To be fair did we get the religious affiliation of the Virginia Tech Shooter (32), Fort Hood (13), Sandy Hook (27), San Ysidro McDonald's massacre (21), San Bernidino (16) (maybe as this is the only other muslim in the top 10 of all time)(can't remember), Edmond Post office (15), Binghampton (14), Aurora - James Holmes (12), Washington Snipers (12)...
You see if we look at this objectively, mass shooting in an American context - Cross all boundaries of socioeconomic (that Directors son), Race (the above includes hispanic, caucasion, asian and middle eastern and black, Religion (above includes Christian, Muslim, non-practicing) etc etc the top 10 CROSSES EVERY SINGLE DIVIDE...
So is it benificial if we are trying to deal with issue in any objective sense, to jump on the band wagon and highlight specific elements that are heated ATM, and at the same time, paint every moderate practicer of a faith against a wall? You know what we've tried the denouncing muslims thing as a stratagy - after 9/11 and you know what that achieved? IT CREATED MORE fundamentalists and Extremists - it made us less safe...
That is not a good stratagy.
No, as the list above illustrates, the issue of mass shootings in America is not one based in Religion, race, socioeconomic status - It's a home grown cultural issue - one in which violence seems to be an easy solution - Thats why these types of events a so uncommon in other developed nations. Its not about guns, its about attitudes towards violence...
and untill we adress the undercurrent of violence in our nation - you watch, next week well have another white kid shoot up a high school, a week after that well have a black neighbourhood shoot themselfs to pieces, a week after that we'll have a middle aged loner take out his work collegues, and a week after that probably another Mussie blow himself up to get his 70 fucking virgins...
So who cares what was said - so it wasn't divisive - the languge used wasn't set up to divide the country along a further lines of ethnicity, religion, wealth, gender - we are so carved up right now - the last thing we need is more people hacking at the bones of this nation to cause even more tension...
or do we we?
Fuck it, I want it all to burn down anyway.