tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36420158.post7405676968753941366..comments2024-03-03T11:14:57.517-07:00Comments on George's Window: Fries don't kill people, or do they?Geo.Epphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14722142979716416551noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36420158.post-58880399743024916162012-12-22T06:41:01.851-07:002012-12-22T06:41:01.851-07:00The post is too true, however I would quibble with...The post is too true, however I would quibble with your suggestion that "Changing the minds of the gun lovers is a non-starter." I don't believe it is a non-starter however it is difficult, and involves addressing a deeply held cultural touchstone. <br />Pieter Spierenburg in his book The Spectacle of Suffering argued that “democracy came too soon to America,” suggesting that in other democracies the state had already established a stronger sense of order, and monopoly on violence. This made people comfortable with surrendering their individual rights of self protection to a democratic state. In America of 1776 protection remained with individuals and communities 'baking' that idea idea into the idea of democracy. <br />When liberals begin to respectfully recognise the deep historical and cultural meaning of guns to large numbers of Americans a discussion about their role in modern society can begin. Even Spierenburg use of the term "too early" instead of just earlier, suggests the all too common condescending view of liberals towards gun owners. This demand for respect for gun owners challenges liberals on a number of levels. Visceral, after tragedies like the recent one, our own patience, as a cultural shift will not be fast, political, as this is not a legislative answer, and philosophical because by entering the conversation with respect we risk the possibility that our own deeply held beliefs about rights become altered. This list does not include our own prejudices which historically all people hold onto dearly. <br />Steven Pinker points out in The Better Angel of Our Nature the individual has become far safer over time, even in America, with stronger governments. This points to the need for liberals to stop sneeering at the gun lobby and begin a true conversation. It may go nowhere for years, but I see it as a moral prerogative, hardly worth being written off as a "non-starter".Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10468243865647587081noreply@blogger.com