ZRX1200 wrote:Yes, all guns laws are unconstitutional.
Now let’s talk about how we enforce responsibility.
Z, you bring up a critical distinction that bears inclusion in the discussion of root causes of this violence.
"Enforcing responsibility"
The distinction as I see it is that "enforcement" is the role of the government, but only in so far as the laws that exists, not general moral values like "responsibility." Enforcement is pretty cut and dry: law/rule exists, you break it you are punished accordingly.
"Responsibility" is up to society to enforce (sometimes using social service tools created by gov't). The real issue I was pointing out is that as a society we have failed in our dutues within the last 40-50 years. I don't know all of the "why", but I see (1) a general moral decay, (2) a personal-isolationist mentatilty, (3) general increase in selfishness and ease with which that is projected, and (4) the discouragement of the use of "shame" in society as a motivating factor.
Speaking to these four points:
1. I am not a reigious fanatic (proud and practicing Jew though) but I sincerely believe that JudeoChristian teachings are an excellent vessel to impart the core concept of morality. Good v. Evil, kindness v. hate, giving v. taking. Our country has seen a marked decline in religious participation, especially amongst younger people, and as a result, many kids no longer get a chance to learn the lessons of morality outside the home. If they are not taugh and re-enforced inside the home, the kids really are left without a fundamental basis for
why stealing is bad, hurting other a little is bad, cheating is bad, etc. Especially when pop culture influences tell them to do the wrong things. What framework other than organized religion can be used to impart a sense of morality into people? Where does Morality itself originate from if not out of a sense of duty to a larger presence (society, God, etc.)?
2. We don't interact with people like we used to. Litterally. Right here, I am typing this to a person I have never met, never seen wear a thong on a vherf, never smoked a cigar with, etc. I spend a portion of the time that I used to
actually interact with fewer people virtually interacting with more people. As a result, I am teaching myself different social skills that don't always translate to the real world. Case in point (a frivilous one but a good example) would be a young kid who, while actually speaking to a peer, verbally speaks out loud common online vernacular like "LOL", "JK" or "OMG"... It's a very basic example of th eapplication of social and communication skills being ported fromthe web to the real world. In more significant skills, these ports don't work. If when I get a little stressed out I go play COD to let off steam, what am I thinking about doing when I get REALLY stressed out?
3. We are becoming much more selfish. IMO, this is partially a result of #2 above, but we also spend more time thinking about ourselves now, since we interact with fewer people, no longer get a real, personal sense of how other people actually feel, and choose to not interact simple because it's easier. We also feel entitled because Social Media shows us moment-in-time snapshots of other people's lives that we think we should also have. From an early age, parents aren't saying "no" enough, so when it's finally said to a teenager, they recoil in horror as being denied that which they think they deserve (but often don't).
4. We don't shame anymore, and that's a shame. The fact tha twe don't chastize people who make bad decisions is terrible for the learning process regarding
how to make decisions. Teenage pregnance used to be embarassing, now there are shows on TLC sensationalizing it. Being a criminal used to be shameful for the family of the criminal, now they are celebrities who sue the police to try to get millions. Using drugs used to be shameful, now NYC is telling addicts tha tusing drugs is empowering, just be clean about it.
Here's the thing... None of these are easy fixes. We didn't stray way off course quickly, and we wont wander back on to the right (IMO) course quickly. Fundamentally, as a society, we need to figure out how to reward those who deserve it and really marginalize those who subvert society. In other words, there has to be a REASON to work at this, and I have no idea what that will be.
/Rant