In the wake of the most recent mass shooting, the nation is once again partaking in that most American of dishes: lukewarm, calorie-free sadness, presented in a spotless, faultless bowl and garnished with a sprinkling of guilt-free outrage (on the side, of course - if you don't want it, you don't have to have it).
While the presence of overt misogyny adds a new ingredient to this dish, it's otherwise the standard gruel: person shoots people in the United States. We've all eaten this before, and compared to other recent variations on it, this dish is not even all that remarkable: after Newtown, we all know that the nation's tolerance for gun violence is somehow greater than 20 dead elementary school students and six adults. The latest shooting falls well below that threshold, and as such, the media and our politicians need only to flip on the hot plate to bring ready-to-serve sadness and outrage to a lukewarm, easy-on-the-mouth temperature. There's no need to bring things to a boil.
So, no: I do not expect that this latest shooting will result in genuine progress towards reducing gun violence. (It does seem to be shining a harsh light on contemporary misogyny, however, and perhaps some progress will be made on that front; the light of the autopsy table still has the power to bring some things into clearer moral focus for us).
However, just because ground is not being gained in the struggle against gun violence, does not mean that ground is not being lost.
And I believe that ground is being lost. Read on below.
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