The American Nightmare
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Back in the day, there was a wonderful cartoon called “Word Girl” — anyone remember this? My friends would often refer to me as “Word Girl” given that my undergraduate degree is in Comparative Literature. I knew (know) a lot of words, and this has served me well. Until now, that is. I’ll explain.
I’ve been struggling to find the words, ANY WORDS, that could even begin to adequately convey my simultaneous sadness and revulsion at the mass shooting that occurred this past weekend, which ironically enough, occurred on the very same day that, across the pond, a peaceful transition of “soft power” — The King’s Coronation, took place. Talk about contrasts.
Civility celebration and compassion in one country; violence, horror and terror in another country. I know that many people have issues with the monarchy (and I intend to write a separate post about that), but as someone who will be living in the UK by the end of this year, I absolutely cannot wait to be OUT of this horrendous indecent country of the U.S.
I didn’t always feel this way, either. While I would never describe myself as tremendously patriotic, and have always felt myself to be more European in mindset, there is still, even now, a part of me that remembers the America that I grew up in and came of age in. It wasn’t like this. Not even close.
We all know, or most of us anyway, that the gun laws need changed.
But they’re not being changed, and they won’t be changed, either.
Because, as I’ve thought (and said) before, if something really substantial and concrete were going to happen with stemming the systemic gun violence in this country “It would have already happened” full stop.
It is blatantly obvious that America does not care about protecting its citizens. It does not care about protecting women or children, or anyone who is considered to be “different.” There’s a famous quote from Maya Angelou, I believe, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
America, and by extension, the American government has shown us, its citizens, “who” and “what” it is. We owe it to ourselves and to our loved ones to believe them. To not believe what we are seeing, witnessing and experiencing is to our own peril. How many of us truly feel safe these days?
