America Is Broken

The shootings in Uvalde show an America that doesn’t seem to function. But that can change.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

Uvalde. A place a lot of us didn’t even know existed a week ago is now a symbol of a nation that is broken.

We are just dealing with the aftermath of the shooting in Buffalo and the day after that, the shooting in Laguna Woods. Now, Uvalde. This one shooting hit us to the core and we know why. Like Sandy Hook a decade ago, this one involved children. Nine and ten year olds. News reports showed pictures of some of the young victims, mere hours before they would lose their lives. These were kids that were only a few days away summer vacation.

We never talk much about the survivors in the aftermath of these events. How will they deal with what they witnessed in the months and years to come?

Uvalde shows that America is broke, but it’s not for the reasons you think. Most people will say we are broken because we are the only nation in the world that has regular mass shootings and such seemingly lax gun laws. But that’s not the reason. It’s not the reason because even though we lead the world in mass shootings, even though this is a problem that reflects badly on our nation, this is a challenge and Americans tend to meet challenges and overcome them.

Except I don’t think that’s the case anymore. Gun violence is a problem to be solved, but the United States is a nation that is divided and unwilling to seek solutions that go beyond our comfort zones. We have taken this problem out of the realm of politics and made it yet another battlefield in our never-ending culture wars.

On one side, some in our society view the gun as the ultimate fetish. It is a marker of their identity. Why else would the families of two US Representatives take Christmas photos with each family member holding a gun? The gun is no longer something for protection or to take hunting, but And I’m not talking about the regular gun owner, someone who uses it for hunting or for protection. The gun is a way that shows what side you are on.

On the other side are those who immediately judge anyone that has a gun. They make statements that show their hatred of guns and gun owners. Why do you need a gun? They ask. Why do you need a weapon…