Violence in American Society

I think the tragedy in Newtown has been particularly impactful for people because of all of the young lives lost. However, standing alone, I doubt this event, though horrific, would have spurred the social and political conversations about guns and violence that are now so prevalent. Newtown, it seems, was the final straw. It was a violent awakening for many Americans who seem to finally be realizing—or admitting—just how messed up society is.  

The most prominent response to the Newtown violence (besides prayers and support, of course) has been the focus on gun control in our country. Now, finally, it seems that this issue is coming to the forefront of politics. However, simply putting restrictions on the buying and selling of firearms surely won’t be enough. We have to look deeper. We have to not just focus on how we can stop this violence, we have to ask why this violence exists. What are we doing wrong that hundreds of people are killed per year in every major city in the United States? Surely easy access to guns doesn’t help, but there must be deep-seeded emotional issues at the heart of this violence. So perhaps we should examine the way we are raising our children. We should look at the television shows they watch, the music the listen to, the games they play, and the communities in which they are raised. If a child is growing up in a community where it is typical to have a close relative die a violent death or it is accepted as fact that everyone will at some point end up in prison, we should do something about that. We need to address that problem, instead of accepting it as commonplace in that particular environment. The issue of inner-city violence is often overshadowed, I think, by mass shootings such as the one in Newtown. However, as far as mass shootings go, it seems that our country should be providing better mental care for people who are so troubled.

As students who are committed to social justice, we are called to stand up against the “culture of death” in American society.  We are called to speak out for the victims of violence who die everyday but who don’t receive the same media coverage as do victims of mass tragedies. Perhaps now Americans are finally realizing the expanse of this problem. And perhaps we will finally begin to fix our country.

Response to Factory Fire

     American society's response (or lack thereof) to the fire at the factory in Bangladesh recalls the idea of desensitization that we discussed earlier in the course. The story about the factory was "hot" for a couple of days, and then, like all other news stories, died down. As with many other global events, many Americans seem to accept such tragedies as part of everyday life in those countries. Therefore, I don't think the fire had much of an impact on the majority of Americans. I certainly doubt that it had any affect on where they shop. I think the people most affected were probably those  who were already concerned about labor issues overseas. Save for these few people who make a conscious effort (as difficult as this is) to shop fair trade, USA products etc, I'd assert that the majority of Americans are not "responsible consumers."

    As for the American companies whose products were found at the site of the factory file, I think it's extremely disheartening that even these companies who claimed to believe they were no longer doing business with this particular factory were still involved. How can we, the government, or anyone really hope to address this injustice if even when companies think they're operating fairly, some middleman sees that they are not. These companies who are aware of the issue, and attempting to address is (unlike Nike) should be commended. However, perhaps consumers should make clear to them that, obviously, they are not doing enough.