If you know me you might find it hard to believe that I don’t want to talk about politics on this Substack. The purpose of this little corner of the internet is to a) get me to write something once a week and b) talk about nerd stuff, movies, or TV. I actually had a whole plan to write about Star Wars this week.
However, after two mass killings in 10 days, one of which stole the lives of 19 elementary school kids, I felt compelled to write something about it. More specifically, I felt compelled to write an action plan for how to go forward. This is in response to the utter cynicism I have seen on social media this week.
This meme below has been going around and it’s absolutely true. Gun violence has become so common that we have developed a sick ritual around it.
How do we break this cycle?
First of all, we need to believe that we can do it. The history of the United States is a story of people defying the gravity of what others considered possible and achieving the impossible. We have done it before, and believe me, we can do it again here.
So, with that being said, let’s focus on the how.
First of all, we need to stop looking to the federal government to come up with a solution in the near term. The best we can hope for is to get them to pass universal background checks and maybe a red flag law. Listen, we should absolutely push them hard for background checks. Call your members of the United States Senate each and every day. Do it from your car, while on a run, or while sitting on the can. (There is something very appropriate about calling a member of Congress while taking a crap, isn’t there?)
What else can you do? Well, tragically enough school shootings have happened so much that experts have been able to build a profile for shooters. Sandy Hook Promise has put together a list of signs to look for in a potential mass shooter. Read it and keep an eye out for these signs in the, let’s be honest, young men in your life.
Second, while we can’t expect much from the federal government at this point in time we can expect a whole lot more from our local and state governments. Twenty years ago same sex marriage was not possible. Then what happened? Advocates started pushing for same sex marriage in individuals states. Then in 2015, it was made possible on a a national level. Change starts with you, where you live, and then builds.
On the flip side, the same thing worked for anti-abortion groups. Those groups spent the last 50 years building up to the inevitable overturning of Roe v Wade. I’m not celebrating this fact by any means. You don’t have to like something to point out that it is effective. The anti-abortion groups started on the local level, went up the chain to state governments, and well, look what they were able to do.
Finally, and this is a heavier lift, but we need more Millennials to run for public office. We have come to age in a world of Columbine, 9/11, The Iraq War, The Great Recession, and so much more. This is the world the Baby Boomer left for us and it’s not great. Still, we have been through some shit and that experience has given us a different perspective on the problems facing us. We need to start getting in the public arena and shaping the world we want for our kids. A better world than what we inherited.
Cynicism and despair are totally justified feelings right now, but they won’t do shit. On the other hand, hope is not just a nice feeling. Hope is about endurance. Hope is about belief. Hope is strongest when the world around us is darkest. Hope can drive us to change the impossible, to probable, and finally to reality.
We can do it. Let’s get to work.
What I Watched:
It’s been a tough week and you deserve to watch a great film this weekend. Top Gun: Maverick is a great film. See it on IMAX.