Don’t forget violence in video games…a major factor, infact violence and gore is portrayed as something really cool with lots of different artistic ways to kill someone…pretty hypocritical of me to condemn those kind of games when i play them myself…
The problem of gun violence lies at the core of a deep sickness that is at the at the heart of western culture, and that is being exported around the world.
School shootings and gun violence is not just about gun laws, it is also about a culture that finds entertainment in extremely violent video games, movies, hateful/violent music (gansta rap, etc.); violent and aberrant pornography, and that often finds delightful humor in terrible physical violence and even glorifies demented serial killers in sick and disgusting gory horror movies. The regular consumption of these violent media images combine and act to desensitize the public to the suffering of others, and alters the way people mentally think about violence. It also inevitably leads some to believe that violence is an acceptable and even admirable way of handling problems.
It is no surprise that when America was watching shows like “Father knows best” and “Leave it to Beaver” there were virtually no school shootings. Surely, there is an incremental statistical link in the rise in school shootings with the associated rise in violent content in the media leading up to current situation.
It would be interesting to see a study which compares other countries that allow private gun ownership and notes the levels of shootings in relation to the amount of gore and violence that is projected through various media sources.
The main intent of Islam, is to elevate humanity by promoting all that is good and benefits society, while forbidding or eradicating all that is bad and serves to degenerate the people.
However, it is almost certain that there can be no elevation and uplifting of a society if there is no related purification of societal norms, values, morality. Such a cleansing and re-purification cannot be achieved when the mass media (in many but not all instances) has been clearly put in the service of evil by constantly projecting negative images that serve to debase and devolve the society in all aspects and regards. The cumulative effect of this is absolutely disastrous as any one can see by examining the violence which runs rampant in the world today.
Japan has a fair bit of sex and violence in its media and these things exist in other developed nations, without the corresponding homicide rate (US rate per 100,000 people is 4.88, of which two thirds involve firearms, UK rate is 0.92). The problem is the ease of access to a deadly weapon and the history of this access.
Gun ownership in Japan is much stricter than USA, so your comparison is not equal. The weapons law of Japan begins by stating “No one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords”, and very few exceptions are allowed.
I agree that ease of access and gun laws in USA are indeed a problem, but I also think that the problem in U.S. is also related to the media as I mention above. It is not wise to ignore problem one or the other, as they are both related.
I think both you guys make good points but to add to what Ibn Issam has said about gun violence as a cultural issue rather than being merely about legislation. America has a unique cultural attitude towards guns what with it being in their constitution and all.
The reason that there is such a pushback from conservatives on any attempt to have harsher gun laws (and the money that the NRA has donated to the trump presidency campaign) is due to this inbuilt idea of it being a part of American liberty. This culture is what needs to be challenged for any long term change to take place. I agree with darthimon in the sense that the immediate response should be tighter gun laws that would stop people especially with mental health issues from being able to purchase a gun.
I think we all agree that some type of gun legislation is required. In regard to Patrobin’s comment on the constitutional right to bear arms, it may be possible to place some limits on the Second Amendment rights, as it has not always been legally interpreted as it is understood today. Here is an interesting article on that subject:
However, I believe that changes in legislation will never be enough to stop the gun violence, unless the influencing factors that encourage and even glamorize gun violence (and other violent acts) are not changed. It is not enough to limit access to guns, if someone wants to do violence they will find a way. If you want to stop someone from doing physical harm to someone or something, you have to first teach and convince them mentally that it is wrong in the first place.
The mass media is very much guilty of negatively influencing and degenerating the public mind resulting in a violence prone public and societal mentality that perpetuates the cycle of violence. In America we rarely if ever see the Churches (or any religious institutions) or politicians making the connections between the violence portrayed in various media sources, and the violence we see playing out on our streets and in our communities. This is due to a failure of leadership.
It is time for religious institutions, politicians, public figures and organizations to hold the media to account for their role in all of this, and for the media to take responsibility for the negative material that continues to poison the minds of the masses.
Doesn’t exist in Japan yet a much safer society in general than the US. Doesn’t exist in the UK, France, Germany, Canada or Australia, yet all are much safer than the US. What these nations *have* done is to introduce various different forms of gun control.
Yet this particular discussion is around guns, is it not? As I mentioned before, US homicide rate is 4.88 per 100,000 people, UK’s is 0.92. The two countries share a broadly similar culture yet one has robust gun control laws and the other doesn’t. On *that* subject, the solution to the US gun problem seems obvious.
“Yet this particular discussion is around guns, is it not? As I mentioned before, US homicide rate is 4.88 per 100,000 people, UK’s is 0.92. The two countries share a broadly similar culture yet one has robust gun control laws and the other doesn’t.”
To be fair Americans are way more… how should I put this: violent. At least more than the Brits.
I do admit that an easier access to guns provide easier opportunities to kill but obviously it’s just ONE of the MANY possibilities that the numbers can be different. We need a real analytic statistics to prove what you’re implying. Any statistical data analysis requires this. Just comparing two numbers wont cut it.
I go by a broad comparison. Two thirds of US homicides involve a firearm, whereas in many other developed nations, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan, which all have different approaches to guns, all have very small rates of homicide with firearms and lower rates in general.
Blogging Theology 
It might have more to do with the prevailance of deadly weapons and cuts to mental health support.
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There was no God in East Germany, but there were no school shootings (to my knowledge). It was a good country.
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Don’t forget violence in video games…a major factor, infact violence and gore is portrayed as something really cool with lots of different artistic ways to kill someone…pretty hypocritical of me to condemn those kind of games when i play them myself…
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I assume both of you have kids, just don’t let them choose their own games by themselves…
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The problem of gun violence lies at the core of a deep sickness that is at the at the heart of western culture, and that is being exported around the world.
School shootings and gun violence is not just about gun laws, it is also about a culture that finds entertainment in extremely violent video games, movies, hateful/violent music (gansta rap, etc.); violent and aberrant pornography, and that often finds delightful humor in terrible physical violence and even glorifies demented serial killers in sick and disgusting gory horror movies. The regular consumption of these violent media images combine and act to desensitize the public to the suffering of others, and alters the way people mentally think about violence. It also inevitably leads some to believe that violence is an acceptable and even admirable way of handling problems.
It is no surprise that when America was watching shows like “Father knows best” and “Leave it to Beaver” there were virtually no school shootings. Surely, there is an incremental statistical link in the rise in school shootings with the associated rise in violent content in the media leading up to current situation.
It would be interesting to see a study which compares other countries that allow private gun ownership and notes the levels of shootings in relation to the amount of gore and violence that is projected through various media sources.
The main intent of Islam, is to elevate humanity by promoting all that is good and benefits society, while forbidding or eradicating all that is bad and serves to degenerate the people.
However, it is almost certain that there can be no elevation and uplifting of a society if there is no related purification of societal norms, values, morality. Such a cleansing and re-purification cannot be achieved when the mass media (in many but not all instances) has been clearly put in the service of evil by constantly projecting negative images that serve to debase and devolve the society in all aspects and regards. The cumulative effect of this is absolutely disastrous as any one can see by examining the violence which runs rampant in the world today.
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Japan has a fair bit of sex and violence in its media and these things exist in other developed nations, without the corresponding homicide rate (US rate per 100,000 people is 4.88, of which two thirds involve firearms, UK rate is 0.92). The problem is the ease of access to a deadly weapon and the history of this access.
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Gun ownership in Japan is much stricter than USA, so your comparison is not equal. The weapons law of Japan begins by stating “No one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords”, and very few exceptions are allowed.
I agree that ease of access and gun laws in USA are indeed a problem, but I also think that the problem in U.S. is also related to the media as I mention above. It is not wise to ignore problem one or the other, as they are both related.
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I think both you guys make good points but to add to what Ibn Issam has said about gun violence as a cultural issue rather than being merely about legislation. America has a unique cultural attitude towards guns what with it being in their constitution and all.
The reason that there is such a pushback from conservatives on any attempt to have harsher gun laws (and the money that the NRA has donated to the trump presidency campaign) is due to this inbuilt idea of it being a part of American liberty. This culture is what needs to be challenged for any long term change to take place. I agree with darthimon in the sense that the immediate response should be tighter gun laws that would stop people especially with mental health issues from being able to purchase a gun.
LikeLike
I think we all agree that some type of gun legislation is required. In regard to Patrobin’s comment on the constitutional right to bear arms, it may be possible to place some limits on the Second Amendment rights, as it has not always been legally interpreted as it is understood today. Here is an interesting article on that subject:
The Second Amendment Hoax -How the NRA and conservatives have perverted the meaning of the right to bear arms. -By Dahlia Lithwick
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2016/06/how_the_nra_perverted_the_meaning_of_the_2nd_amendment.html
However, I believe that changes in legislation will never be enough to stop the gun violence, unless the influencing factors that encourage and even glamorize gun violence (and other violent acts) are not changed. It is not enough to limit access to guns, if someone wants to do violence they will find a way. If you want to stop someone from doing physical harm to someone or something, you have to first teach and convince them mentally that it is wrong in the first place.
The mass media is very much guilty of negatively influencing and degenerating the public mind resulting in a violence prone public and societal mentality that perpetuates the cycle of violence. In America we rarely if ever see the Churches (or any religious institutions) or politicians making the connections between the violence portrayed in various media sources, and the violence we see playing out on our streets and in our communities. This is due to a failure of leadership.
It is time for religious institutions, politicians, public figures and organizations to hold the media to account for their role in all of this, and for the media to take responsibility for the negative material that continues to poison the minds of the masses.
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That’s kind of my point – gun control measures will be the key, they will make the biggest difference.
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alcohol prohibition
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Doesn’t exist in Japan yet a much safer society in general than the US. Doesn’t exist in the UK, France, Germany, Canada or Australia, yet all are much safer than the US. What these nations *have* done is to introduce various different forms of gun control.
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“Safer society” brainwash. Alcohol related death toll much higher than “shootings”
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Yet this particular discussion is around guns, is it not? As I mentioned before, US homicide rate is 4.88 per 100,000 people, UK’s is 0.92. The two countries share a broadly similar culture yet one has robust gun control laws and the other doesn’t. On *that* subject, the solution to the US gun problem seems obvious.
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I am all for gun and alcohol prohibition
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I am all for proven methods of gun control http://meerkatmusings.co.uk/guns-and-stats-comparison-of-nations/
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“Safe societies” with thriving weapons export industries. Cheers!
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Is that the subject we are discussing? Because it seems to keep changing…
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oops sorry put my blinkers on again go on then …
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O….. K….. I trust you are not in fact, my cat in disguise, having a nutty half hour?
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“Yet this particular discussion is around guns, is it not? As I mentioned before, US homicide rate is 4.88 per 100,000 people, UK’s is 0.92. The two countries share a broadly similar culture yet one has robust gun control laws and the other doesn’t.”
To be fair Americans are way more… how should I put this: violent. At least more than the Brits.
I do admit that an easier access to guns provide easier opportunities to kill but obviously it’s just ONE of the MANY possibilities that the numbers can be different. We need a real analytic statistics to prove what you’re implying. Any statistical data analysis requires this. Just comparing two numbers wont cut it.
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I go by a broad comparison. Two thirds of US homicides involve a firearm, whereas in many other developed nations, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan, which all have different approaches to guns, all have very small rates of homicide with firearms and lower rates in general.
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