This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

wildebeests

Several years ago I visited the Serengeti Plain in Africa to witness the Wildebeest migration and was struck by how these animals reacted to the regular predator attacks in their midst. They would panic for a brief moment, mill about and moo at each other and then within minutes, appear to forget the carnage and go about their usual business of grazing. They never organized into groups or did anything else to protect themselves. Our reaction as a nation to the carnage at the Navy Yard and in Newtown, Connecticut seems sadly similar. We briefly panic, moo platitudes at each other about national tragedy, thoughts and prayers and coming together. This will undoubtedly continue for a few days until Kim or Lindsay or Snooki do something to divert us but we will do absolutely nothing to prevent the next massacre. We fail to act because either, like the Wildebeests, we are too stupid or we simply don’t care…. And next year 30,000 more Americans will die as a result of gun violence.

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?