Quote:
Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA
That's actually the thing that I believe most people have the biggest problem dealing with deep down: there's no such thing as absolutely "secure" if you're dealing with someone who knows what they what to accomplish and is willing to die to do so. You can be more secure, you can be vigilant, but absolute security is an illusion. It's an illusion that is kinda necessary in order for most Americans to function I think, but it's still an illusion.
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It's easy to understand how a parent can feel that, and believe that, when that emotional drive to keep your child safe is pretty much the entire basis of parenthood. This CNN blogger kind of summed that up - how a parent "promises" to keep his kid safe, so when stuff like this shatters the the idea that that's even possible, it has to shake you to your core.
Parents' promise: I will keep you safe - CNN.com
But of course, aside from violence, there's all kinds of things you can't protect your kid from - accidents, illnesses, calamities of all kinds. So I think the calls to "prevent" this type of thing kind of feed into that myth and it makes me wonder what they really have in mind to "guarantee" an end to violence, so I prefer the kind of rhetoric that Obama used instead when he talked about how "we can't let this become routine" or whatever. That resonated with me a little more, because that kind of sentiment is not just about pushing reactionary measures that don't really accomplish anything except make us feel a little better (and it's not about trying to blame people whose politics someone doesn't like), it get more to the root of it - let's remember this outrage and fear and never become numb to it so that we can always strive to be better.