Terrorist Kills 50 And Wounds 53 More In Gay Nightclub In Orlando

I don't think my parents had to fear the possibility of being mowed down along with dozens of their friends or coworkers, all in a matter of seconds, just for going to a movie theater/club/school/work.

I don't know if you have some stats to back up the claim that we're in the safest period in human history, but it certainly doesn't feel that way when there's seemingly a new mass shooting or terrorist attack every week. And I don't think it's just a matter of these things being reported more frequently. They never occurred at this frequency before as far as I know.

Maybe we're "safer" because advances in science/medicine are protecting us from disease and allowing us to live longer. Maybe gang violence has decreased. But in terms of the possibility of an average person getting randomly killed for senseless hate by a terrorist or mentally unstable person, it doesn't feel like we're safer.

Not trying to spread doom and fear, but I don't think this issue should be marginalized as something that seems worse than it is just because the media is reporting it more. I just don't think that's true. Something is seriously wrong and something needs to be done.

 

Just skimmed through those articles so maybe I need to read them more attentively, but I couldn't find any mention about these types of mass killings being on the decline. Pretty sure I read some things yesterday saying the exact opposite, that mass killings are occurring much more frequently.

That article made the argument that shootings and terrorist attacks are blown out of proportion by the media since overall on an annual basis, more people die by things like bee stings and deer attacks. I don't agree with that line of logic and I think it undermines how tragic and deplorable these senseless acts of violence are.

If this is just fearmongering, would you suggest we just brush it off and that it would be illogical to enact gun control policies or policies that attempt to curb terrorism?

 

This article seems to have an anti-Obama bias in its message, but the statistics seem legit.

http://truthstreammedia.com/2015/12...a-than-the-four-previous-presidents-combined/

 

Completely disagree with this.

You can empathize with those who lost love ones and still make the point you want to make. There needs to be a sense of urgency and often that only happens with events that are both recent and significant.

 

I don't need to wait for the police investigation to end, to state that gun violence in this country has become ridiculous and that something needs to be done. I mean for **** sake, less than 24 hrs before this club shooting, in the SAME city, an innocent young singer was murdered for no reason, other than she was alive and the guy was deranged.

People were saying not to rush into judgement without knowing all the facts after Sandy Hook, San Bernardino, Charlestown, Columbine, etc. Well the common denominator between all these are the easy access of firearms. I doubt this Orlando shooting will be any different.

If these kind of political debates make you feel uncomfortable because of the timing, well too bad.

 

That would be all nice and mighty if I lived where you live. I don't, as you know.

Where I live, these events are an almost "every day" occurrences, so... there.

 

People like me demanding action instead of offering empty prayers and condolences are showing the most empathy and sympathy.

I already offered my condolences when we had threads on other shootings. I'm tired of repeating the same thing over and over again. Why is it that we have to move these discussions? They are completely relevant and if someone else on here wants to make the completely opposite point and argue why we should have more guns they should be free to do so also. If they want to make a point on bigotry against gays, or the threat of Islamic extremists, they should, and they shouldn't have to deal with people saying they are cold and calculating.

 

I PM'd you.

 

Sports bring people together, and politics divide them. Some forums choose to not even have such topics for this very reason.

Our own individual solutions to senseless trauma like this will be impacted by our upbringing, socio-economic background, religious beliefs, age, life experience and more. One person's solution may sound like rubbish to another, but we are all at our best when we can hear other people out, learn from each other, and together create a more synergistic solution.

Strong arm tactics and insults are not effective. Unless in a gif format. Carry on.

 

Before I move to the gun violence thread (because this post really isn't about that), I gotta say I agree with what Azndude was saying. Sorry if you were offended by his tone real, and I don't want to speak for him, but I got the sense his angry tone was being more construed to the general reaction the public always has to these types of tragedies as opposed to you personally.

So again, this is not meant to be a personal attack on anyone specifically, but towards this general mindset.

But what is the point of these threads if not to discuss the clear problems highlighted by this tragedy? Just another place for us to all say the same thing? Have a thread where every post is just "my thoughts and prayers go out to the victims" so we can feel better about ourselves? Like in my first post in this thread, I wanted to discuss the issues behind this tragedy but felt obligated to say the whole "thoughts and prayers" schpiel for fear of offending anyone or having you guys think I'm cold hearted. I don't think that's right. That's not to say I don't genuinely feel terrible for the victims and wish the best for their families, but I've done that mourning both privately and through other outlets. It's almost like a checklist where we have to go post condolences on Facebook, Twitter, and every other online community we're a part of pretty much just for appearances. When the very act of "thoughts and prayers" are inherently private in my opinion anyways.

Again, I'm not trying to demean your condolences personally. Some might feel that the very act of publicizing your condolences, putting your thoughts and prayers into writing and pushing it out there for others to read, makes them more powerful than keeping them to yourselves, and spreads good vibes to others. I get that. I don't get the idea that is the ONLY type of thoughts we should be allowed to write about immediately after something like this happens.

I'm not saying to rush to snap judgements and enact policy based on that. We're not politicians, we can't do that. I'm just talking about discussion. Which, in my opinion, there has been sufficient information to discuss pretty damn soon after this happened. I don't think it's an overly emotional snap judgement to think something needs to be done when 50 people are killed by an assault rifle by a mentally unstable man who pledged himself to ISIS.