Nobody Wants To Admit To The Real Reasons Behind American Mass Shootings

Authored by Nick Bernabe via TheAntiMedia.org,

There was “mass casualty event” at an American high school yesterday that took the lives of 17 students, and I’m unfortunately not surprised at this point.

Mass shootings have become commonplace in America as of late, and after every one of them, the political blame game spins round and round, even before we send out our redundant “thoughts and prayers.”

We have to ban guns. No, we need more guns. We need to put more police in public places — and even in schools to deter shooters. We need to ban gun-free zones. We need to blame all right-wingers. We need to blame all left-wingers. We need to call white violence terrorism. We need to blame psychotropic drugs. We need to ban Muslims. We need to (insert your reactionary opinion here).

Everybody thinks they know what’s wrong, but it seems nobody wants to acknowledge the plainly obvious reasons behind all this violence...

Violence is Inherent to American Identity

America is violent by default. It’s in our DNA as a nation. Born out of the exploitation and genocide of Natives and built off the backs of slaves, the United States has used violence to solve its “problems” since its inception. The country’s independence, itself, was obtained through years of violence — the American revolution. This violence is now venerated and enshrined in popular American mythology and perpetuated ad nauseam in public school history books.

The violence never stopped, and it has been routinely glorified. When Native Americans had something we wanted, we murdered them and took it — over and over again. America’s deft use of violence in World War II became our modern claim to moral superiority. The invasion of Iraq decades later was deemed a gift to Iraqi citizens despite the countless deaths and destruction of their homeland that came with it.

We memorialize those who commit violence for the government and hold them in the highest esteem — throwing tantrums when others express dissenting opinions or fail to bow to the people who serve these institutions.

When children misbehave, we beat them. When people don’t follow the ever-expanding number of (many times unjust) laws in the U.S., we jail them. When a country does something we don’t like, we bomb them and overthrow their government. When a leader does something the U.S. government doesn’t like, we assassinate them. Even what should be civil political discourse has been radicalized into violent rhetoric — the war on women, the war on Christmas, the war on healthcare, the war on cops. War permeates our culture.

Therefore, it’s only natural that when a person is sad, down on themselves, off their meds, or mad about something, picking up a gun to solve their problems with violence seems to be logical. Our government does it, why not them? We beat kids for being “bad,” why would they not use violence against adults? Our government bombs schools in countries we don’t like, so what is so different about an individual getting a gun and shooting up a school in the United States? Our police shoot and kill over 1,000 Americans every year, often because they are afraid of them or because they “did not comply.” Is it any surprise that many of the most atrocious mass shootings in this country were committed by individuals with a fetish for militarism (or policing institutions)? Likewise, Nikolas Cruz, the Florida high school shooter, was a member of the JROTC — an American youth military training organization.

Update: This article originally cited reports claiming Nikolas Cruz was a member of a Florida white nationalist militia. Those reports are now being disputed.

Thanks in large part to our government, American society assumes violence solves problems, whatever those problems may be. Since this country’s founding, America has been dehumanizing others and committing mass acts of violence against them in the name of what is “right” or “good.” The Virginia shooter probably thought he was committing a righteous act by shooting a Republican who was taking away his healthcare.

Just as the concept of “Manifest Destiny” made room in early Americans’ consciences to rationalize genocide against the natives — and the post 9/11 dehumanization of Muslims allows for the ongoing war on terror, which has taken well over one million innocent lives — we now dehumanize others for disagreeing with us politically to the point where violence is becoming a regular occurrence.

The “us vs. them” nationalism that was previously used as propaganda during major wars to get the public unified behind international conflicts has now come home to roost. The next logical step is to get out the guns and start shooting our political opponents down in the street — and now, apparently, it’s happening. And I’m not surprised.

Problem, Reaction, Solution and Well-Intentioned Political Violence

There is another reason violence is such a default reaction, and it extends beyond the behavior and nationalism perpetuated by the U.S. government. In most of the public’s reactions to the problem of mass shootings, there is a hint of violence in their subsequent well-intentioned proposals to legislate away said violent acts.

Taking away someone’s right to do something is an act of violence — political or otherwise. In the United States, we have a tendency to enact laws against things we don’t like, and if someone still does something politicians say is bad, violence is committed against them in the form of punishment, fines, incarceration, and execution. After all, government is defined by its ‘moral’ exemption to use violence — if a soldier, cop, or other government agent commits violence at the behest of politicians or ‘the law,’ it’s in the name of the greater good — regardless of whether or not it’s actually moral. If members of the public use violence, they’re criminals, even if they also believe they’re advocating a ‘greater good.’

So when you say armed guards should be put into every school, you’re endorsing an act of violence by taking someone’s tax money and spending it in a way they may disagree with. When you say “guns should be banned,” you are advocating violence by taking away someone else’s freedom because you think that particular liberty is dangerous, outdated, or arcane. Your desire to remove that freedom necessarily requires the use of violence on the part of armed government agents confiscating the gun or locking them up for failing to obey the edict.

That’s fine and dandy until the freedoms you hold dear end up in the crosshairs of political moralists who feel they know better than you. The slippery slope that starts with banning guns because they can be used for violence can slide into banning books because dangerous information can lead to dangerous thoughts or violence.

*  *  *

When a culture of violence intersects with an inherently violent government, I’m not surprised that Americans of all political persuasions are shooting each other in the streets and in schools. So perhaps instead of reforming gun laws or turning our schools into fortresses, America needs to take a long hard look in the mirror. From the way we treat our children to the global war on terror, if we truly want to stop the spread of violence, maybe it’s time to admit that violence has been ingrained into every aspect of our society  and do something about that.

*  *  *

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Comments

LetThemEatRand didthatreallyhappen Fri, 02/16/2018 - 19:32 Permalink

This article is correct but only in the sense that America is a reflection of humanity.  All of human history is filled with violence, invasions, kings, emperors, warlords, etc, long before America existed.  It is a complete crock to suggest that America somehow has a monopoly on this history.  America is violent because human beings are violent, and especially the sociopaths who tend to become leaders of society.

In reply to by didthatreallyhappen

Aeonios Normalcy Bias Fri, 02/16/2018 - 19:45 Permalink

What we do have is public schools that serve as progressive socialist indoctrination camps. Not only do public schools ignore childrens' feelings and interests and treat interpersonal relationships as a superfluous obstacle to obedience, but they even encourage the sort of divisive group mentality that leads people to go insane and decide that it's ok to shoot up their classmates (or alternatively to eat tide pods for internet attention points).

In reply to by Normalcy Bias

Killtruck Aeonios Fri, 02/16/2018 - 19:54 Permalink

The other interesting tidbit that this sonuvabitch seems to skip over, is that America is shockingly NON-violent compared to the rest of humanity. Oh, sure, we have our hotspots (Chicongo, DC, LA, Baltimore...anywhere socialism has taken root), but if you look at the murder rate per capita of rural America, it's basically zero. 

...what has really never happened before in human history. 

so shut the fuck up with your "America is violent, repression of Natives" bullshit. Humans rip each other apart. So do bears. Lions eat cubs. 

The fact that someone is not actively trying to kill you as you read this is a fucking historical miracle.

In reply to by Aeonios

ScratInTheHat Killtruck Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:11 Permalink

You are right and Nick is full of crap! Hey Nick! Any free society can turn on the pain and be violent! No one is going to remain free if they can’t do that! Most won’t remain free even then. I carry death in my pocket and have for most of my life! I’ve never had to use it. I don’t like violence! I’m just like every southerner has been for hundreds of years. I’ll say please, thank you, sir and mam, but if you come after me and mine with violence it’s going to hurt. Just because we have imported the tribals who live on violence doesn’t mean dick to the old school! It’s not that you can bring violence when needed that is the problem. Even the most civilized societies have always had that if they are going to survive. The problem is that the people who should be bringing the hammer down on the BS are suppressed by the Progs and their PC BS!

In reply to by Killtruck

Déjà view whatswhat1@yahoo.com Fri, 02/16/2018 - 22:00 Permalink

Societal breakdown coincides with massive U.S. Gov't/private debt buildup beginning early 1980's...

2. Money
Money makes people funny, or so the saying goes, and it’s true. Everything from different spending habits and financial goals to one spouse making considerably more money than the other, causing a power struggle can strain a marriage to the breaking point. “Money really touches everything. It impacts people’s lives,” said Emmet Burns, brand marketing director for SunTrust. Clearly, money and stress do seem to go hand in hand for many couples.

https://www.marriage.com/advice/divorce/10-most-common-reasons-for-divo

In reply to by whatswhat1@yahoo.com

fleur de lis NA X-15 Fri, 02/16/2018 - 21:09 Permalink

There was a clear and identifiable American culture through the 1950's.

For all the lies the DC Swamp fed us during the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, we at least had known and familiar traditions, beliefs, customs, and manners to keep us united.

All of that changed with the introduction of the Pill in 1960 -- the first direct shot at marriage and babies.

It is interesting that all the neurotic wymminz groups skip over the women who were the Pill guinea pigs during the preceding years.

The 60's dismantled all respect for authority and morals, denigrated religion, scoffed at social order, introduced lewd dancing, and started social chaos by instigating the victim wars which immediately made us identify as subsets of one social group or another.

We all got assigned a place on the triangle -- victim, persecutor, rescuer.

https://bpdfamily.com/content/karpman-drama-triangle

Not to be left out of all the fun and games, Hollyweird ramped up the decay that had was taking root with increasingly coarse movies, pushing the limits of acceptable behavior, denigrating every social standard they could smear.

Academia abandoned the commitment to a solid education and instead set about nurturing insolent brats who would become vengeful social ringleaders and incompetent parents.

We are routinely lectured to by a media that consists of ill-read, poorly mannered race baiters and victim managers, who think that smart ass comments pass for intelligent analysis, and who are so stupid that they cannot fathom the difference between severely biased opinion and irrefutable fact.

We are now living in a society where lawmakers routinely ignore immigration laws that might hinder their votes, and defend millions of anti-American illegals who openly break our laws, trespass our borders, attack our law officers and citizenry, and disrespect our country at every opportunity.

They have gifted us with violent illegals who soak up valuable resources for their time in jail but are allowed to stay because they will likely vote for their patrons. 

So now everyone does whatever he/she wants, and no one is really safe any longer, we no longer have a recognizable culture, half of our lawmakers openly ignore our laws, our schools do not even require proper conduct (no one remembers what that was), we can no longer say "Merry Christmas" without some victim crybaby howling about offense, and even the Scouts have been dismantled for not bowing to leftism.

There is no point in complaining, we gave them too much of their own way and they burned our bridges for us, we gave them the benefit of the doubt and they undermined everything, we gave them equal time and brought us leftist speech control.

The only way this can be remedied is to do what we know what to be right regardless of how our overlords will howl their favorite control words -- misogynist, rayciss, anti-semitic, homophobe, white privilege, etc.

And there is no guarantee that it can be turned around, but at least we can stop heeding our self appointed overlords and return to the wisdom of the ages that had sustained us for a thousand years.

 

 

 

In reply to by NA X-15

NumbersUsa NA X-15 Sat, 02/17/2018 - 01:14 Permalink

It's the murderous warmongering jew supremacists as always clamoring for more & more wars !!

As the murderous jew supremacists love to say "we had a good day"

We the American People Demand that all Dual Citizen Israelis in all capacities (elected, employed or volunteer) be immediately removed from all our Federal, State & Local Governments- NOW !

We also Demand that All Jew Supremacist Foreign Agent Organizations In America be Prosecuted & Shut Down Immediately using the FARA ACT- NOW ! (A Short List: Aipac, Splc, Aclu, Zoa, Adl, Jwc, Jdl, Cfr,... etc...) ​​​​​​​

In reply to by NA X-15

GUS100CORRINA ScratInTheHat Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:37 Permalink

Nobody Wants To Admit To The Real Reasons Behind American Mass Shootings

My response: Want the real reason? This is what happens when you throw GOD out of the public square and Jesus Christ under the BUS! All GOD has to do to permit evil is remove His protective hedge because the HUMAN HEART is deceitful above all else and desparately wicked.

Read the quote below from the reformer MARTIN LUTHER. This quote says it all.

"I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of HELL, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth."

-- Martin Luther

What we saw in FLORIDA was indeed HELL on EARTH for the STUDENTS and TEACHERS involved.

In reply to by ScratInTheHat

ebear GUS100CORRINA Fri, 02/16/2018 - 21:01 Permalink

Well then, let's have a theocracy and beat people with sticks for not attending church, like they do in Iran.

Or perhaps you could offer a less draconian solution?

It's all well and good to say what you think is the source of the problem, but not all of us would agree.  So, what are you going to do about that?  Where do we fit into your plan?

In reply to by GUS100CORRINA

keep the basta… GUS100CORRINA Fri, 02/16/2018 - 23:11 Permalink

Gods shield around the human heart? What happened with the priests, the Protestant ministers, the principal of a Jewish school in Aust fighting extradition from Israel and the missionaries killing torturing destroying the saamis?

So your God put a hard shield on all their perverted hearts?thats the excuse for evil black hearts in sadistic minds?

In reply to by GUS100CORRINA

Dane Bramage Killtruck Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:13 Permalink

Author forgot one = Ban (.gov) Schools.  :-)  Then let the private sector figure out their security & may the best win.  Oh, & re: "We need to blame psychotropic drugs".  Understanding their side effects (RTFM) sure wouldn't hurt?!  Be a lot more on target than the violence tradition group-think BS being peddled in this article IMHO.

In reply to by Killtruck

OverTheHedge Killtruck Sat, 02/17/2018 - 00:55 Permalink

So just to be clear, America is only violent in those areas where it is violent, but everywhere else is just kittens and sewing circles?

American culture is very clear: you resolve your problems by killing people. Either as individuals, or as a nation. Check out every holiwood action film ever made. If it to be for a family audience, then the bad guy may "accidentally" fall off a building, but mostly the hero kills the evil, because that is truth, justice and the American Way!

I am expecting lots and lots of Americans to take issue with this article, because you are exceptional, and have a manifest destiny etc, but really, you need to understand that you are perceived by the rest of the world as being unhinged genocidal lunatics. I'm a Brit, so I should know a genocidal lunatic when I see one.

There will be lots of denial, and lots of wriggling to make statistics show that Americans are gentle little lambs, but frankly - no. You're all nuts, and need help. The average city in the US has a murder rate as high as entire nations elsewhere in the world. It's not all jungle-bunnies offing themselves and each other, but even if it is, they are a product of American culture, with generations of violence to teach them how to behave.

Ask yourself this: if violence is BAD, and love is good, why is it ok for children to see many thousands of deaths on television, night after night, day after day, but narry a nipple, because that might hurt their delicate little minds?

By the time the average U.S. child starts elementary school he or she will have seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence on TV.

-New Scientist, 2007

 

In reply to by Killtruck

ebear Offthebeach Fri, 02/16/2018 - 21:19 Permalink

I would argue that schools, as they exist today, are obsolete.  Most of what you learn in K-12 can be taught at home in much less time, and in the later years, independently, with help from online tutors.

Even subjects requiring equipment, such as chemistry and physics can be done at home.  I finished grade 12 through correspondence courses, and all the science equipment I needed was shipped to me - flasks, beakers, chemicals, etc. 

If I had young kids today, no way would I subject them to the kind of environment you find in the average public school.  Not gonna happen.

In reply to by Offthebeach

LetThemEatRand Normalcy Bias Fri, 02/16/2018 - 19:45 Permalink

This is the kind of gaslighting to which we're all subjected now on a daily basis.  Same as the idea that guns are the "problem."  There are how many tens of millions of gun owners in this country vs. how many school shootings?  We're supposed to give up the right to defend ourselves because a few nutjobs do horrible shit, even though you're still far more likely to be killed by a bee sting.

In reply to by Normalcy Bias

Creative_Destruct Ignatius Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:30 Permalink

This author's error is same as many others who begin their "analysis" with the Meme that somehow the human species behaves differently in "America" than it does in other countries, or geographic regions for that matter.

All humans, no matter where they dwell,  have necessarily had a genetically and culturally encoded tendency toward violent behavior since we became a viable species. The violence was NEEDED to protect ourselves from being EATEN by other species when we were lower on the food chain, and to protect ourselves and our resources from the competition for survival from other human groups/tribes.

And, as horrible as it is to have kids killed, a tyrannical government can do MUCH, MUCH worse; THAT'S what the Second Amendment is for, a FINAL check and balance against tyranny, NOT for hunting as the stupid leftists always spew.

In reply to by Ignatius

Serious Orion Ignatius Fri, 02/16/2018 - 21:08 Permalink

yep; he ain't the first, nor the worst. some of our ex politicians and guv'ment employees have authored the same stuff. several credible interviews around with students saying there were at least two, one girl said three, with "something hiding their faces." pretty obvious it's CIA, FBI.

 with all of these there are a bushel of facts and statements that could have been proven, but which never appear on mass media. maybe that's the way Gah'wed wants it...

In reply to by Ignatius

LetThemEatRand nmewn Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:17 Permalink

It's even worse than that, nmewn.  We're all bad people if we did not already suffer a penalty of giving up our own security because someone may do something bad.  The MSM is literally telling us we all have blood on our hands if we didn't vote for a candidate who was in favor of throwing out the 2nd Amendment.

Not that we needed more proof, but they give us more proof every day that the MSM is a mouthpiece of the Deep State.

In reply to by nmewn

nmewn LetThemEatRand Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:36 Permalink

I always love how these hate America articles start out.

We should self flagellate ourselves FIRST for injuns & slaves (the sins of our forefathers, which forefathers are irrelevant and left to the imagination because they were all Spanish, English & Portuguese beasts) before moving on to a new age world atonement for destroying the planet (with a generous donation to the WWF or perhaps Jesse Jackson) followed by the revelation that a deranged "white supremacist" named Cruz (lol) is really just God's punishment on us.

The sardonic parody of loathing practically jumps from the screen without any edit.

But at least its always consistent ;-)

In reply to by LetThemEatRand

True Blue LetThemEatRand Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:27 Permalink

You are so close...

The whole damn problem stems from a government decision (in this case the Supreme Court) that the mentally ill cannot be locked in an institution.

So...

We're supposed to give up the right to defend ourselves because a few nutjobs do horrible shit (because they cannot be safely locked away in a nice environment with soft carpets, soft furniture, and most importantly soft walls.) Every one of these things has one thing in common -serious mental illness and a seriously mentally ill person who probably should have been safely kept away from civilized society.

But then, for the past half century or so, this 'society' has made a fetish of celebrating serious mental illness; putting the deranged on the covers of magazines and positively gushing over how 'brave' they are (not for facing their mental issues, but for their ultimate act of denial in using plastic and 'medicine' to make their 'reality' match their delusions.)

Oh, and being well adjusted to a patently sick and unbalanced society is not exactly indicative of 'good' mental health either.

At this point, who even cares anymore? Just let the whole damn thing burn to the ground and hope something decent can finally re-emerge from the piss-soaked ashes.

 

In reply to by LetThemEatRand

TimmyM Normalcy Bias Fri, 02/16/2018 - 23:03 Permalink

You guys make a valid point. But we as a nation should recognize our faults  wether unique or not. 

And he wrote this without mentioning football or UFC or boxing or computer games or horror movies.

A public discussion of personally controlling our worst instincts and making a attempt to be civil is a good thing. 

Just being idiots like we always were is not an excuse. And to the extent some government is necessary, restraint in leadership should be admired. 

Constantantly reaffirming bully macho culture without reservation is a mistake. 

In reply to by Normalcy Bias

bshirley1968 Ralph Spoilsport Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:28 Permalink

And how.

The real problem no one wants to talk about is the children. Who have been worshipped their whole life, told they could do no wrong, never disciplined, given everything they want, allowed to involve themselves in adult activities, told there is no wrong answer, everyone gets trophy, have no respect for anyone, taught there are no consequences for their actions, taught they evolved from animals, therefore is an animal, therefore okay to act like an animal, and that the goal in life is to get moar of everything.....even if you have to lie, cheat, steal, or kill to get it.

Now the real problem? They grow up and become menaces to society....criminals......thugs......murderers.....stupid, selfish, worthless, sacks of shit that procreate, and replicate themselves.....only worse.

And no amount of funding, education, or after school programs are going to fix that. So go on "dad" or "mom", give little Sam or Sally everything they want to sooth your conscience while you go out and try to make all the dollars you can. Let some commie/Marxist bitch or queer teach them all the important things in life. They'll grow up hating you and everyone else as they try to get what they want. Tell them there is no God. Tell them there is no consequence and see what monsters they become.....no matter the IQ or economic level.

It's worked great so far, right? Right!

In reply to by Ralph Spoilsport

old naughty bshirley1968 Fri, 02/16/2018 - 23:25 Permalink

"tell them...", how have we done so far?

since day one (spank them to make them cry) we are "telling" them since...

if they grow up to manifest what they want ir dont want, what have we done?

"mom and dad"  ?

we fxxked it all up, folks  nothin can patch this up now... day of reckoning soon (singularity?)

there is only a single problem: we believe what we want to believe !

should not be told, Live From Your Heart, let the higher frequency pulse within and follow it.

Children "know"  since we have been before and never alone...

 

In reply to by bshirley1968

crazzziecanuck LetThemEatRand Fri, 02/16/2018 - 20:42 Permalink

But you do not see this level of violence in other places that have also had dubious and violent histories.  You do not see this kind of violence in the old colonial heartlands like the UK, France, Belgium or the Netherlands.  Japan was also very violent, you don't see it there either.  Even Japanese anime and manga are so incredibly violent they make the Saw series look like Teletubbies.  Russia has always been brutal, but the only school shootings you see there are from CIA-backed jihadi groups.  

In reply to by LetThemEatRand

dchang0 crazzziecanuck Sat, 02/17/2018 - 01:22 Permalink

You're being selective about seeing violence in those locations. It may not be your fault, though.

The UK is quite violent now, largely thanks to the inrush of Muslim invaders. YET, thanks to the politically correct UK law enforcement who actively suppress the reporting of Muslim violence, no one who uses the gov't statistics on violent crime would know.

There is also passive suppression of violent crime statistics. If the populace believes that reporting a crime is more trouble than it's worth, then they may choose not to report many crimes.

The same goes for the other politically-correct European nations.

Japan is an anomaly in a large part thanks to its being an island not connected to a mainland by a Chunnel and tight immigration policies. It is more racially homogenous (a true nation, not just a country). And it has a huge heaping helping of war guilt piled on it, keeping the violence in check. We can't reproduce such things in, say, the USA.

In reply to by crazzziecanuck