Is Society Progressing Forward or Moving Backwards?

This morning, I read a news story about a young boy and his family visiting Miami from Italy. In and of itself, not a newsworthy story, except for the fact that the boy was hit by a stray bullet fired on New Year’s Eve. The boy is 6 years old; on New Year’s Eve he was eating a late dinner with his parents at a restaurant in Miami’s Design District. The injury, which could have been fatal, was caused by a stray bullet that was fired into the air.

Having fired weapons at firing ranges, I know the enormous power behind a bullet. I would venture to guess that most firing guns into the air on New Year’s Eve know little if anything about carrying and firing a weapon aside from what they experience through video games. Yet, thanks to the provisions of the Bill of Rights, specifically the second amendment, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” In recent years, Miami has been lucky to have a very low number of stray bullet related deaths and injuries during the New Year’s celebration, but I will argue that one is too many. Local police remind citizens to refrain from firing their weapons into the air on a yearly basis, yet the crises surrounding these irresponsible actions are not completely averted. What is the lure of firing a weapon as a means of celebration?

When I think of weapons being discharged as a form of celebration, I envision scenes from the old West of the 1800’s. These scenes arrive in my mind’s eye via the venue of motion pictures. Of course, those times were the times of Manifest Destiny in this country and  they were times of outlaws. Have we not evolved from those times? If you look around at our forms of entertainment, the answer is no. What pleasure is there in shooting an enemy in a video game? Living vicariously through a soldier or mercenary is a form of entertainment for many. It is perfectly acceptable to imitate a person that is eliminating the enemy. The reality is that the majority would not be willing to sacrifice their life for their country, or protect their country when necessary.

Where is the morality with respect to our entertainment? Morality is the concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong; right or good conduct (as defined here). Right is not as cavalier as wrong; wrong is more entertaining. How does education fit into this topic? Education is knowledge acquired by learning and instruction (see here). Knowledge does not seep into our brains by osmosis, it requires work — something else that is not entertaining. When we see studies about the declining American high school graduation rate and educators complaining about the lack of work ethic among American students, should we not be alarmed about the future masses becoming ignorant?

Instead, we continue to hope that the children playing violent, first-person shooter video games will learn something about real-life (perhaps that if you have your head blown off in war, a new head will appear in its place and you can continue shooting at the enemy from an endless supply of bullets). Instead, anyone can purchase a weapon without learning the first thing about how to hold the weapon, fire the weapon, keep the weapon safely away from children. Perhaps, during the mandatory three day waiting period in Florida (instituted to prevent purchase and use of a weapon while angry, thereby eliminating the need for anyone to think about morality), those purchasing weapons should be educated in their use — to hopefully teach someone the consequences of a stray bullet that is fired into the air.