The recent shootings in
Colorado and Wisconsin have created again an appropriate conversation about
guns and violence. When Rap Brown declared in 1967 that “Violence is as
American as cherry pie.” some people were taken aback. They ought not have been. Brown was/is right
and only the context seems to change and that allows us to think we are seeing
something unusual. The real issue is why can’t we find a way to deal with our
willingness to wreak havoc on one another?
We process civil unrest
differently than we do the actions of individuals and react to Arvada because
we see our children in the deranged perpetrator and his victims. At Janesville, we are afraid we see our own
darker side striking out against the stranger.
The attacks on 9/11 were
horrific. It was a relief to have someone to blame and to hit back at. Few remembered that in Oklahoma City we had
at first thought we knew who to strike and were chagrined to find the enemy
lived among us and was in fact striking back at an act of violence unleashed by our own government ignorant of
the apocalyptic dimensions of the Branch Davidians. Janesville seems unique in the US, but is it?
The constant is not that guns
are too available, although they may be or that ammunition can be bought too
easily. The constant is that when we are
angry we strike out at others rather
than take responsibility for our circumstances and make the effort to turn the
other cheek. Sometimes that may be due to illness, but often it is due to other factors.
It would have been political
suicide to not strike back after 9/11. It is not cool to be patient when everyone wants action. We
all felt better when we went after the Taliban, but ten years later it is hard
to find anyone who feels good about how the war has unfolded in Afghanistan. The
momentary respite from grief has given way to the reality: How are we going to
care for those damaged by the war?
There has been a lot of talk
about identifying with the Sikhs in the aftermath of Janesville. I am
sympathetic with that notion and applaud the picture of the governor of
Wisconsin head covered at a memorial service. The object himself of anger
because of his political initiatives, Governor Walker knows something about
being held accountable.
It may be that we are wiser
when rather than focusing on guns or anger at strangers, we focus on creating
communities where violence is never tolerated or rewarded. Those seeking their fifteen minutes of fame
need to know that we ignore them rather than putting their pictures on the
front page of the paper. A ticket to oblivion may be the most appropriate
response.
Robert M. Randolph
Chaplain to the Institute
