A Bigger Concept For This "Discussion"?

Rachel Lucas discusses Things [she wishes her] liberal friends would read. She brings-up the writings of many worthwhile authors regarding such topics as gun control ignorance, the gun as civilization, how to stop mass shootings, and even how stopping mass shootings requires curtailing rights.

All are worthwhile reads in their entirety. Where she really caught me, though, was with her own words:

What I’m actually, sincerely most interested in at this point in this whole “discussion” is exactly why we all feel compelled to have a National Conversation all of a sudden because of these specific 20 children. I’m just trying to figure out the protocol – we are to ignore the more than 20,000 other children who die every day? Is that how it is? We are not going to have National Conversations, including talk of amending the Constitution itself, because of the several children who are murdered by their own parents every single passing day? Why not outlaw parents? They kill more innocent little kids than school shooters, by orders of magnitude. Why not outlaw, or even just put more “common-sense restrictions” on, car ownership or alcohol consumption? Have we all forgotten, or are we just not that interested in, the never-ending bloodbath of children from road accidents and beatings and drownings and skateboard/bike/playground accidents and I could go on and on and on. Don’t even get me started on the unfathomable universe of constant pain and suffering in children’s cancer wards or burn units that never seems to move President Obama to give speeches and shed tears on camera, or to attend funerals, and which certainly doesn’t move any of my Facebook friends to post pictures of candles and offer up their “thoughts and prayers” for the families.

I want to say “I don’t get it”, but I do get it: this kind of story is great for TV ratings, so it’s given 24/7 coverage. The hundreds of kids getting chemo this afternoon and who are probably going to die agonizing deaths in the next few months aren’t “exciting” and don’t get ratings or Presidential pressers or Tweets from celebrities. The media tells us to be upset about these particular 20 children, therefore we are, because we are well-trained and it feels great to go along with the crowd.

Check it all out.