Like Son

Only in Europe! Cowboy Reagan riding a cruise missile. Totally not phallic, but rather emblematic of the "freedom by gun" principle America is so famous for. St. Ronaldus Magnus of course the hero of all time for banishing evil forever, defeating the USSR, destroying the Unions, and liberating the COMMUNIST occupied country of Grenada. Also, Star Wars, in the not cool sense. He was the harbinger of the bellicose, ignorant American sitting astride the world, LOL'ing while bombing.

You see, before Ronnie, all Americans of power at least tried to act intelligent and civilized, even if they were faking it. But Ronnie was dumb and proud, a common sense man from a ranch where he tilled the Earth and whispered to horses and didn't have time for your elite, liberal chatter. Like you and me! This plays well to the mob, and tied with several historical trends and a deliberate manipulation of American society via propaganda, we have the America of today. Violent has hell, with more people in jail percentage wise than anyone on Earth, enthralled to a dumb party of religious bigots who don't even understand in the least the religion they try and shove down your throats. An obese society led by morans. And in this society the GUN is holy and sacred, a totem of your freedom and power, the means to overthrow tyrants and zombies, should they arise.

Due to incredibly successful propaganda from, in large part, the NRA, guns are the thing you must own (if you're white. If any other color, sorry, no) if you are a Real American. And not just one, but dozens. And even though your odds of dying by gun go way up as soon as you have one in your house, instead you think this gun will protect you from all your fears. Your many, many fears - black men, communists, anarchists, feminists, jack booted government thugs, on and on, the fears are legion. And so a gun for each. Don't forget the kids, either.

Just playing war, you might say. Sure. And kids played war in the past, or cops and robbers, or cowboys and indians, and this is true. All these games are basically the same. I ask you though, how long have American children been playing these games? Since the 50's? Earlier? If so, when? I think post WW2 is roughly the time these games became popular with children, helped in part by toys marketed towards these games - cap guns, army men, tanks and battleships. Other than the urban crime generated by prohibition in the 20's, America has never seen crime and violence like in the 60's and 70's. Co-incidence? Maybe.

Just another "kid" playing army man. A far more intense, immersive version, almost real in some degrees. I know this will not be popular with my audience, but violent video games have an affect. Playing with guns has an affect. Being soaked in violence on TV, movies, and in music has an affect. Culture has an affect. Politics has an affect. And most everything about America in the last 30 years - maybe forever - has been violent and cruel. We're a death culture, and that has an affect in the people raised within that culture.

Everything we do, say, and think has an affect. Especially on our children, who learn by watching us, of course. When we teach these kids to be Wingnuts, then aye, we shall reap the Wingnut Whirlwind. Which is death, violence, discrimination, and wanton cruelty.

Accept this and cede, hide out of the way, hope the next shooting won't involve you or your loved ones. Or fight it.

Now's the time for fighting, by the way.