The Real Gun Problem

Right now people are in a frenzy over the recent school shootings. But that won't last.

You don't even need me to spell it out for you, do you? Something else will come up, and people will get distracted. There's only so long that you can maintain a state of outrage, after all. And there's always a new atrocity.

Then there will be another shooting, and it will all start over again. Some will advocate gun control, others will advocate arming teachers and students, people will talk about mental illness, and still others will come up with other approaches. But nothing will be done. The shootings will continue.

Here's the thing: These shootings don't occur in a vacuum. They're not isolated incidents. They are a symptom of a larger problem: a society that is having everything of value extracted by the oligarchy. A people who are isolated and afraid of each other, spending most of their lives looking at screens instead of interacting face-to-face with real human beings. The relentless squeezing of a nation to death.

The psychological pressure that is being put on Americans is deadly. Most just live lives of secret fear...but some are closer to the breaking point. In a sane, humane culture, they wouldn't be under such killing pressure. And there would be medical and psychological services available to them, to help them cope with their problems rather than be crushed under them.

But our leaders aren't interested in providing such services. So some of the people under pressure...snap. They make plans. They buy weapons (from which the oligarchy profits). They go on a killing spree. The people react with terror and anger, pulling away from each other (which benefits the oligarchs). The media swarms in, and again the oligarchy profits.

What's the common denominator? The oligarchy. The real problem isn't guns, although obviously there are many sensible restrictions that should be in place. It's not mental illness, either. Rather, it's that the oligarchy is creating the circumstances which inevitably lead to breakdowns FOR THEIR OWN PROFIT.

Both sides of the gun debate are being used.The reality is that the issue is one of profit and power. The elite makes money in many ways with guns and gun violence; first, they profit from the sale of arms. Second, they profit from the inevitable media frenzy when a mass shooting occurs. Third, they profit still more after a mass shooting, because renewed calls for gun control increase the sales of guns and ammunition.

Meanwhile, both political parties get increased fanaticism and devotion from their members; that benefits the oligarchs by increasing the general level of hatred by the rank and file of each side towards the other (and therefore, distracting them from the real beneficiaries of mass shootings: the oligarchy, of course). While people are screaming with hate at those on the other side of the issue, the elite quietly keep raking in money and consolidating their power. It's heads they win, tails we lose - over and over.

The solution is revolution. We need to join together and bring down the oligarchs. At this point, it's either them...or us.