Frosty's Flava Magazine AUG-SEP- 2019 URBAN FILM FESTIVAL EDITION | Page 17

incorrectness. This new era of lack of civility,
where audaciously brash behavior is applauded,
and widely held ideals of decency are flouted,
has seeped into our political discourse.
“Keeping it real” and “saying how you feel,” has
become a veil to mask messages of hate and to
incite violence.
While we can’t say the current Administration
is solely to blame
for this wave of
violence our nation
is experiencing,
the divisive and
hate-filled rhetoric
spewing from the
Administration
does little to curtail
the problem.
Some have grown
immune to the
rhetoric; their
senses dulled
to the poison
that is spewed
to capitalize on
the deep seeded
divided that is
a result of this
nations complex
history. Others
have become
emboldened;
fueled by these
messages that
reinforce misplaced
stereotypes and
unfounded biases.
Sadly, some are
also desensitized
to these incidents
of violence. As a
result of witnessing
this carnage and
senseless violence
we, as a nation,
are suffering from
Battered Nations
Syndrome.
Similar to the victims of domestic violence,
due to our exposure to repeated incidences of
violence, we are experiencing the effects of Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and learned
helplessness; we are depressed, defeated, and
passive as we watch these shootings unfold.
Like the victim of domestic violence, we didn’t
start out defeated.
Initially, we were outraged by this violence
and voiced our dismay. But, like the battered
AUG-SEP R.indd 17
woman, our reaction to these occurrences
inevitably became a predictable cycle. After
the outrage, collective mourning, and pleas for
reform, our politicians debate the issue, and
inevitably there is a stalemate.
Ultimately, the news coverage of the incident
fades away, the discussions of reform cease, and
the “plans” are tabled.
The nation moves
on, while the
families are left
to pick-up the
pieces of their
broken lives; until
another incident
happens, and the
cycle begins again.
When will we break
from the grip of
this insanity?
Meaningful gun
control is not
rocket science,
and is certainly
ascertainable. The
argument that gun
control interferes
with one’s right to
bear arms is a red
herring at best.
The plain language
of the Second
Amendment of
the United States
Constitution reads:
“A well regulated
Militia, being
necessary to the
security of a free
State, the right
of the people to
keep and bear
Arms, shall not be
infringed.”
There has been
much debate over
the meaning of
this one sentence.
What may come as a surprise to some is that
the U.S. Supreme Court only recently expanded
this sentence to contemplate the Constitution
gave an individual the right to bear arms.
Although the individual has the right, the Court
was clear the government may regulate this
right. The Court in the
District of Columbia, et
al v. Dick Anthony Heller,
554 U.S. 570 (2008),
compared the right to
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