1 week Ago
In 1982, two colleagues and I, joined by a group of Augustana students, spent some time in Arequipa, Peru, where we developed a close working relationship with the Universidad Católica de Santa Maria. I was somewhat unexpectedly invited to present a lecture at a symposium at the university, which was attended by government officials and faculty and students from several universities. The paper that I presented, which was entitled "The Arms Race: A Moral Crisis in a Hungry World" was published verbatim in an Arequipa newspaper.
While we were there, one of my colleagues laid the groundwork for an exchange program between Augustana and the Universidad Católica de Santa Maria. Two Augustana students would attend the Universidad Católica de Santa Maria while two of their students would attend Augustana. Though it took the better part of a year before all the administrative details were worked out, in time it all came together and two students from each institution were selected to participate in the program.
But it didn’t happen. The fathers of the two students from the Universidad Católica de Santa Maria selected to participate in the program refused to give their daughters permission to go to the United States, which they viewed as a country in which there was a lot of violence. Newspaper accounts of a shooting at a McDonald’s led them to fear for the safety of their daughters.
I was surprised by this reaction. I viewed the United States as a relatively safe country, compared to other countries. As I look at what has happened in the United States since 1982, however, I have come to the reluctant conclusion that there is a culture of violence in our country.
Not everyone is part of this culture of violence. Most of us are not. However, there is a substantial minority in this country who either turn to violence to get what they want or support candidates for office who in various ways support this culture of violence.
Since 1982, there have been 1,159 victims of mass shootings who have been killed with thousands more injured. And, it should be added, victims of gun violence also include those who were shot in targeted attacks. The victims of mass shootings and other forms of gun violence include school children, people attending religious services, shoppers in grocery stores and shopping malls, and many other innocent people.
The knee jerk reaction from those on the liberal end of the political spectrum is to call for gun control. And indeed, there is a case to be made for limiting access to AR-15 style assault guns which are designed to kill people. I am a gun owner who refuses to have an AR-15 style assault rifle in my gun safe.
The roots of the culture of violence, however, are much deeper than the availability of guns designed to kill people. They involve hatred, angry grievances, racism, bigotry and much else that is part of the darker side of human nature. It is no overstatement to say that an angry racist with a gun in his hands is inherently dangerous.
Like so many other problems, the solution to the problem begins at home. It is incumbent on all of us who are parents to teach our sons and daughters to treat all people with respect and dignity – and set a positive example for them by doing so ourselves. It involves affirming and praising our daughters and sons when they treat all people with respect and dignity.
There is way too much tearing other people down when they do things that we don’t want them to do and precious little building them up when they do things that are morally praiseworthy. And when election day comes, it involves casting our votes for candidates who believe in justice and treating all people with respect and dignity while not voting for candidates who make disparaging comments about other people, including false accusations without any evidence to back them up such as asserting that the group in question steals other peoples’ pets and eats them. Statements that are not only false but are reeking of racism.
Statements that have resulted in bomb threats and schools being shut down to protect the safety of the children who attend them. Dan Lee, a regular columnist, is the Marian Taft Cannon Professor in the Humanities at Augustana College; [email protected] .
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