That Violent Nudge

School shootings, violent videogames, action packed movies, gun control. The cycle goes on. Something bad happens and people will find something to blame. It has to be something direct, something concrete or else you can point a finger at it.

What if I was to tell you that violent outbursts and mental breaks were not contributed by any one singular source? What if it was due to a complex interaction between various societal, psychological and biological factors? What would people think then?

PSSSHHHHTTHTTTT!!! Yeah right...

There is a constant back and forth debate on what contributes to violence. It happens all the time. From little things like sibling rivalry, to marital abuse, school yard bullying, cyberbullying, all the way up to homicides  torture and massacres. People feel angry they lash out at the nearest thing. Or they just might be crazy. Something isn't right with them. It has nothing to do with me, because obviously how could I be involved with something that isn't right in front of me.

The truth is, whenever one of these incidences happen everyone is guilty. The only difference is who is more guilty than who. A child who decides to shoot up a school didn't decide that on his own. Most decisions people make are not of their own. People watch what they are shown, they eat what they are given, they complete the work they are assigned. That child was simply nudged in that direction often enough that he thinks that is his only choice. The parents are guilty for not giving him the right attention. His peers are guilty for neglecting or harassing him. His teachers are guilty for not paying more attention to his need for help. The store is guilty for making guns so easy to purchase. The culture is guilty for placing those guns into to stores. The only thing the shooter is guilty for is bringing the gun and pulling the trigger.

Every time one of these tragedies happen everyone is punished for the crime. We have to hear about it in the news. Policies have to change and debates rage on. The families and friends of the victims and the offender is deeply hurt. The entire community will be more on edge due to the lingering fear. Yet once the tides die down and things are quiet again we once again forget that we were once guilty. So again we nudge, again we put the pieces in place. And eventually it happens again. Someone snaps, we point fingers, and we all suffer once again.