Partisans on the right can pretend the motivation for the killing spree will remain an eternal mystery. But a plausible link obviously exists. As does a plausible link between blood-soaked verbal attacks against Planned Parenthood and the possibility they inspire people to commit violent, and even deadly, acts.
“When Bill O’Reilly compares Planned Parenthood to Nazis,” wrote Michelle Goldberg at Slate, “we shouldn’t be surprised that some people conclude that taking up arms against it is permissible.”
The really troubling part is that they are unlikely to stop, and this is unlikely to be the last murderous rampage as a result.
When our wives or girlfriends irritate us, why don't we just say
ReplyDelete"Shut the f*** up"? Or refer to them to as "bitches" and "ho's"?
The reason we don't do that is because we know language is an expression of attitude, and attitude has the power to influence.
A steady diet of words and phrases that impugn others lends a measure of acceptance to those ideas, perhaps even gives permission to act in ways most people would deem unacceptable.
I suspect most of us are not so naive as to believe there's a simple solution to complex issues, but civility and restraint are a good place to start.
Words matter. They matter a lot. Sometimes I find myself in situations where someone will make a statement he or she assumes we all agree with. Too often I have let that moment pass, rather than politely expressing my disagreement. My goal
is to let fewer of those moments pass. I am not looking for a confrontation or a fight. I just need to say in the most unconfrontational way as possible, "I disagree."
Right on
DeleteHow sad is it that when you say "the motivation for the killing spree" my first thought is "which one?"...
ReplyDeleteOT but interesting: analysis of causes of terrorism in Europe
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nature.com/news/terrorism-science-5-insights-into-jihad-in-europe-1.18923?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureNews
Not religion, resentment