Guns are not to blame for yesterday's massacre. They are merely tools. Violent movies are not to blame for yesterday's massacre. They are merely a symptom. Video games are not to blame for yesterday's massacre. They are merely a reflection of a much bigger problem.
Whether those things should be regulated is another debate for another time. This diary is about the root of the problem that led to yesterday's tragedy.
The problem is that many, many people are very, very angry.
Most angry people will never resort to the sort of heinous violence that was perpetrated on the Virginia Tech campus. But it seems like angry people are everywhere. The person who fumes because the line at the bank is moving too slowly. The person who rages at a grocery clerk who has made a minor error. The person who blasts his horn because the driver in front of him isn't going fast enough. They all share one thing in common: they are filled with seething anger.
To whom does a violent movie appeal, if not to one who wishes he could release his inner turmoil in the same way as the on-screen hero? To whom do violent video games appeal, if not those who seek a way to momentarily assuage the rage that torments them? And when a person can control his anger no longer, what tool does he choose to use? A gun, of course.
There are enough gun-control diaries here already. I hope this diary will not turn into another one. Let's not talk about gun control here.
I want to know why so many people nowadays are so angry. Why are so many supposedly civilized people so willing to berate, denigrate or even kill their fellow human beings for petty and insignificant reasons? It doesn't seem like it was always this way. Maybe I'm getting old, but it really seems like politeness and forgiveness have given way to harsh words and road rage.
Why?