is part of the problem. It really seems to glamorize war and violence that much more as entertainment and part of every day life than something that is really a horrible experience to be avoided if possible.

I think its one thing to show realistic game action that depicts what one would feel are real people that would be placed in those scenes that are a part of the war, etc. being depicted, and for us to put ourselves in those spots to perhaps try to understand and see how one might change a historical event as being a part of that action, but not necessarily to personally identify with that sort of life.

It is another thing to kind of place "everyday us" as being soldiers in that scenario. It seems one step removed from a person saying that their own downtown can be that same war scene and us having another Jared Loughner on our hands if they are nuts enough to start with.

Sometimes I wonder when you get crazy people racing and lane dodging down a freeway without a cop to pull them over, if they are actually playing "Need for Speed" in their own mind as they drive through traffic, thinking they have the same invincibility driving in the real world that he has in that "exciting" video game.

[progressoid]

9. I hate to say it but

I think a lot of the shock is fake. Certainly, much of the empathy and sympathy from the right is just a media show. I know a few people on the right that likely think this shooting is no big deal.

We are addicted to violence and reality TV. Sadly, this just feeds into both.

[BeFree]

10. No Good Reason

Loughner had no good reason to do what he did.

But there are plenty, who would never ever condone what Loughner did, but do condone war, because they consider there to be good reasoning behind war.

[The Second Stone]

11. It usually happens to helpless school children not congress people

who apparently think of themselves as invulnerable to the very common school shooting scenario. Boehner looked shocked and frightened.

[Tesha]

13. You know, I'd actually like our Congresscritters to be just a little bit afraid of the gun...

...violence monster they've been voting to create all these
years. They've been well and truly bought off by the gun
manufacturers' lobby and if a few chickens are finally
starting to come home to roost, well, maybe they'll have
a more realistic sense of the problem the next time they're
asked to vote.

NB: This post in no way calls for anyone to take violent
action against anyone in our government; it merely points
out that many millions don't live the semi-charmed lives
that these over-privileged assholes lead.

Tesha

[butterfly77]

12. Its because..

they think some places in America are special or idyllic white picket fence and all that jazz. Don't you listen to the news when after a murder or murders in their neighborhood or town the sound bite is usually from someone saying "things like that don't happen here" as though they are some type of different human above us all.


Remember while Bush was still in office there were a string of shootings in the so called idyllic neighborhoods,one I recall is the guy who shot the little girl in her face when she opened the door and killed others then set the house and I believe himself on fire.


Another,was a guy who went through town killing people any and everywhere then killed himself. I also recall the guy who killed a man in Hillary Clinton's campaign office and there were many more.. So why is this different???


Like the republiCONS like to say"Have you forgotten?" they wish.

[Peace Monger]

14. I hope I never get to the point

When I'm not shocked to hear about someone being shot in the head execution style followed by the murder of an innocent nine year old girl.

Actually, I'm just hoping I can get to the point where I don't throw up in my mouth a little bit every time I think about it.

[tnlefty]

16. Welcome to DU!

I have a Peace Monger t-shirt, royal blue with white letters. :hi:

[Mariana]

15. We live in a society that adores violence, etc.

But we also live in a society that likes to pretend that isn't true. I think that a lot of the furrowed brows and expressions of bewilderment are fake, because that's the only socially acceptable way to behave.

[svsuman23]

18. at about all the..

Violence and killing in games?

You can shoot people, blow them up or whatever.