Choosing Not To Engage

There is a theory that we are all social animals who should love one another and live in community.

I think that this theory is like seeking a unicorn.

It doesn't exist, nor should we force it to exist.

Recently, some young, white-American terrorist went into a movie theater and killed 12 people while injuring many others during a premiere of a Batman movie. He used an automatic assault weapon! Yet there are many people who are coming out with their regular excuse for gun violence...They say, "People kill people...Guns Don't Kill People."

This is the most ludicrous reasoning I have ever hear...Oh, and not just that, they resort to the "Our Founding Fathers" argument, without any mention of how these founders treated other human beings. They almost make it seem like the Founding Fathers were some sort of divine human beings, and their writings of the U.S. Constitution are perfect.

Usually, these people making this claim are white male Republicans who have benefited from various provisions in the Constitution to help them make money...and nothing but money.

We can say we are a Christian country, but in the end, when you read the fine lines, you will discover that the document that so many consider perfect is about money and maintain white male privilege.

Because many refuse to see this, I have stopped debating the issue and have sought to change minds through teaching critical thinking/reflection and rhetoric. Whether it is the guy on the bus or the student in the classroom, I will always be open for an opportunity to get people to think! They don't necessarily have to agree with me, but they need to challenge their assumptions.

Conversely, I will no longer engage people who are just spouting out information they heard on the Glenn Beck Show or MSNBC, without presenting to me the rationale of their argument.

It's about PEOPLE!

* People who were sadly killed because the gun lobby has a big voice.
* People who were not considered citizens because the "Founding Fathers" considered them 3/5 a person.
* People who are children of God, but who so-called Christians regularly treat horribly.

It's about PEOPLE!

Until next Monday...