This Is Not a Debate

I do not want to talk about guns or gun control.

I am not planning to discuss my opinions, fears, concerns, or beliefs regarding firearms and the laws which govern their use and possession.

I am not interested in any of that, and I am not alone. Almost everyone has complete lack of interest in having a real discussion about guns or gun laws or any related subjects.

This must certainly seem strange, since it only takes a few minutes on Facebook, or looking through the opinion pages, to find an article, rant, or study being employed to make a point about guns. There is no shortage of stories dedicated to crimes committed by guns. It would seem that people are constantly engaged in the so-called "gun debate."

Only, there is no such thing.

There is no debate about guns, or ammunition, or gun laws, or the constitution. Rather, there is an emotionally charged screaming match, pitting supposed patriots against supposedly concerned mothers, and self taught constitutional scholars against self appointed moral arbiters.

Just wait for the next mass shooting spree to take place - they are sadly very common in the US, but when it inevitably happens, you'll see what I mean. Within minutes of hearing the horrific news of another act of violence, which will undoubtedly leave several people dead and several more injured, the non-debate will begin. In news outlets both "conservative" and "liberal," pundits will rush forward to pontificate from behind their teleprompters. On social media. people you know will post articles and statistics and even their opinions, often in ALL CAPS. It won't be difficult, in either case, to pick up on a few key points.

The first is that people who are opposed to gun ownership or favor gun control, no matter how modest, are opposed to freedom. Those people, you will learn, are against our nations very own constitution. In fact, you'll soon find that anyone who proposes any kind of gun control at all is, in fact, a Nazi! You may even come to realize that gun ownership, far from being just a right, is actually something that should be mandatory!

On the other hand, you may encounter people that want to ban a lot of guns altogether, not just for criminals, but for everyone. Typically, most people will share articles that seem more sensible, though these will almost always be about children and guns. Other opinion pieces will go much further, and you'll learn that responsible gun ownership simply does not exist.

Both sides in this "discussion" will appeal to your fear that your kids will be shot, that Hitler is writing gun control legislation in a bunker beneath the White House, or that some shadowy organization is plotting against whichever side you happen to identify with.

That is not a debate.

In my experience, based on the things I see people post online or what I hear them say in person, is that after one of these shootings takes place, people go from 0 to 60 in about half a second. They are so emotional, they become unable to make an argument that doesn't involve concentration camps or dead babies. As soon as the subject is introduced, people become completely unable to have a reasonable discussion of any kind.

Think there should be licences to own firearms? You hate freedom. Think that people with a clean record should be able to own an AR-15? You're a nut-job. There is name calling, yelling, paranoia, finger pointing and assignment of blame.

However, there is no debate.

I don't pretend to have answers to the problems that surround this non discussion. I suppose I could try to think of ways to have a real discussion about this. I could try to share facts regarding how these kinds of mass killings, which are the emotionally charged gun events we are the most aware of, make up only a portion of the overall number of those killed. I could also point out that while we are all screaming at each other about a classroom full of dead children in a small town, there are actually other victims of gun crime who receive far less attention in our make-believe discourse. Maybe we could talk about pressure groups and the role they play.

I really don't have much of a dog in this fight. I don't own guns, nor have I been affected by gun crime. I am certainly concerned when people die needlessly, but I am not convinced that there is an easy way to legislate the problem into oblivion.

We are long overdue for a debate, of that there is no question. We need to have the discussion about these issues. We need to solve some of these problems. But, we need to stop fooling ourselves. There is no debate, there has been no debate, and when the same story about a mass shooting is presented to us yet again, there will still not be one.

"Poisonous Nostalgia" and the Fear of Having Missed Out

A January, 2014 opinion piece from The Daily Beast can be summed up in this paragraph:

' In every issue,New York magazine asks a notable New Yorker a series of questions, including the standard “Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?” To cite a random recent example, actress and West Village denizen Patricia Clarkson offered the expected and acceptable answer: “Old Times Square. It just didn’t seem like a theme park.” Because there is a correct answer, of course. '

It's an interesting read, and no doubt a provocative one if you are of the opinion that "Old New York" is better than current New York. For me, it speaks to a powerful kind of malaise that seems to jump out from the shadows from time to time - a fear that I have missed out something better, cooler, more interesting, or more fulfilling.

I experienced this when I moved to Austin and was told by friends who had lived there for some years that the city was less fun that it had been before. It was hard for to imagine that was the case, since I had no problem finding enjoyable places to be. It has been a similar experience moving to New York, though I half expected it to be this way. A lot of the people I know here have a distinct look on their faces when they talk about how it used to be here - wistful, sad, and very, very, nostalgic. 

Growing up, I had always imagined that somewhere, people were having incredible experiences. They were seeing the best bands, having the wildest parties, accumulating stories that could fill the pages of a lurid book. I don't often feel like this anymore, as I can happily say I have had some experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything. I really do believe that you can control how exciting or fulfilling your life is. Yet it is hard to hear people talk about the good old days with such awe and fervor without feeling some jealousy. 

I have no idea what it was like to live here, especially as a teenager. All the Lou Reed and Cro Mags songs in the world can't really tell the whole story of what growing up in the dirtier, older version of New York was like. I simply won't permit myself to become despondent over a nostalgia that doesn't belong to me. 

I do know that I felt a sharp discomfort walking around Union Square a few days ago, when I happened to look at a painting being sold by a local artist. It was a scene of a city street, a lot like something you might see on a New Yorker cover, only it showed a busy corner Starbucks, right next door to a Papa John's. Consider that for a moment. That corner Starbucks, next to a Papa John's - that scene might as well be from my hometown. After all, the Papa John's at which I worked in high school is next to a Starbucks in a suburban strip mall. Now, sadly, we can have the experience of the suburbs here in New York City. No matter if you yearn for the days of Taxi Driver or think Giuliani was a great mayor, I think we could all agree that New York is supposed to be a city apart. This is meant to be a place like none other. What was the point of moving here if I could have just lived anywhere else?