An investment in education.

     I'm a geek, so excuse the Star Trek reference, but we live in a society with a very Klingon-like sense of what masculinity is. We revel in glee while we watch people tear each other apart in a ring, and see the shedding of a tear as shameful. And feminism, while it began as something good, ended up keeping men aggressive and spiteful, while making the women more equally so. We favor aggressive action over contemplative thought.

     We need to make improvements in the education system. Yes, conservatives, this is going to a financial investment, but it would pay off. We need gun safety courses in our children’s schools. Yes, this sounds like a paradox, but hear me out. If the media are to blame for the gun violence epidemic, it would be because children only know what guns look and sound like. The visual stimulation presented by the game, the TV show, or the movie contradicts the tactile stimulation presented by the popcorn, drink, or controller. Children need to know what a gun actually feels like. In our point-and-click interface society, they need to understand what true level of power it is in their hands. And those cheesy paper targets should be replaced with life-life dummies, so they know what they are doing.

     In addition, we need to have another part of the course called Anatomical Effects of Violence. They need to see what the effects of common murder weapons are upon the body with the use of ballistics gel dummies. Of course, the young students will be enamored with the fact that they saw blood and gore in class, but the novelty will fade. It needs to be driven home that those dummies are representations of the human body, and that they live in a human body, and despite any feelings of alienation that they might feel at that age, nothing will change the fact that they share that commonality with the rest of humanity.
     Not all violence results in death. This is another point that must be made in this hypothetical class. For the first ten minutes at the beginning of each class session, students should lay motionless on a cot, looking up at the ceiling, with nothing but the sound of equipment beeping. Such is the “life” of many victims of violence.
     Many students took a course in high school, where they carried a baby-doll around for a while, to get a glimpse into the life of a parent. They even carry them home with them. Students should spend a portion of their time in a wheelchair. Something high-tech that monitors when they get in and out of it. Of course, they will spend a lot of time racing in them, but when they realize how much of a life-change it is, it will sink in.

     Yes, these may sound drastic, but when gun violence is so common to where we are little more than a third-world nation dressed in Western suits and ties, we need to re-examine what we teach our children.

The American mindset.

     A lot has been said about what we need to do about tragedies such as Sandy Hook, Aurora, and others. Before action, thoughts need to dominate the landscape. We need to look at the American mindset as if we're looking at the collective consciousness of all of us. We are, after all, social creatures. Here's an experiment. For the next week, once every few hours, when you're awake, look into the mirror and say the following mantra:

"I will not cry.
Nothing's wrong.
Tears are for the weak.
The only help can come from an invisible hand.
Seeking help from other people means opening up.
Opening up is for the weak.
Fear, depression, bad memories, are all in my head.
Where's the invisible hand?
I must have the next big thing.
Material gains will make me whole.
I must look right.
Material gains for my family will make me a good provider.
If I cannot achieve those goals, it's my fault.
Where's the invisible hand?
I cannot turn to another.
I cannot admit weakness.
I must stand on my own,
like a grown-up.
The invisible hand isn't here.
That makes me sad.
But I'm not sad, because that makes me weak.
But if I admit not seeing the invisible hand,
then there's something wrong with me."

After a week, let me know how much your perception has significantly altered.


     In addition, we have this silly "end of the world business." Doomsayers crop up all the time, but not so much as now, with this Mayan calendar bullshit. If society, as a whole, were stuffed into one person, so that person became the embodiment of all of us, that would be a depraved being, with its excesses, self-loathing, materialism, and disenfranchisement. Now, imagine whispering in that person's ear everyday, saying that they were terminally ill and had a short while to live. How would they act?

America needs an enema!

     I knew that there would be resistance in the aftermath of a likely Obama victory; but I didn't expect a bunch of fucking racist morons wanting to split from the country! Jesus Fist-fucking Christ! Let Texas be their sanctuary, then. After a few years, without federal programs such as the Department of Education (which we still need to fix), the FCC, the FDA (which we also need to fix), and sealed of from foreign influences, that hellhole will be teeming with dumb, out of touch, malnourished, xenophobes in the midst of sheer chaos!
      But, I did expect a bunch of senators still holding out on cooperating with the president and the will of the people. I still haven't figured out why they're kissing Grover Norquist's ass. Fuck him! We need to tell them "Do what the people need to get done, assholes! That's why you're there!"

      Before I flip out and throw this computer, I will end this blog entry. We'll see what happens in the next few months.