Here we go again. two more shootings this weekend, more loss of life and more empty promises. I don't know why I keep writing these posts because it's so futile to look back to 2012, 2014 and realize that what I wrote then, can verbatim be applied to each subsequent post and to this one and will probably continue. So I won't repeat.
I said here "United States doesn't have a monopoly on mental illness but it seems like we definitely are the worst in using mental illness as a scapegoat. Please help me understand what sort of unique "mental illness" is so prevalent in this country that we have over 30,000 firearm deaths every year and more mass shootings than any other developed country in the world?" My stance hasn't changed and the common denominator of gun access is still true.
My hope lost it's light when kindergartners died in this country and nothing changed. I remember my heart exploding with pain and despair driving to pick my children from daycare on that day. No rain was falling from the sky but my windshield was clouded. There are very few instances in my life, where the pain is etched so deep in my heart, that years later I still vividly feel it. This is one of those.
As a psychiatrist, I am a master at necessary ambivalence but sending my children to school every day, thinking of my children moving on to high school, college, being in theaters, malls, grocery stores, places of worship and trying to grow up in general, is more than just necessary ambivalence. I now realize that all of us are just daily taking the risk knowingly because we can't just be locked in our homes. This isn't ambivalence anymore, it's learned helplessness. I can no longer just hush my nagging head. It gets worst when I hear politicians talk about mental health, God and thoughts and prayers, every single time. It doesn't do anything for my anguish when the words continue to sound hollow and the feeling of everyone being sitting ducks, doesn't abate.
Every shooting is the "worst one in US history" since the last one. Every shooting happens where "we never thought" it would happen here and it's beyond my cognitive reserve to make sense of the repeated De Ja Vu.
Whatever these politicians think the reason for over 200 mass shootings and over 1100 Americans being hurt since the beginning of this year is, I am done worrying about those reasons/justifications. Whatever boogieman it takes for them to not feel like they are betraying their sponsors, I don't care anymore. For these people, facts don't matter, numbers don't change selfish agendas, and the cowardice is astounding.
Our children are braver than the politicians, as they suffer through active shooter drills and get repeatedly traumatized, but continue to go to school. But I don't want their bravery to be an excuse for the political cowardice and inaction. I am disgusted by the continued defamation of psychiatric patients, despite research showing that this is simply not why US has a mass gun violence problem. But at this point, I don't care. If the political will to do anything is only going to be mustered on the backs of our children and our patients, it won't be the first time that the real victims of this epidemic will provide a hand out to the begging politicians.
So I am begging this country's powers to be......DO SOMETHING. PLEASE!!!!
Please feel free to stand upon our children's shoulders, our patient's illness BUT DO SOMETHING. But stop forcing Americans to continue digging graves for their children, wives, fathers, mothers, husbands and neighbors because you are unable to call out evil for what it is, as you stomp on the fresh graves and spew your hollow talking points.
I said here "United States doesn't have a monopoly on mental illness but it seems like we definitely are the worst in using mental illness as a scapegoat. Please help me understand what sort of unique "mental illness" is so prevalent in this country that we have over 30,000 firearm deaths every year and more mass shootings than any other developed country in the world?" My stance hasn't changed and the common denominator of gun access is still true.
My hope lost it's light when kindergartners died in this country and nothing changed. I remember my heart exploding with pain and despair driving to pick my children from daycare on that day. No rain was falling from the sky but my windshield was clouded. There are very few instances in my life, where the pain is etched so deep in my heart, that years later I still vividly feel it. This is one of those.
As a psychiatrist, I am a master at necessary ambivalence but sending my children to school every day, thinking of my children moving on to high school, college, being in theaters, malls, grocery stores, places of worship and trying to grow up in general, is more than just necessary ambivalence. I now realize that all of us are just daily taking the risk knowingly because we can't just be locked in our homes. This isn't ambivalence anymore, it's learned helplessness. I can no longer just hush my nagging head. It gets worst when I hear politicians talk about mental health, God and thoughts and prayers, every single time. It doesn't do anything for my anguish when the words continue to sound hollow and the feeling of everyone being sitting ducks, doesn't abate.
Every shooting is the "worst one in US history" since the last one. Every shooting happens where "we never thought" it would happen here and it's beyond my cognitive reserve to make sense of the repeated De Ja Vu.
Whatever these politicians think the reason for over 200 mass shootings and over 1100 Americans being hurt since the beginning of this year is, I am done worrying about those reasons/justifications. Whatever boogieman it takes for them to not feel like they are betraying their sponsors, I don't care anymore. For these people, facts don't matter, numbers don't change selfish agendas, and the cowardice is astounding.
Our children are braver than the politicians, as they suffer through active shooter drills and get repeatedly traumatized, but continue to go to school. But I don't want their bravery to be an excuse for the political cowardice and inaction. I am disgusted by the continued defamation of psychiatric patients, despite research showing that this is simply not why US has a mass gun violence problem. But at this point, I don't care. If the political will to do anything is only going to be mustered on the backs of our children and our patients, it won't be the first time that the real victims of this epidemic will provide a hand out to the begging politicians.
So I am begging this country's powers to be......DO SOMETHING. PLEASE!!!!
Please feel free to stand upon our children's shoulders, our patient's illness BUT DO SOMETHING. But stop forcing Americans to continue digging graves for their children, wives, fathers, mothers, husbands and neighbors because you are unable to call out evil for what it is, as you stomp on the fresh graves and spew your hollow talking points.
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