What We Really Need Is People Control

Hello my Dear Friends.  As I'm sure you've heard, New York State now has the "toughest gun control laws" in the nation. Without taking sides, let me just say that these new "laws" will have no impact on these mass shootings that horrified our Country. Governor Andrew Cuomo is going to run for President in 2016. This rushed mishmash of bans and regulations was formulated specifically to use as a launching point for his campaign. The President, who will soon release his own batch of "solutions", will cause more harm than good.  Why? Because the availability of guns is not the problem. I do not now, nor have I ever owned a gun. I don't like them. That's my choice. Choice is a funny thing. It seems that many people only favor "personal choice" when they are the ones doing the choosing. But, that discussion is for another day. Today, I want to discuss three other reasons I believe are behind the frightening increase in these mass murders; fame, anger and delusion. They go hand in hand. Over the last 15 years or so, we, as a nation, have given a ridiculous importance to "fame". The internet, YouTube and "reality" TV have allowed almost anyone to become "famous". The dumber, more obnoxious, more disgusting, the better. We have made the bad behavior of spoiled little rich kids into entertainment. We have glorified the reckless lives of rednecks, hillbillies, guidos, mob wives, teenage mothers, polygamists and more. We have taught an entire generation that the road to instant success is paved with idiocy. The problem with this, aside from the obvious, is that simply isn't true. For every Honey Boo Boo, there are a hundreds of thousands of other kids who want what she has but will never get it. That makes them angry. Why not me? Why do I have to suffer while those people are getting rich? I'm better than them! Everyone will know my name one day. We all understand that mental illness plays a major role in these tragedies. It is the difference in how we deal with the anger, rejection and failure. My point is that it appears that we've set the bar for fame incredibly low, but the reality is that it is still out of reach for the vast majority. This type of "fame" is a carrot we need to stop dangling. It feeds the delusion. Hand in hand people. Hand in hand. Many people believe "violent video games" play a role in these killings. I think they're right but not for the reasons they're claiming. I don't think these games "desensitize" people to violence. I think they help to create the delusion. Think about this. There's a 17 year old kid, we'll call him Jim. He comes from an average middle class family. Jim is skinny, a little awkward and shy. He's not into sports, girls think he's weird and the other boys bully him. It's not an uncommon scenario. So Jim goes home every day, up to his room to play Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with his virtual friends. In this game, Jim is part of a gang. He has created a persona that is feared, tough and fearless. All of the things that Jim is not. His virtual friends, probably as awkward and shy as Jim in the real world, follow his lead. They respect virtual Jim. Immersing himself in the game makes Jim forget how bad things are in his life. Virtual Jim is powerful and unstoppable. He enters that world and stays for hours on end, sometimes days at a time. The self doubt, the awkwardness, the bullying, the fear, it doesn't exist here. Here, virtual Jim is King. Reality Jim disgusts him now. He believes Reality Jim is a loser. He spends more and more time as virtual Jim, doing all the things Reality Jim could never do. Or could he? You can take it from here. It's a problem. Add to that absent or unsupportive parents, and you can see how tragedies are made. Yes, you can argue that if Jim didn't have access to guns the tragedy could be averted but I think we all know that simply isn't true. Where there's a will, there's a way. So go ahead and ban the "assault weapons" but if you don't address the root of the problem, the ugly underbelly, nothing is going to change. Be well my friend.
Po