If Walmart Actually Cared About Saving Lives, They'd Stop Selling Guns, Not Ban Video Games
In every mass-shooting there is one constant thread, somebody had a gun, not, somebody played a video game.
It has only been three days since the mass shooting in Dayton and four days since the mass shooting in El Paso. More than 80 people were either killed or wounded through these attacks. The mass shooting situation in America has gotten so bad that Amnesty International has issued a travel warning to anyone coming into the country.
In their press release, Amnesty International noted that "Depending on a traveler's gender identity, race, country of origin, ethnic background, or sexual orientation they may be at higher risk of being targeted with gun violence..."
Donald Trump has even come out to condemn white supremacy and, of all things to condemn at a time like this, video games.
It isn't clear if violent, war-based video games are an inciting cause of horrific incidents. Or, like President Trump thinks, in creating a "culture that celebrates violence."
Off the back of these incidents and Trump's plea, Walmart has decided to remove violent video game displays but not remove the guns they sell from their stores causing a thread of antipathy making waves through social media in the form of #BoycottWalmart.
The president is pushing an idea into the cultural consciousness that video games cause a culture of violence that has a direct correlation to the culture of mass shootings in America. But research and facts prove the opposite of this hypothesis.
BuzzFeed reported last year, based on the book "Moral Combat: Why the War on Video Games is Wrong" by Patrick Markey (a Villanova professor) and Christopher Ferguson, that after the release of a violent video game, the rates of violence we experience as a country actually drop.
"What happens in the period after a hugely popular violent video game, such as a new Grand Theft Auto game is released? The rates of violent crime drop from what would be otherwise expected. When Google searches peak for walkthroughs of violent games — a sign that people are currently playing them — there is a corresponding drop in crime rates."
Sure, there is an argument to be made that video games are not helping anything, but what is crystal clear about this situation is that in every mass-shooting there is one constant thread, somebody had a gun, not, somebody played a video game.
So while Walmart is taking action that won't actually stop the spread of the violent video games that they believe (contrary to actual research) will help bring us closer to a society with less gun violence, they are still selling guns and aren't stopping anytime soon.
USA Today reported,
"After calling Walmart "the largest retailer of firearms in the world" in an earlier tweet, Igor Volsky, founder of the group Guns Down America, told MSNBC that "Walmart is such a major player ... that if they really decided to lean into this issue, we could see some real change. We should all call on Walmart to do that.""
It's time to accept that mass shootings happen because we have no semblance of effective gun-control policy in America.
It's time to face the fact that when our founders wrote the Second Amendment, they did not mean our right to bear arms was a right to bear an AR-15 that can mow down people faster then a lawnmower can cut grass.
One of the mass shooters had a history of severe mental illness, one fraught with ideations of hurting people. The other was a far-right white nationalist who was consumed and bolstered by conspiracy theories against white people. Each of these people had far too easy access to guns than any of us should. And each of their stories ended in the unnecessary death and injury of ordinary people just like you and me.
It's time to come to terms with the fact that video games aren't causing mass shootings. Racist vitriol from our president, white supremacist ideology, and the ability to walk into places like a random Walmart and buy a gun are what's creating a "culture that celebrates violence" where there have been more mass shootings then there have been days in the year.
Now it's time to wake up from the fake news that guns don't kill people. Guns absolutely kill people and if you don't believe that, you aren't living in the same country as me.
Juliana Cosenza
If Someone Checks Your Racism You're Not The Victim Here, So Here Are Some Tips For Not Acting Like It Either
The way you react to being accused of racism can have a bigger affect than the ignorance in the first place, so here's how to respond in those situations.
Psychology Today defines a "Microaggression" as "everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership." To put it more plainly, its anything discriminatory that isn't 100% over.
With that in mind, it may seem to some that literally, everything is off limits to joke about nowadays. While the '90s and early 2000s was full of fake acceptance cloaking heavily problematic stereotypes, assumptions, and misconceptions about marginalized groups, it's left us with a heavy "us vs. them" mentality, with "regular people" on one end and "snowflakes" on the other.
"Snowflake" is a relatively new term commonly employed by conservatives to mock the emerging atmosphere of political correctness, "safe spaces" and the uphill battle minorities face in pursuit of equal rights.
The reason for this, among other things, is the fact that the emerging adult community was raised in the above mentioned standards that were upheld in the '90s and early 2000s. Therefore, we're left with people who think they can, and should get away with anything so long as they aren't waving a Nazi flag or sporting white sheets over their heads.
Studies confirm that many people harbor unconscious racial biases, whether or not they would classify as a full-blown racist.The thoroughly depressing reality of that aside, that along with white guilt, or a sense of shame white people may experience considering the demographic's historical treatment of people of color and other minority peoples, can make racial issues exceptionally difficult to talk about.
With lack of communication comes inevitable ignorance of how a comment, action or opinion may be considered offensive to a marginalized person, leaving many social interactions with both parties angry, sad or even fearful from its outcome.
Ignorance is often not the explicit fault of the ignorant person. However, the problem with today's society is not solely ignorance, nor that people are too sensitive all of a sudden.
For the first time in the nation's history, the social climate allows minority people to be emboldened enough to call people out on their racism. This is a massive societal win for many marginalized groups who no longer have to stand in as a token for their demographic so corporations can meet their diversity quota.
Although, it was clearly not something the bulk of the nation was prepared for.
With the mixture of this newfound liberation for minority groups, an ignorance that has spanned centuries and how difficult people find it to communicate about racial issues, we have the perfect storm for someone to go on the defense instead of treating the accusation of racism as a learning experience.
Thankfully, the concepts behind responding in an appropriate way are pretty straight forward.
1. You Are Not The Victim Here.
There are too many people who get accused of saying something offensive, then immediately go on the defensive. This gets everyone absolutely nowhere.
It probably really sucks to feel like someone thinks you're a terrible person, especially when you didn't realize you were in the wrong. Considering America's history with racism, being singled out for contributing to that is going to bring up a lot of feelings. So naturally, people may turn to arguing and making excuses for the terrible thing they did or said.
The pro-level of this reaction is when a person points out something ignorant or discriminatory, then the accused starts crying.
This immediately takes the attention off of the victim and onto the offender, because the offender then needs to be consoled before any progress in the interaction is made.
Any of these reactions, or feeling that someone is being "mean" to you by checking your ignorance, is a product of white privilege. So, if you care about being a good ally to the marginalized section of our community, its best to save the crying or yelling as a last resort.
2. Apologize First.
Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
Apologizing first, even if you don't understand what you've done, keeps all doors of communication open so you can dig deeper into the situation a little more.
Even if you don't feel remorse—out of ignorance, stubbornness or skepticism—apologizing first acknowledges that they are a human that deserves respect which you've just violated somehow.
Here our pre-school days come in handy, as we can all do well to "treat other's like we want to be treated". Think on how you'd feel if someone disrespected you in the middle of your day, then that empathy should be applied to whomever you've hurt.
If the accused responds in any way besides this, the opportunity for fixing things is annihilated, and the hurt that you both are feeling has no chance of being relieved. Granted, after an apology has been issued and a conversation follows, you might still feel that you're in the right or feel bad in general. However, you still did your best to alleviate some of their discomforts, maintained the cordiality of the relationship and know how to avoid similar situations in the future.
3. Prove To Yourself And Them You're Not A Bad Person
I'm multiracial but look white as hell. I was ignorant as hell as a kid. I've been there where something you said offended when it was clearly not your intention. In fact, in the case of microaggressions, the intent is often not to offend.
So, now it's your job to do your best to prove to them and yourself that you're not a bad person.
The only way to accomplish this is by listening.
Listening to why they were offended, why its a problem and asking questions about the reasons behind it or how to avoid repeating the mistake in the future is the key to growing. And consequentially you might get to learn something that day, which everyone should be thankful for.
Facing these interactions humbly and with an open mind encouraged growth as well as learning, so even though you may feel like crap, this opportunity is definitely a good one.
4. Follow Through
After the badness has happened and been pointed out, an apology has been made and a conversation has been had, the effect of the situation should not end there.
If you're still a little unclear on the offense or want more information, take it upon yourself to watch a Ted Talk or two to keep the conversation going internally.
Then, it's important to actually apply what you've learned to your thoughts, words, and actions. Once it's been pointed out its much easier to identify discriminatory lines of thinking, reconsider previous opinions and even reevaluate how ignorance might be applied to other areas that you hadn't thought of.
If you feel they might still be upset, especially if they're someone you run into often or work with, a check in can go a long way, too. A simple "Hey, I just wanted to make sure you're still OK after the other day" can easy any resentment that might be lingering. Even if that still doesn't fix things, you know you've done everything in your power to make it right.
Even attempting to follow these steps can make all the difference in developing the quality of our interactions a safer society for everyone. Although this may seem like inconsequential in the grander scheme of things, change is truly inspired one baby step at a time, so don't knock it till you try it.