The cogs in my head have been turning of late, a dangerous past time, i know. but i feel as though my understanding is increasing and i might be on the brink of something.
originally, i wanted to write something condemning the current political climate in Australia. the mud slinging, the name calling, the lack of action. but instead I want to put my head in the sand a few minutes more and look at how lucky we are in comparison to our American friends.
Don't get me wrong. i think America is the most amazing country in the world. they have been thrust into positions of authority, often, without them wanting to be there. their consumerism, lifestyles and political sway make them the strongest nation and despite the soft rise of China, Brazil being thrust into prominence and Russia well and truly on the comeback trail, America will always hold an audience captivated.
overnight, the worst thing happened. It is impossible to imagine how it must feel for the families, friends and communities in Connecticut right now. i have seen the facebook statuses of friends, American and Australian, displaying clear dismay and anger at it. anger centred mostly at America and the short-sightedness. This is where Australia is lucky. after the Port Arthur massacre, John Howard showed perhaps the greatest leadership we have seen since Gough (biased view of author :P) in saying we can not stand for such freedom of gun ownership. there was the gun buyback scheme, more stringent laws set as to who could own guns and how they could get them. and, perhaps the most important aspect, it became, socially, a huge thing for someone to own a gun. Guns were seen as something evil. something which only brings negative things and should only be held by police and used as a last resort. this social awareness and social backlash has meant that me and all of my friends have been able to grow up not worrying about hearing gun shots at night or finding bullets on the street.
there is no point in pretending that guns in australia are like snakes in Ireland. there is a black market and gun fights do happen. See Milperra, bikie wars and the Melbourne gang wars (which were glamorised on television - a bad look). However, there is still that shock of a shooting, it is not a normal occurrence. they are harder to come by and, as a result, people are a lot less likely to get shot. simple, right.
America is unfortunately, hesitant to change their views on this. there is no doubt there would be a wide range of support to gun law reforms but it would be so radical that the government would be in danger of losing a lot of support. citizens claim it is unconstitutional to not have a gun. it comes to fear. there is fear in American citizens and this fear is only quenched by possessing a gun. when, of course, people would be a lot safer should they not have guns. Obama is in a unique position at the moment. The GFC is not over but is waning and i am confident that congress will see the "fiscal cliff" approaching and do the best thing for their country. they kind of have to seeing that the democrats are in a position of strength. so, economic reform (and hopefully a post-keynesian foundation) is a very real possibility. but, in his second term, can Obama do the unthinkable and bring in gun reform? it is suggested. deep down, i think the people know it is coming one day. the whole world is shifting further and further left and guns will be right up on the agenda alongside gay marriage, human rights and immigration.
socially it needs to become a bad thing to possess a gun without it being necessary. people need to be educated. about the consequences, about the dangers, about what they have the potential to do. education brings aspiration. i am a firm believer in that. there needs to be an example made in schools and there needs to be tougher restrictions on who can get guns and what type of gun it is.
a lot is said of people killing people and not guns but, if you take away guns, it becomes a lot harder to kill someone. mental health issues are often unaddressed in America and "crazies" are able to get a hold of weapons. yes, it is bad that these issues go on without action but the underlying point here is they are able to get a hold of weapons. even if people were just checked more closely it would be able to make such a difference. on top of this there is the automatic weapon issue. no one needs an automatic weapon. simple as that. they should not be available.
hopefully the children killed will not be lost in vain. the anger will turn to a need for action. in this world we can do that. look at what is going on in England with the poor nurse who has committed suicide and the Aussie DJs copping a bucketful. i don't find prank calls funny but their actions do not at all deserve the treatment they have received. they were stupid. that's it. they would be so embarrassed and upset now and that is more than enough punishment. but, the more people talk about something, the more publicity is brings. the more it is viewed as being important. people just need to keep talking, to keep stressing that gun laws need to be reformed. America is not in the dark ages any more. the king of england is not going to walk into homes and push people around.
i could write forever about this. there are so many facets to cover that it never feels as though everything is said. racial issues, mental health, economic disparity, short sightedness due to religion, status, race... the list goes on. but, at the end of the day, if the guns are not there. if they are not made, sold and available. this sort of stuff does not happen and twenty bright futures are salvaged this morning.
America, and its inhabitants, are among the most wonderful. i have had a love affair since i first landed in Honolulu and met the people. this sort of stuff always makes me think of Xavier Rudd's song GBA. indeed, god bless america. they are able to do anything. they can change the world. they can give themselves a better tomorrow. the question is, will they step in and do this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw5MubBO7Z0
"Yes you have the funds and size and power to make some change
What you have will break their smiles
so many people so many ways
each Child who walks their line
should be free to run their race
it's such a shame that all this shit exists here on this earth, this magical place"
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