What is it about America that causes us to have so many mass shootings? What makes us different? Why don’t other countries have this problem?
“Clearly, it’s a mental health issue,” claim the Republicans, while slashing the budget for mental health and taking away the mental health background check requirements for gun purchases.
“Other countries have mental health issues,” we reply, “yet they don’t have this problem.”
“Look! A squirrel!” they reply while stuffing wads of money into their pockets from the NRA.
The fact is that while we have 4.4% of the world’s population, we own 42% of the world’s guns. And those guns aren’t evenly spread out among Americans. Only about 23% of all Americans own guns, but 3% of the population owns 50% of the guns. And I’d be willing to bet that 99% of all the mass shootings come from that 3%.
So we Americans are allowing ourselves to be the deadliest advanced country in the world for the sake of 3% of the population that probably has mental problems we are not addressing. (For the record, the only countries with more gun violence per capita are poorer, less-developed places: Uruguay, Panama, Brazil, Columbia, Jamaica, Guatamala, Swaziland, El Salvador, Venezuela, and Honduras.)
But the Republican solution to gun violence here in America? “Let’s do nothing! Maybe that will work.”
Our previous first draft contest (“band names“) gave us some hilarious responses. This time, I asked for the first draft of movie titles, and here’s some of my favorites and the ones that got the most “likes” (in no particular order except me first):
Michael A. Ventrella:
Savannah Luther:
Esther Friesner:
Brandon E. Kumm:
Jay Pennington:
Terri Lynn Coop:
Pam Smith:
Daniel Persons:
Rachelle Stein:
Eric Hamilton:
David Edward Martin:
Jesse Hendrix:
Glenn Haumann:
Marcus Dark:
Rebecca Morris:
James Ryan:
Carl Montano:
Jason Harris Vichinsky:
Steve Vaughan:
Andrew Sugermeyer:
Michael Engler:
Maria Solly Engler:
Jason Leon:
Sarah Adams:
Susie Guarino:
Mike Guarino:
Kevin Irwin:
Donald Smith:
Michael Kaspszyk:
Sorry I couldn’t post them all! Be a friend of mine on Facebook for the next one.
The new Marvel movie “Black Panther” looks great from all the previews. I’m looking forward to it, as are many fans of a good superhero film.
But you watch — as soon as it is released, you’re going to see articles from Hollywood types acting surprised that a film with an almost-entirely black cast is so popular with white audiences as well.
I still remember when Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” was out, and I was reading articles from Hollywood “experts” saying that it was an “urban” film (that’s their code word for “black” — as if there are no white people living in urban areas) and that white audiences couldn’t relate to the film.
As it was, I lived not far from the neighborhood where that movie was filmed. I can guarantee you that I could relate more to the people in that movie than I ever could to some white British aristocrats in 19th century England, yet no one ever says “White people can’t relate to ‘Pride and Prejudice.'”
In any event, what we really want are good movies. I don’t have to be black to enjoy a movie with black characters any more than I have to be Jewish to enjoy a Woody Allen movie or an animal to appreciate “Zootopia” or a hobbit to appreciate “Lord of the Rings.” And I think, despite what Hollywood executives may think, most Americans feel that way.
But just watch out. The articles acting surprised at the film’s success will soon be here.
ventrellaquest.com 