“I’ve
got a lot of problems with you people!
Now, you’re going to hear about it!” – Frank Costanza
I am starting a new tradition this year. It’s not one with family or friends. It’s not in the name of good tidings or great
joy. It’s one more along the lines of
what I’m calling “bah humbug-ery.” I
don’t wish for this airing to create a flurry of replies, be they in support or
criticism. I simply wish that we all
take a moment to reflect on the things we truly
believe in and truly wish to share
with others. Social media has become an
outlet of voicing our opinion. It seems
most tend to use a social media outlet to voice their disgust, anger or hatred
towards something. And while I will be
airing some of my grievances in perhaps a similar tone, I’m doing so to vent
and expel these feelings before my favorite time of year. I pray that we all take these last few
moments before Christmas to prepare our hearts for love, peace and
thanksgiving. I also pray that this
feeling will last not only in the days leading up to Christmas and on Christmas
day, but throughout the upcoming year and beyond.
Phil Robertson. I
guess I’m the next person to fall into the trap of providing my view on this one. And I guess since it’s so close to the
present that the wound is still fresh, so to speak. Let me start by saying it makes me ill to
hear and see so many people jumping at the opportunity to support Robertson
even though they are a bit blind/deaf to what he actually said. It’s like there are people out there ready
and willing to pick a fight with the LBGT community, but they just need more
“catalysts” like Robertson. Please feel free to read what Robertson
actually said during his most recent and public interview with GQ
magazine. Then, please feel free to read
what he has said in the past about the LGBT community. He has been quoted to say that homosexuals
are “full of hatred”, “full of murder”, “senseless” and “ruthless” just to name
a few. Now, I don’t have a problem with
Robertson exercising his right to freedom of speech. We all do it and I am currently exercising my
right. But I will never agree or condone
what he said about thousands upon thousands of people he’s never met. What he’s done is he’s taken a group of
people, stripped their identity by lumping them all together and emphatically
rebuked them. As far as I’m concerned,
anyone who supports what Robertson said supports hateful thinking.
To me, there is a very clear distinction between not having
the freedom of speech and being reprimanded by your employer for publicly
acting against their company standards and guidelines. There is not a government agency seizing
Robertson, throwing him in jail, breaking and persecuting him until the point of
silence, or worse. Robertson has the
freedom of speech and it prevents him from facing any of the above hypothetical
consequences. So let us not overreact to
what A&E has done in handling the future of ‘Duck Dynasty’. A&E is aware Robertson has the right to
say what he said, he just can’t be expected to say those things and get away
with it while being a part of A&E.
A&E has the right to punish Robertson for his actions. Even children know they would be in trouble
with their teacher and/or principal for calling a classmate something far less
hurtful than what Robertson has said about homosexuals. There is only one offender in this case and
it’s Robertson. And furthermore,
Robertson is not the victim here.
I pray that we all put this topic to bed and we all learn to
love (I’ll gladly settle for like)
one another- regardless if they’re hetero or homosexual. Regardless of their race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, age and gender (which is the basic definition of
civil rights). You don’t have to
understand someone, but for crying out loud, just have some respect for them
and let them live their life.
Let my discussion continue by jumping from one amendment to
another. The second amendment, to be
exact. This seemed to be another pretty
hot-topic debate in 2013, and it’s been a pretty cold winter, so let’s add some
coals to this fire to keep us warm.
I’m not going to focus so much on the amendment itself and
how it should relate to the 21st century, but rather, focus on the militaristic
and violent culture of our nation. Some
of the most advertised and popular video games (there are also movies,
television shows, sports like MMA etc.) revolve around violence. Not the comic violence of jumping on a turtle’s
head and using his shell to KO walking mushrooms. I’m talking about the Call of Duty-type games
where it puts you in a somewhat realistic war-time scenario, arms the player
with a bevy of weapons and asks them to go and kill. To me, it’s a bit scary because I feel people
are becoming out of touch with what actually happens during war. In war, one simply doesn’t respawn after
taking a rocket propelled grenade to the abdomen like in a video game. I’ve read plenty of stories of how combat
changes ex-soldier’s lives- mentally, physically and emotionally. And the closest people to them. And that’s if they even come back- no respawning here.
Now, I could throw out statistics such as how weapons are
constantly at the top of the U.S.’s most-exported goods, which means we have
some hand in the manufacturing and/or distribution of said weapons, statistics
on how readily available semi-automatic rifles are to those who wish to
purchase them, or my take on the “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”
phrase. But again, I don’t want to
discuss so much the second amendment as I do our nation’s violent culture-
though I believe there is a direct correlation.
Switzerland is a country well-known for their neutral stance on taking
part in any of the recent wars that have centralized in Europe. Switzerland does not have a standing army,
instead opts for a people's militia for its national defense. The vast majority of men between the ages of
20 and 30 are conscripted into the militia and undergo military training,
including weapons training. The personal
weapons of the militia are kept at home as part of the military obligations;
Switzerland thus has one of the highest militia gun ownership rates in the
world. So, why then, are their homicide
rates so low? In the year 2010, there
were 40 homicides caused by firearms in the entire country of Switzerland, a
country where many of its citizens own firearms, and a country with a
population of about 7.8 million at that time.
If you do the math, you’ll find that Switzerland has one of the lowest annual
rates of homicide by firearm in the world.
For some comparison, the city of Chicago has about one-third of
Switzerland’s population, but roughly 10 times the number of homicides. Different cultures, different mindsets. Different gun control and gun operation laws.
Now, I don’t intend to chastise anyone out there who play
these type of war-esque video games (I have), collect and enjoy firearms, hunt
wildlife and certainly not anyone who is in the military defending someone like
myself. I can make the distinction
between reality versus fantasy, hunting versus homicide, and a soldier versus a
mentally ill person who shoots up a shopping mall. I also understand that the vast majority of
those who own firearms use them responsibly.
But something that fills my brain and rarely seems to leave is the
question, “If everyone in the United States curbs its opinion and attitude about
violence and truly desires to head towards a more peaceful society, would the
likelihood of events like Sandy Hook dramatically decrease?” I suppose you can call it a rhetorical
question because, in my mind, the answer is: “yes.”
Though I know it won’t be an easy task, I pray that our
country finds a solution to the gun control regulations in a way that ushers in
more peace to our society. It will have
to happen at all levels of our society.
So, if you made it through this, you must be either: a.) My
mother or brother, b.) Of the Carson clan, or c.) someone who may have been
mildly interested to read this. For
that, I thank you. And it could have
been longer because I wanted to touch on the Affordable Care Act, though I’m
afraid of running out of time before the big day. And although the day reserved for being
thankful has come and gone, I think tomorrow needs to be as highly regarded as
a day to be thankful. It seems Christmas
gets more and more overdone in a country where millions of people already have
the “stuff” they need to live on a day-to-day basis. I may not know what presents I will receive
tomorrow, but I already know the best Christmas gift of 2013. It’s the gift that I will be sharing
Christmas Day with the same people I spent it with last year. 2013 has been a kind year to me and I hope it
has been to you. I pray that all of you
will find favor in what you already have and not what you are about to receive. And may your holidays be filled with love, peace and thanksgiving.
Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year to come!
"And now it's time for the Feats of Strength!"
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