with much support.
We have cultivated a culture of violence. Think about the Batman movie the victims were watching, to say nothing of the constant TV shoot-em-up and real crime shows. Killing is viewed as heroic.
Widespread gun ownership is a result of that culture of violence, not the cause.
It's almost as if we worship guns rather than see them as the dangerous but sometimes necessary and useful things they are. We focus on the destructive aspects of guns by focusing incredible amounts of time and energy on the too common instances in which they are used on humans.
We have a gun problem in the US, but more importantly we have an anger problem and a loneliness problem.
The US has lots of experts on non-violent communication. Here is one resource that I have found to be helpful:
http://www.cnvc.org/
The method is particularly useful in family and community relationships because it teaches positive ways to create win/win situations out of lose/lose ones.
Inevitably, when there is a shooting rampage, we hear about how the shooter was a loner with few social contacts, a person who had difficulty making himself heard. That same kind of person can be found in courts in which restraining orders are issued for domestic violence, stalking, etc. as well as in courts that deal with child and family abuse.
Lack of community is a major problem in the US. Too many people, old and young, are ignored, living in isolation. And inside some of them is this big stack of dynamite -- resentment, frustration and isolation.
Also, and I see this on DU a lot, we are impatient with people who do not communicate well. Many people have difficulty expressing themselves. They may seem stupid or boring. We all have to become better listeners and more sensitive to mood changes in others. This is especially true for parents, teachers, pastors, social workers, lawyers, judges and others who deal with troubled kids and adults.
We can change. We can become a more peaceful, rational society. I've seen how empowered individuals feel after they take anger management and parenting classes. If we could do this as a nation, we will save lives and build better communities.
If we spent more on building a spirit of community that is inclusive right where we live, we could spend less on police and courts and jails and prisons and more on our schools and medical care. It's a matter of caring for others around us.
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