In the wake of the Sandy Hook Massacre, our nation discussed the matter of gun control. However, many people he voiced their opinions, of why the big movement all of the sudden. Why did what happen at Sandy Hook Elementary make us want to take such a stand and improve gun control? Because it took place in a white middle class area, and white children were the victims. Princeton University Professor Cornell West had a problem with the sudden urgency in getting guns off the street after the tragedy. “We can’t just shed tears for those on the vanilla side of town,” West said.” They are precious, but they are no less or more precious than our poor brothers and sisters on Indian reservations — who are killing each other — or be they black or brown or what have you. But it’s a good thing that we now have a discussion on gun control. We need one on drone control. Not a peep, not a mumbling word when black folk get shot,” West added. “But now, Newtown, Connecticut, vanilla side — low and behold we got a major conversation. That’s wonderful. Each life is precious, but it just upsets me when we’re so deferential.”
Rush Limbaugh also agreed with
Professor West, and his video talking about the inner city youth who are
entrenched in a gang war in Chicago is below. He goes on to say the Chicago
averages 41 deaths a month, and that their on course for over 500 deaths this
year. He then goes on to say how you won’t hear about the stories because the
violence takes place in poor black neighborhoods so we don’t care as much about
them as we do the middle class white children.
I also agree with the West, and
Limbaugh. I think it is a shame how the media picks, and chooses what stories
to tell, and which to go untold. There is no way that you can say that what
happened at Sandy Hook Elementary wasn’t devastating, but what is taking place
in Chicago is horrifying. I think that reason why those kids end up killing
each other is because they don’t value their lives, and why would they if they
brothers, and sisters are dying every night and they don’t see them on the
news. I truly believe that if we were to
show that we care and let them see themselves on the news, the nations reaction
would get to some of these troubled youth and save a few lives!
I have to agree with you 100% this is actually a conversation I have had with other people, though I am not sure if it is primarily due to race. I think it may be because of their age as well as their location like you said. People are killed all the time in places like Baltimore and we never hear a single thing, but they generally aren't children. Until you reach about the age of 13 society tends to react horribly to your death, after your 13th birthday however the media doesn't really care. Lets face it what does the general public have a stronger reaction to, a college shooting or a grade school shooting. And when you have a large group of children die all at once the media has a hay day, which ends up bringing the fear of yourself or the ones you love being killed to the front of your mind.
ReplyDeleteAs promised, I'm retyping (reposting?) my comment (well, a version of my comment):
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you: not only does media glorify murderers by broadcasting their personal lives and personality and plastering their image everywhere 24/7, the racial aspect of it is apparent.
To argue that shootings in the ghetto are so common they cease to be newsworthy begs the question.
So why do these murders happen? Why are the victims overwhelmingly black? why doesn't mainstream media care? why isn't the nation dealing with the underlying problem?
To say guns are made for killing is just like arguing that abstinence prevents pregnancy, so why can we talk about sex but not gun control?