ShareExcerpts from article in Huffington Post
“Why must the tragic Colorado theater shootings stimulate a debate on more than mere gun control? Not simply because, or however remarkable the fact that, violent mass killings — whether in Columbine, Virginia Tech or now Aurora…but because the root cause of violence is much more multifaceted and complex than mere access to military-grade weaponry.
“What we find in our data…is that violence is directly and strongly correlated with socio-economic data on education, health, poverty, inequality, basic services, labor participation and social capital.
“Then there are the less quantifiable measures like shame and guilt (see Harvard Medical School professor James Gilligan’s work on Preventing Violence or UK economists Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s work on Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger) that arise in highly unequal societies. America has the highest income inequality rates in the rich world. That correlates strongly with high rates of social-health problems, from homicide and violent crime to mental illness and drug addiction. We must acknowledge that basic human needs for meaning, connectedness, security, recognition and autonomy are real and worth addressing by policymakers. When they are threatened or unmet, conflict often arises and can, if aided by easy access to weapons, turn violent.
”That correlates strongly with high rates of social-health problems, from homicide and violent crime to mental illness and drug addiction. We must acknowledge that basic human needs for meaning, connectedness, security, recognition and autonomy are real and worth addressing by policymakers. When they are threatened or unmet, conflict often arises and can, if aided by easy access to weapons, turn violent.”
So-called random violence is a societal problem, let’s start addressing the roots before the tragedy.
Link to the article: Why the Gun Control Debate Doesn’t Do Justice to Colorado Killings by Michael Shank
Other related posts:
Carlos Santana: “Stop Acting Surprised when Americans Kill Children”
