Anger, conspiracy theories offer fertile atmosphere for gun violence

Carol Forsloff — "I'm here to tell you, 1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms! Doesn't matter how many lemmings you get out there on the street, begging for 'em to have their guns taken. We will not relinquish them. Do you understand?! That's why you're going to fail, and the establishment knows, no matter how much propaganda, the republic will rise again!" The rant reveals the pent-up fury of gun owners that often comes from the mere mention of gun control.

Alex Jones, the controversial radio host, who said the United States government was involved in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Towers, offered a heated argument about guns and the fact he is against any form of gun control. His tirade with Piers Morgan revealed a deep anger that often develops in his programs and his arguments. On the Piers Morgan show, however, Jones continued his barrage of verbal attacks on any institution or individual in favor of gun control.

But the anger generated toward Morgan and gun control appears only to be a reflection of Jones' rage against  government rules or regulations, even the request to remove his shoes at the airport during screening, as is required by the TSA. He was detained by TSA security officials for his removal to remove his shoes. His publication claims, however, that Jones refused because he had allegedly got athlete's foot from the process a few years ago.

While the National Rifle Association, politicians, and ordinary citizens debate the matter of gun control, many people argue that mental health issues need to be addressed as part of the problem with guns. On the other hand,  anger and arguments that become out of control often create an atmosphere where some of those who own guns turn to violence.

Andy and Kate Grosmaires are parents of a daughter who was killed by her boyfriend, Conor McBride, who had admitted to police that he had shot Ann Grosmaire on March 28, 2010, following a two-day argument with her. The Grosmaires met with Conor to forgive him, a process they told viewers on the Today Show on January 7, 2013, allowed them to work through their own grief.  Both the Grosmaires and the McBrides joined Savannah Guthrie in a discussion of restorative justice, a process that allows victims of violence to come to terms with their emotions. The Grosmaires also explained that they felt Conor would not be an ongoing threat and that the incident had been an aberration of his personality. It is one of those incidents, however, that illustrates how guns are used during violent quarrels when the anger becomes overwhelming.

Not every angry person would turn to using a gun to resolve a dispute, as experts underline; however, the availability of guns and without restrictions, can lead to these incidents, in groups or with individuals. Alex Jones' anger is mirrored by gun owners, most of whom would not use weapons to make a point, but as conspiracy theories continue to develop around gun control and the government, the toxicity of the atmosphere can generate conditions where even the mentally healthy can do things they might not otherwise in the heat of anger. Then there are the adolescents, some of whom use guns to settle "scores" in gang violence.  But there are also those ordinary teens who, in a flash of anger like Conor's example, can turn to that available gun.

It is not just the mentally ill, therefore, who kill but people who lose control and judgment during stressful situations, which is a good justification for the examination of gun laws. People can kill with their bare hands, with knives and with other weapons, but the availability of the gun presents the victim with far less time for defense. That's why the gun creates the greatest widespread threat to the safety of the community. Experts tell us that verbal violence, sarcasm, blaming and name-calling are often the behavioral characteristics that can be predictive of people who can become problems for themselves or others. The anonymity of the Internet fosters these behaviors, which experts remind us can create a toxic environment where anger can be acted out in other social situations.

Anger and conspiracy theories help to fuel the potential for violence.

 

 

Nancy Burridge talents sadly overlooked by social media

[caption id="attachment_14865" align="alignleft" width="120"] Nancy Burridge[/caption]

Carol Forsloff - Yesterday, after wandering onto You Tube, a woman’s beautiful voice stood out among many others.  What makes this noteworthy is that during the months Nancy Burridge has been singing on the site, relatively few people have listened to her material.   Is this a small part of the Jackie Evancho – Susan Boyle social media phenomenon, just to a lesser degree?

Neither Susan Boyle  nor Jackie Evancho won the top prize of the talent competition called Britains Got Talent or Americas Got Talent, despite the great notoriety both achieved by their spectacular performances.  Boyle had been singing for many years in her Scottish region with a voice as beautiful then as now.  Evancho, a child prodigy, had been demonstrating her amazing singing of classical music for years, despite the fact she was a very young child at the time of her presentation at Americas Got Talent.  But when both of these great talents were eventually “discovered,” they did not win the ultimate prize because of an attitude that appears to pervade our culture coupled with millions of people with a cynicism that says either “I could do better” or the kind of statement made about Jackie Evancho that “she is too young to have that talent and that’s weird.”

In other words, if you are too good, there must be something wrong with either you or the formal judges.  Or there is that other reason, of the democratization of everything driven by social media and popularity polls that does not seek the quality but the number of friends and others available to put someone at the front of the line.

Who has heard regularly about the young man, Michael Grimm, the “white soul singer who won the contest over Jackie Evancho?   Is he frequently in the entertainment news front and center like Evancho, talented though he surely is but less unique than the classical voice of a child?  Fortunately, there are those, who when discovered, sometimes quite accidentally as I found the woman’s talented singing yesterday, get noticed by music executives and get the recognition they deserve.  Still too many languish on the back benches because of those two phenomena of social media popularity and the cynical attitude of a throw-away culture where 15 minutes of fame is driven by impulse.

Erika Van Peldt, who was interviewed on the Today show on March 27, had won accolades from the judges of the national competition.  Yet she was screened out before being among the top few contestants for the first prize.  Again she did not win the social media vote of American Idol.  She was “discovered” after a fashion, and one can always point to a Jennifer Hudson as an example of a winner whose talent continues to charm.  But again who wins may not be the most talented but the one with the most friends or viewers who get in to cast their vote.

It continues to be the vote patterns coupled with the attitudes that drive them that reduces art, and many artists, to the dust bin of entertainment.  What is true of music is also true of visual art and writing, although the television presentations make the problems in music far more pronounced.

Nancy Burridge sings across a spectrum of music that displays her eloquent soprano, phrasing and expression.  She takes the standards of today and expresses them originally.  As a woman of mature years, she retains the youthful sounds that often leave singers bereft of their upper ranges.    Hers is a voice that deserves attention, and her attractive appearance simply adds luster to the performances.

Have a listen.  Discover the magic of that someone new and special, that undiscovered talent, the kind many people yearn for but are unable to find in the wilderness that has become entertainment.  Discover Nancy Burridge.