As I drove into town this morning to start my workday, I had the “pleasure” of listening to Tony Kornheiser froth at the mouth over gun control and how we needed a lot more of it. His anger was a palpable thing, you could feel it streaming out of the speakers, a hate-filled haze that made it hard to see straight. His rage sparked my own. I was not alone in my frustration; our culture of rage has overtaken us. I could feel Tony’s haze affecting my own mental state and I reached up and pushed shut the dial and opened the windows to let the fresh air in.
We’ve gone past the disbelief of Monday’s intense tragedy. We’ve settled firmly into the rage that our media-driven culture engages in us. Our media does not inform as a primary purpose, nor does it seek to enlighten, but rather to polarize and stigmatize, to make us feel that same rage that talk radio does. Everyone want’s someone’s head today.
Stop it.
Stop the recriminations.
Stop the anger and the need for fire. Instead, grieve the victims. Grieve for Reema Samaha, who grew up in Chantilly. Grieve for Mary Read, who grew up in Annandale. Grieve for Leslie Sherman, who grew up in Springfield. They are the tragedy here. Do not focus on the gunman, or the weapons he used, or who he bought them from. Do not press blame where blame does not lay. Grieve.
For all of us.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
