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BREMPRO

(2,331 posts)
Mon Apr 22, 2013, 11:37 PM Apr 2013

Why does America lose its head over 'terror' but ignore its daily gun deaths?

"The thriving metropolis of Boston was turned into a ghost town on Friday. Nearly a million Bostonians were asked to stay in their homes – and willingly complied. Schools were closed; business shuttered; trains, subways and roads were empty; usually busy streets eerily resembled a post-apocalyptic movie set; even baseball games and cultural events were cancelled – all in response to a 19-year-old fugitive, who was on foot and clearly identified by the news media.The actions allegedly committed by the Boston marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, were heinous. Four people dead and more than 100 wounded, some with shredded and amputated limbs.

But Londoners, who endured IRA terror for years, might be forgiven for thinking that America over-reacted just a tad to the goings-on in Boston. They're right – and then some. What we saw was a collective freak-out like few that we've seen previously in the United States. It was yet another depressing reminder that more than 11 years after 9/11 Americans still allow themselves to be easily and willingly cowed by the "threat" of terrorism."

snip

"At the same time that investigators were in the midst of a high-profile manhunt for the marathon bombers that ended on Friday evening, 38 more Americans – with little fanfare – died from gun violence. One was a 22-year old resident of Boston. They are a tiny percentage of the 3,531 Americans killed by guns in the past four months – a total that surpasses the number of Americans who died on 9/11 and is one fewer than the number of US soldiers who lost their lives in combat operations in Iraq. Yet, none of this daily violence was considered urgent enough to motivate Congress to impose a mild, commonsense restriction on gun purchasers. It's not just firearms that produce such legislative inaction. Last week, a fertiliser plant in West, Texas, which hasn't been inspected by federal regulators since 1985, exploded, killing 14 people and injuring countless others. Yet many Republicans want to cut further the funding for the agency (OSHA) that is responsible for such reviews. The vast majority of Americans die from one of four ailments – cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease – and yet Republicans have held three dozen votes to repeal Obamacare, which expands healthcare coverage to 30 million Americans.

It is a surreal and difficult-to-explain dynamic. Americans seemingly place an inordinate fear on violence that is random and unexplainable and can be blamed on "others" – jihadists, terrorists, evil-doers etc. But the lurking dangers all around us – the guns, our unhealthy diets, the workplaces that kill 14 Americans every single day – these are just accepted as part of life, the price of freedom, if you will. And so the violence goes, with more Americans dying preventable deaths. But hey, look on the bright side – we got those sons of bitches who blew up the marathon."

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/21/boston-marathon-bombs-us-gun-law


this is not just about guns, but an interesting exploration and juxtaposition of what we do to keep us safe from threats and how our institutions, politics and lobbyists have influenced our responses...

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Why does America lose its head over 'terror' but ignore its daily gun deaths? (Original Post) BREMPRO Apr 2013 OP
Shifting Newest Reality Apr 2013 #1
excellent points BREMPRO Apr 2013 #3
It is deep, Newest Reality Apr 2013 #8
maybe our over reaction and irrational fear is just cooked into our cultural roots (video) BREMPRO Apr 2013 #4
maybe millions of people were hoping to see the guy killed live on tv? nt msongs Apr 2013 #2
Mustn't touch the PRECIOUS!!!! kestrel91316 Apr 2013 #5
Why does America freak out over its gun deaths JayhawkSD Apr 2013 #6
not ignored.. thats why auto accidents are on the decline and gun death increasing. facts: BREMPRO Apr 2013 #7
maybe because the last time kitt6 Apr 2013 #9

Newest Reality

(12,712 posts)
1. Shifting
Mon Apr 22, 2013, 11:43 PM
Apr 2013

the burden of the cost of gun violence is alright since the common people take the hit.

Terror creates huge demand for weapons, ammo, vehicles, (the list is long) and various supplies while it feeds hungry, hungry defense contractors and various corporations tax money. It also creates, and expands various alphabet agencies which are also faithful, regular and growing consumers of said, destructive products.

So, profit is the motive and individual lives are demonstrably NOT the big deal that they pretend it is. Any means or event that will support the industry, (think NRA) will be exploited to the maximum and used as a means to justify growth, expenditures, etc.

I think that may be becoming rather obvious to many, now.

BREMPRO

(2,331 posts)
3. excellent points
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 12:07 AM
Apr 2013

seems to always boil down to how can businesses make profits at any cost to society and without thoughtful consideration... make people afraid of their own shadows and sell guns as the answer.. "terrorism" creates need for armored vehicles, detection devices, hardware, law enforcement personnel and alpha agencies... however it is a response to real threats we face.. the real question is what is the appropriate level of response and how to best and most efficiently protect us? The fallacy is we can't protect everyone all the time so what can and should we do? the profit motive and lobbying efforts seem to drive that response into overdrive..hence the overreaction of hardware and thousands of law enforcement devoted to the search for one "terrorist".. then the unknown fear expanded after the fact by politicians interested calling these "losers" enemy combatants is a symptom of the drivers of profit in the security industrial complex..

Newest Reality

(12,712 posts)
8. It is deep,
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 12:58 AM
Apr 2013

convoluted and has a lot of momentum to it.

I would suggest that you not get to wound-up in what to do about it because you don't need the stress.

What is a good idea may be to relax and learn more. Study the facts. Try to understand it as it is. Clear up that cognitive dissonance that comes from the actuality versus the facades, cover-ups, rhetoric and manipulative mechanisms that allow the whole thing to function without much interference or a real and equal opposition.

That way, you can make intelligent decisions and respond more aptly on a personal level while being a influential model for those you know. Even if there is nothing you, or we, can do at this point, knowing and adjusting to what you know can be helpful and enhance your mental and physical survival.

Then, wait. See how it goes. Be open to something emerging. Otherwise, be safe, get out of the way and do your best. Treat others well and encourage a beneficial reciprocity in these insane times in an strange land.

 

JayhawkSD

(3,163 posts)
6. Why does America freak out over its gun deaths
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 12:32 AM
Apr 2013

and calmly ignore an order of magnitude more deaths every day on our highways?

BREMPRO

(2,331 posts)
7. not ignored.. thats why auto accidents are on the decline and gun death increasing. facts:
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 12:43 AM
Apr 2013
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-19/american-gun-deaths-to-exceed-traffic-fatalities-by-2015.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/gun-deaths-exceed-motor-v_b_1536793.html

Guns and cars have long been among the leading causes of non-medical deaths in the U.S. By 2015, firearm fatalities will probably exceed traffic fatalities for the first time, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.
Enlarge image American Shooting Deaths to Surpass Traffic Fatalities by 2015

While motor-vehicle deaths dropped 22 percent from 2005 to 2010, gun fatalities are rising again after a low point in 2000, according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Shooting deaths in 2015 will probably rise to almost 33,000, and those related to autos will decline to about 32,000, based on the 10-year average trend.
 

kitt6

(516 posts)
9. maybe because the last time
Tue Apr 23, 2013, 01:07 AM
Apr 2013

I looked, this website had a enemy and his name was the President of the U.S. I wouldn't listen to a crazy white person if they paid me! And I'm half white.

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