Las Vegas

[Ultralight]

After reflecting for a couple days or so, I simply feel like shootings such as the one that happened in Las Vegas are an unfortunately normal part of the American experience.

This is just one part of American culture -- a big part, a part America is known for throughout the world. This is what happens when you have a society that is largely obsessed with guns, violence oozing out of all the media, and a disregard for mental healthcare.

[Williamsmith]

After reflecting for a couple days or so, I simply feel like shootings such as the one that happened in Las Vegas are an unfortunately normal part of the American experience.

This is just one part of American culture -- a big part, a part America is known for throughout the world. This is what happens when you have a society that is largely obsessed with guns, violence oozing out of all the media, and a disregard for mental healthcare.

Reach back farther in history and you will find the reason guns became such a big part of the American culture. 59 people is a horrible tally for one mass shooter but you know there have been places that tens of thousands have been killed with muzzleloaders. Violence is not new to Americans. Our land is soaked with the blood of our neighbors.

[LDAHL]

Our land is soaked with the blood of our neighbors.

What land isn't?

[Williamsmith]

What land isn't?

From what I hear.....”Lala Land”

[catherine]

Violence is not new to Americans. Our land is soaked with the blood of our neighbors.

What land isn't?

I think Williamsmith has a point. Our history as conquistadors is relatively short, and maybe we're still working it out of our cultural DNA. By contrast, Europe has been sitting happily with no desire to go out conquer each other for a long, long time. Back in the 15th & 16th century, the peace loving Europeans stayed home, while the other land-hungry devils went out and conquered the Americas and parts of Africa and Asia.

I subscribe to the "seven generations" philosophy, although in our case it goes back more like 14-15 generations. I also believe that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

[ToomuchStuff]

I think Williamsmith has a point. Our history as conquistadors is relatively short, and maybe we're still working it out of our cultural DNA. By contrast, Europe has been sitting happily with no desire to go out conquer each other for a long, long time. Back in the 15th & 16th century, the peace loving Europeans stayed home, while the other land-hungry devils went out and conquered the Americas and parts of Africa and Asia.

I subscribe to the "seven generations" philosophy, although in our case it goes back more like 14-15 generations. I also believe that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

How funny. 1492, being part of the 15th century, there are a bunch of people who died because of these "peaceful" European's your talking about.

[catherine]

How funny. 1492, being part of the 15th century, there are a bunch of people who died because of these "peaceful" European's your talking about.

That was my point--the not-so-peaceful ones went out and conquered.

[Tybee]

Well, a long long time if you don't count Hitler, of course, who conquered and murdered as many of his neighbors as he could.

[iris lilies]

"Peace loving Europeans" my ass.

Each time we go to Europe we are steeped in the history of recent wars. We see Leftover armature, geographical boundaries newly drawn to give spoils to the victors, brutal regimes that stomp on the people. We havent even traveled near the carnage of Bosnia.

[gimmethesimplelife]

"Peace loving Europeans" my ass.

Each time we go to Europe we are steeped in the history of recent wars. We see Leftover armature, geographical boundaries newly drawn to give spoils to the victors, brutal regimes that stomp on the people. We havent even traveled near the carnage of Bosnia.

I believe there is something to what you say, IL. One of my beliefs for why socialized medicine exists and why so much paid time off is granted and why social democracy exists in general in Europe - the suffering of the Two World Wars. Europe does have a history that is not especially peace loving, this much is true, but neither does America when you come to think of it. Rob