And to make a larger point, if we didn't do something about gun control when 20 first graders were gunned down (an hour-ish from where I live) and examine society's attitudes toward violence at that point, then there is nothing that will make us do it.
The only nugget of satisfaction in this is the talk of this being an act of terrorism (which I will go into detail about in a minute). Which means the same exact party that used terrorism as an excuse to invade other countries (thus creating and recruiting
more terrorists) is the same party that's suckling at the teat of the NRA. And at the risk of being Captain Hindsight (I didn't see that South Park), I was constantly thinking to myself, wait... what if terrorists (or rather lone wolf losers, again...more to come on that) started taking advantage of our lax gun laws? We pretty much have all these dumb things in place if you want to get into a plane up to the point where
sexually violating full body cavity searching random people happened. We have everyone being wire tapped and stalked on the internet for information. Both things that
don't work and don't keep us any safer. But any small change to gun laws, especially against hoarding (which is the big problem no one wants to talk about) are always off the table.
So we get a nice little paradox that would cause a robot to explode if it was used in a sci fi story. We'll do anything to prevent terrorism and keep the populous sacred enough to let it happen, but since Congress (especially right wing members) are the NRA's b****, they finally have one thing that can't protect us from that all the fear mongering and racial baiting they created and exploited.
Now back to
MY main rant...
Clearly some people just want to spread their misery onto others. It's as if they need to make people suffer just like they do, which shows an unfathomable lack of attachment to humanity. I don't know what's wrong with people that they have to do something like that, other than their view of the world has become so distorted that nothing can change it.
Life's not great for some people. This I'm
well aware of. Some can't deal with depression. And while I'm not going to be one of those who just can't empathize with the depressed and say how gosh darn awful suicide is (but it is, and there's no way I'm endorsing it), if someone's life is that horrible that they can't see the point of another day, a simple "there there" talk isn't going to make anyone feel better. Which, side rant... if we cared so much about not having anyone kill themselves,
help them. Be their friend, help them get work,
give them more than shallow platitudes. These people need to be pulled out of depression that badly and saying "it gets better" a billion times doesn't do anything, especially since some people's lives get
worse.
Now what does this have to do with mass shooters, lone wolf terrorist, and dejected 20 year olds that join up with terrorists? No one who's life is all together is going to say, "Wow. I have a wonderful life partner, great kids, and a job that at worst gives me a mild headache...better go kill some innocent people for some reason." Now, what makes terrorism diabolical and devious is that instead of the actual heads of the organization lifting a Rolex watch wearing hand is that they can count on depressed loners with crappy lives to get radicalized online and do their dirty work for them. Think of those really obnoxious poser emo kids that have richer parents than yours, only with a killing instinct. And it doesn't even need recruitment to a club, either. Anyone remember the Boston Marathon bombing? It was headed up by a constantly angry failure of a human being that got really sore and pouty because (and say this in a baby's voice)
dey wouldn't wet him pway in the boxing match because he wasn't Amewican. Poor baby. So instead of sucking it up or (again, no endorsement) killing himself, he did the really pathetic thing. Basically doing the same thing a crazy gunman would do, but justifying it with radicalization so instead of being that pathetic loser who wanted to kill people because
"waaaaa!!! It's unfair I can't be a boxing man! Waaaaaa!!!" he decided to become a martyr for a cause he wasn't even associated with. Seemingly inappropriate, yet surprisingly apt cartoon comparison time. Remember CatDog? Remember Eddie the squirrel who desperately wanted to be a Greaser, and when the Greasers weren't ignoring him or kicking the crap out of him, they were using him? Same darn thing. The lone wolf doesn't report to anyone, but it benefits the jerks who wouldn't lift a finger to swat a fly when they have an army of mindless, depressed (I really want to use the P word here) dinks to do it for them. Doesn't matter if they're lone or the emo, pouty little spoiled brat who goes on websites and gets ideas. Same little turds with crybaby problems being used as pawns.
As for the mass shooting brats? I think we can also lump them in as terrorists and what they're doing
is terrorism. Only this time it doesn't have that level of "using your own petty revenge to fuel the Megalomanaiacal visions of some dingus hiding in a cave that gives no craps about who you are" angle to it. And as I said before those who are eager to say it isn't the fault of guns being easy to purchase, but a mental health problem are the
same ones that cut funding
for mental health.