newsworthy: gun control remains major issue
As high school students, we often see world issues as out of our control. We become hardened; accepting of the situations around us, trusting in the words meant to reassure. But we are also open-minded, and are constantly forming our own beliefs about political issues. We are bombarded with media and a flood of information, yet we have the power to interpret and act on it as we deem fit.
This year, my column will focus on real-world issues that we face, and often disregard, on a daily basis.
Last week, another mass shooting occurred in San Bernardino, California. Upon hearing the news, I was dismayed, but sadly, not shocked. The common occurrences of such violent, uncalled for situations are becoming just another aspect of our daily lives, and the default reaction is to accept the news and move on.
Yet this shouldn’t be the case. We shouldn’t be upset, live in fear, or shrug off the idea that someone or something may happen at any given time. My response was one of anger, that such horrific actions are committed, but also of fear, that we can continue to let these incidents continue on.
I don’t want to live in a world where guns are unregulated, and assault weapons are brought into public settings. I don’t want to live in a world where citizens are victimized due to their religion or country of origin. I don’t want to live in a world where the hatred of a few can suppress the good in the hearts of the majority.
The world is revolving around fear. Fear that we may be next, fear that our safety may be out of our hands. But I fear the fear of others, and the lengths that people go to find someone to blame.
As President Obama said in his address to the nation last Sunday night, “We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America and Islam.” I agree with this wholeheartedly. ISIS is scary, and it is real, but the actions of a select few do not constitute but a minute fraction of the religious minority. To stereotype all Muslims as terrorists, as ISIS, only spreads the fear further.
The constant frequency of these attacks dehumanizes the situation. You hear reports of ISIS-allied attackers without stopping to separate the extremists from the whole of the religion, and of victim after victim, without realizing that they are empty casualties, killed for no other reason than being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
We do have a say, and I choose the path of peace and tolerance, of not stereotyping those around me. Cast off your fear, and work to foster positive change, not cower in constant terror.