Learning from Charleston
There are three ways we can extract good from the Charleston tragedy. One would be to remove the Confederate and “Lost Cause” symbol from public representation. Like the Swastika, it is the brand of a deadly poison. We can learn from post-war Germany how to manage the symbols of hate in our heritage, and the correlation between Nazism and our own history of racism is close (their social evil perhaps acute while ours is chronic).
A second action is to pass practical gun laws. The 2nd Amendment argument is a misnomer; besides the Amendment concerning an obsolete need for state militias, it does not fit the passion we have for guns. The 1st Amendment and its free practice of religion fits better. It is in guns we trust, guns that give us fortitude. But the veneration of violence is a dangerous religion. Most any person can kill, much at their convenience and most anyone can be victim of the shooter’s revenge, hate, passion or madness. With the simple pull of a trigger there can be death. Why not treat guns at least in the same manner we do motor vehicles — license, penalize and document.
The third is the most difficult, possibly beyond our capacity. We need to champion compassion; we need to practice a faith in reason and civility. Kindness is often deemed a weakness, as is respectfulness and tolerance — and the challenges humans face — the challenges of future generations, cannot be managed with resentment or anger or hate. If we do, our responses will be as blind and deluded as the decisions made by Dylann Roof.
Mike Murphy
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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