Shooting in New York City

Ok, time to write something off the subject of sports. This morning there was a shooting in New York City by the Empire State Building. Thankfully, the shooter was shot and killed by police, saving taxpayers money on a trial and life imprisionment. The shooter apparently shot a co-worker over a dispute. I hope it was a dispute of great importance, cause guess what buddy, now you're dead. what could have been so important that you felt the need to shoot and kill someone along with injuring 8 other people and then end up getting your dumbass killed? I'm not going to get into the argument about whether or not we should have the right to carry a gun; that is just an endless debate. I'm going to go another way.

So, you have a dispute with a co-worker; I think most of us can relate to that. Deal with it!! Either swallow your tongue and do your job like most people do on a daily basis, or, and I know this is a completely crazy thought, go have a conversation with the individual about the issue. You are going to get more accomplished by talking the situation out, then going out and killing someone. Best case scenario, you are going to go to jail for the rest of your life by following the course of violence. You apparently wanted to go with the worse scenario for yourself and get yourself killed as well. Now, last I knew having a casual conversation with an individual should not lead to life imprisionment and if you do have this discussion with the individual who is so upsetting you and nothing is accomplished, you can then go to a higher voice in your workplace and voice your grievance. This is the civil and dare I say professional way to handle a situation.

Again, though one has to blame the culture of violence. You see so many images of violence everyway and especially in films, violence is always used as a solution to a problem. "Violence begets violence." The problem with seeing so many images of the gun used as a problem solver is that people eventually believe that it is true. Where are the images of diplomatic conflict resolution? Oh wait, that takes a little longer than the 2.8 seconds it takes for the bullit to leave the chamber and kill someone. Did this individual that you felt compelled to murder, rape your wife? Your children? Now, those are moments I could understand, but if it is just some stupid work dispute, then grow the fuck up and get over it. Everyone has someone they hate that they have to work with, but everyday these people go through their day and pretend to be civil, mostly because right now people are grateful to have a job.

Civility, now that is a concept that seems to be running out in America. Have we really started to lose the ability to communicate with people? Have we lost touch with just basic politeness and courtesy? Why are we so quick in this country to settle a problem with violence? I can't even pretend that I am smart enough to know the answers to these questions. As much as I believe in the rights that the Constitution grants us, we do have a serious and legitimate problem with guns in this country. America has the most deaths per year via the gun, then any country in the world. It used to be that if you had a problem with someone and it escalated to the point of violence, then the worst thing that would happen is you would have a fistfight over it (and a lot of times the men who got into the fight afterwards would have a beer together, because the problem got resolved in their mind). Now, I'd be afraid to get into a fight because I'd be almost certain that the other person is carrying a weapon. To quote the movie Shoot 'Em Up, "There's nothing worse in this world than a pussy with a gun". This is so true, having a gun doesn't make you tough, it just gives you the ability to do something stupid, which you may regret for the rest of your life. My one friend is a trained bodyguard and would much rather go hand-to-hand, if he loses, he loses no big deal, but yes he packs a gun, because he knows that the other person is going to have one. It's also his job, to protect his client and I'm sure he wants to go home alive as well. 

We need tougher laws on guns or better education for people who get them. Soon, we all are going to be personally affected by someone who got shot by a stray bullit. Yes, I hope to God I am not one or that I am wrong, but we can not continue to glamorize violence and hope that nothing happens by doing so. I fear that as this country sinks further into a depression, that more people are going to go to extremes because of the desperation of their lives. "Tempt not a desperate man!", Shakespeare once wrote and as unemployment continues to be high and people continue to struggle to make ends meet, one has to fear that a revolution is coming. The unfortunate part of a revolution is that it never starts out as a focused attack, it begins with a series of random acts of violence and unfortunately, people who aren't involved in anything are the ones who take the bullit. Have we gotten too far away from having peaceful lives, where we can live freely with one another, or are we destined to continue to go through this violent path that will ultimately destroy us all in one way or another. I will end with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, "Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars... Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."