Saturday, October 3, 2015

From 1776 to Roseburg

My mom came across this interesting comment online and sent it to me:

I believe the reason for the love of guns in America is 
spiritual/psychological, rooted in fear and lies. The people of the 13 
colonies were hyped up to believe that “tyranny” was imminent (hyped up 
by a wealthy upper class that stood to profit more by paying less taxes 
and not being limited by the Crown from settling behind the 
Appalachians). They bought the hype and believed that only bloodshed and
 the sacrifice of sons—even the apparent bulk of Christian ministers 
cast off “render unto Caesar” in favor of violence against the state and 
enemies. Then, the worst possible outcome for the American psyche: they 
*won*! Because they won, their faith and hearts clung to that which they
 believed gave them victory: 1) abandoning diplomacy & peace in 
favor of violence, 2) guns, etc. This solidified a deep spiritual and 
psychological attachment in the national psyche and kept alive by the 
education system as part of the national mythos. It has kept alive (as 
necessary) the often irrational fear of imminent tyranny. It has made 
“war” sacred and the sacrifices of soldiers beyond question. You can 
question any religious dogma, but as soon as you question whether 
soldiers’ sacrifices were right or not, you’ve crossed the line.

2 comments:

Ponocrates said...

I wrote this recently to some liberal friends:

"The main reason for widespread gun ownership in this country is to deter government tyranny. That's what it's all about and that is why the Establishment keeps pushing this issue. It scares them. Gun ownership is especially more effective in the last few decades with the success of asymmetrical warfare around the world."

Of course, I'm opposed to the original Revolution, but I feel some pleasure that gun ownership puts a check on the current government that we have. You reap what you sow.

Aaron Traas said...

I like guns because they're fun and practical. Also, look at 911 statistics - police response times are a few minutes in urban areas, 10s of minutes in suburban, and often hours in rural areas. I, for one, don't want to live in a police state that has enough police to to respond instantly.