During the Great Depression, Hollywood drastically cut their ticket prices and Americans responded by making the movie house the place to retreat from the dismal world around them. Some say it was escapism and some say that the movies were tailored to meet the desires of a desperate public. Regardless, many people found solace in those dark buildings.
Today, we are mired in a recession not nearly as dire but equally as confounding. As then, people are attending movies in droves. Given the current heat-waves across the country, many are escaping the heat but I’m sure that there is also a desire to escape into a world of fantasy, even if for only a few hours.
Last night, that safe haven was destroyed by a gunman in a theater in Aurora, Colorado at the premier of “The Dark Knight Rises”. As of this writing, 12 people are dead and 59 injured in a shooting spree that authorities say was premeditated by a mentally disturbed person calling himself Joker. Unbelievably, the town of Columbine is only 15 miles away. This unfortunate area has been the victim of two of the worst mass killings in the U.S. in just the last 15 years. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
As if this horror wasn’t enough, not one day had passed before the lunatic fringe reared it’s ugly head and began to make noises about gun control. Not even one day and I see squawkings by a Texas congressman that sound like he’s channeling Tail-Gunner Joe McCarthy. He claims that Judeo-Christians are being targeted by these types of shootings. In their defense, the presidential candidates both took the high road.
It wasn’t long after the rantings hit the Internet that the fur began to fly. I took part and witnessed discussions on how this did or did not justify gun control. The lunatic fringe had their sharp knives (and dull wits) out in force. I know it’s only a matter of time before the anti-violence folks denounce the movie for causing the shooting. How ironic that the main character, Batman, never uses a gun.
As witness to the partisan bickering, it occurred to me that if this is how we respond to a tragedy that affects us, it’s no wonder that we can’t even fix the every-day problems. I saw people claiming that a better armed public was the solution to this problem. The oldest victim was 45. Are we talking about strapping iron on a 16-year-old? Surely, if one of the movie patrons had been armed, more people would have been hurt, not fewer.
How many more of these horrific events do we have to endure before we reach the tipping point? And, when that does happen, will it come down to “those with the guns make the rules”? I had one idiot refer to me as a zombie when I told him that allowing citizens to arm was like abolishing the concept of innocent until proven guilty. Has our society denigrated to the point where insisting on basic constitutional protections is unacceptable?
So That's Life?
Tragedy in Colorado
07/20/2012During the Great Depression, Hollywood drastically cut their ticket prices and Americans responded by making the movie house the place to retreat from the dismal world around them. Some say it was escapism and some say that the movies were tailored to meet the desires of a desperate public. Regardless, many people found solace in those dark buildings.
Today, we are mired in a recession not nearly as dire but equally as confounding. As then, people are attending movies in droves. Given the current heat-waves across the country, many are escaping the heat but I’m sure that there is also a desire to escape into a world of fantasy, even if for only a few hours.
Last night, that safe haven was destroyed by a gunman in a theater in Aurora, Colorado at the premier of “The Dark Knight Rises”. As of this writing, 12 people are dead and 59 injured in a shooting spree that authorities say was premeditated by a mentally disturbed person calling himself Joker. Unbelievably, the town of Columbine is only 15 miles away. This unfortunate area has been the victim of two of the worst mass killings in the U.S. in just the last 15 years. My heart goes out to the victims and their families.
As if this horror wasn’t enough, not one day had passed before the lunatic fringe reared it’s ugly head and began to make noises about gun control. Not even one day and I see squawkings by a Texas congressman that sound like he’s channeling Tail-Gunner Joe McCarthy. He claims that Judeo-Christians are being targeted by these types of shootings. In their defense, the presidential candidates both took the high road.
It wasn’t long after the rantings hit the Internet that the fur began to fly. I took part and witnessed discussions on how this did or did not justify gun control. The lunatic fringe had their sharp knives (and dull wits) out in force. I know it’s only a matter of time before the anti-violence folks denounce the movie for causing the shooting. How ironic that the main character, Batman, never uses a gun.
As witness to the partisan bickering, it occurred to me that if this is how we respond to a tragedy that affects us, it’s no wonder that we can’t even fix the every-day problems. I saw people claiming that a better armed public was the solution to this problem. The oldest victim was 45. Are we talking about strapping iron on a 16-year-old? Surely, if one of the movie patrons had been armed, more people would have been hurt, not fewer.
How many more of these horrific events do we have to endure before we reach the tipping point? And, when that does happen, will it come down to “those with the guns make the rules”? I had one idiot refer to me as a zombie when I told him that allowing citizens to arm was like abolishing the concept of innocent until proven guilty. Has our society denigrated to the point where insisting on basic constitutional protections is unacceptable?
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