So once again I got caught up in facebook and it's "soundbite" discussion format. I never intended to go there, I just wanted to get people to think past the guns. It seems every time there is a terrible event like what happened yesterday in Connecticut everyone starts yelling about gun control.
Now to any that are offended about having any type of discussion past simply mourning the dead, wounded and those that will certainly have many years of psychological pain, I apologize. I have one of those personality types that isn't big on empathy. It's not that I don't feel for them, but I just don't focus on it or post prayers on my wall. Not putting down those that do, just not my way of dealing with such news.
Okay, so to try and get my fully coherent thoughts and beliefs out, here it is. I was bullied as a kid, repeatedly. Now these days we see all kinds of commercials about how bullying is bad (like apparently this is news) and also that there is help out there for those that are bullied. Ok... Great! umm... my only problem with this is that you are not addressing the problem. Sure it's great to help those that are being bullied to avoid tragedies that are hitting the news these days. Absolutely. But what about the bullies. Let's continue to ignore them right. Let's not punish them. No. School staff have had their hands tied. Parents won't punish or take accountability for their little bastard bully children and in A LOT of cases bullies are actually applauded by their peers and become the alpha's of their peer group and rewarded for their behaviour. So ummm... to me this is putting a band aid solution on the problem. As for me... well some I stood up to and those never bothered me again, others I never built up the nerve to and they continued to bully me until I ended up moving. So it may be a cliche but I still teach my son to stand up to bullies and will never give him trouble for it.
To me this is what Gun control is. It's a band aid solution. Now perhaps a more permanent solution. Certainly if you remove all guns there will be no more gun violence. You can't argue with that. Although I don't believe the US could ever manage it since they spent $15 Billion on stopping drugs in 2010 and well I'm sure we all know how that is going (It's been over 60 years they've been fighting the war on drugs). But beyond that, is the fact that people are sick. Very very sick. In doing a little research about Japan as it's been repeatedly used to demonstrate how strict gun laws can reduce violence, I've discovered a disturbing trend of massacres involving knives, bats and even vehicles. Including a spike in murders committed by teenagers. And this is what I want people to open their eyes to. Go ahead and get rid of all guns, you aren't going to stop people that want to hurt other people from hurting other people.
And this brings me to Psychiatry. I do believe there is a real need for something like Psychiatry, but I do not believe in the current controls and professional associations related to it. It's been from the get go a self regulated body that has let down those that really need the help. They have no scientific methodologies to help test and prove these illnesses. They have no cures. They continue to follow century old concepts and in doing so have let down our society and a failing to help us in these times of crisis.
So go ahead. Ban all the guns you want. But please, PLEASE, look past the guns and use that same voice to demand reform in psychiatry. Demand answers about what is wrong in our society that people want to perpetuate these massacres. Don't just help the bullied, STOP the bullies.
I hope this explains my comments to any I offended.
