Orlando

[sabotabby]

I keep being reminded throughout the day. I mean, it's pretty hard to avoid the subject. Especially when the Board sends you that general form-letter about how to talk to children about mass shootings. Seriously, that's a thing that they have to do, because the NRA is out of control.

I don't really have anything to add that hasn't been said by wiser people. This one hits a lot closer to home than most senseless mass shootings, though. I just feel sick and sad and furious and queasy, somehow.

As—once again, wiser—people have pointed out, there is no point in asking America to get its shit together. If a school full of six-year-olds wasn't a wake-up call, a club full of queer Latinx who most of their leaders seem to want dead anyway is hardly going to stir them into action. Fucking fuck. That's it, that's my contribution. Fuck all of this shit.

There was some kind of incident at UofT today. Turned out to be nothing, but multiple buildings locked down and so on. I don't usually feel unsafe, but days like these feel pretty unsafe, y'know?

Anyway here are my cats being gay and cheering me up:

Comments

[rdi.livejournal.com]

It is one fucked up situation, and it's so engrained in American culture that I see no chance of it being unfucked any time soon.

They say every revolution contains the seed of its own destruction. I suspect the 2nd Amendment is Amercia's.

[sabotabby]

I think you're right. I can't believe that policy is being made, or not being made, because it would make the guns sad.

[franklanguage.livejournal.com]

I'm a little bit comforted since I read humans will be extinct within 100 years; every time I see a mother trying to quiet her kid on the bus, I'm inclined to say, "Just let her yell and scream; we're all going to be extinct in 100 years anyway!"

Of course, the mother always says, "Don't tell me how to parent my kid!" And I mutter, "Fuck you, lady," under my breath.

[sabotabby]

Hahaha *sob*.

[dancingdragon3.livejournal.com]

Aw man...I think I am so numb that I haven't even dealt with this yet. I live in North Carolina, so the anxiety and hate is just washing over me at this point due to saturation. On the radio tonight, the newscaster said they thought maybe, one possible motive behind the shooting was because the person hated gay people. Jee, ya think? Like is the word homophobia, or hate crime not allowed on the news now? This wasn't NPR, but my local classical station that I thought was fed NPR, but maybe not. I read and liked what Obama had to say, but...Donald Trump. Even if Hilary wins, almost half the people living around us wants him to be our president. I think we, sadly, have every reason to be cautious at the least.

Your cats are beautiful.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

All sympathies from northwards. augh, our country. At least Sabs' cats are lovely.

-- someone who got drunk tonight just to dael

[sabotabby]

Understandable reaction. *hugs*

[sabotabby]

I just can't even imagine. Like here it's entirely a discussion about whether his homophobia was religiously motivated, ideologically, mental illness related, toxic masculinity related, or because he was a closet case, or some combination of the above. And people are mostly concerned with mourning and keeping our Pride safe, though really nothing has ever happened at our Pride, at least in recent memory. The level of denial that it takes to pretend a massacre of queer people isn't about homophobia is staggering.

Also, thanks. They really are, and a tremendous comfort in times of stress.

[radiumhead.livejournal.com]

they werent gay people, they were AMERICANS. (eyeroll.) I seriously have a relative who was yelling this the other day, somehow he resents gay people making it about them. He's more pissed that it was a terrorist killing americans.

[sabotabby]

FFS. Did you tell him that they were from the countries Americans tend to hate?

[howlin-wolf-66.livejournal.com]

More kitty pics and less hurt is exactly what the world needs. *hugs*

[sabotabby]

Agreed.

[radiumhead.livejournal.com]

i dont think it can be fixed. People here are ASSHOLES. There's a bunch of stupid assholes here. Thats not something that can be changed soon, if ever.

[sabotabby]

Isn't capitalism supposed to make you free, though? Sounds like y'all get no say in whether this is a regular thing or not.

[(Anonymous)]

We ARE. Thats exactly why we have this problem-if we werent, obama would just say "im getting rid of the guns." Done. Obviously, this isnt gonna happen.

[mad-bertha.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've been thinking about it alot too. Not going to oversimplify it and point at the aussie example - different context, culture, milieu etc. When I was visiting Georgia and wanted to take a walk in the evenings, as I do over here, I was shown a map and told about no go zones "because we hear gunfire in those areas". I can't even relate to that kind of everyday reality, coming from Singapore and Australia.

I gave up a while ago when the shooting of school kids didn't change anything. I mean, come on, why would you need magazines that can pump out many many bullets? Why do you need assault weapons of this nature?

And the homophobia - wtf does anybody think that it's acceptable to go around telling consenting adults who they can kiss? Just bloody leave other people alone for goodness sake.

[sabotabby]

Yeah. I mean, there are shootings here. Everyone goes ballistic and tries to pass more laws, which I'm not sure is that productive in the case of Canada, but at least they try to do something. Whereas Americans seem to think that it's out of their control entirely.

And it's not like there isn't rampant homophobia here. It's just that the homophobes don't have quite as many means to do anything about it.

[mad-bertha.livejournal.com]

Watched a pretty good video deconstructing the statistics - the rate of suicides decreased significantly when guns are taken out of the equation etc.

Yup, not about which country has more homophobia (and islamophobia and all the rest). It's about what is easily at hand. When someone gets pissed off with the world in general and only has a knife, it's a tragedy, sure, but we're talking fatalities that you can count on two hands at most before they're taken down (case in point - Israel http://new.www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbt-israel-guns_us_575f0721e4b0e4fe5143407a) When they can easily get a gun... well :(

And people talk about 'black markets'. Black markets aren't that easy to access and only certain people know how to get to them. For instance: ask me to score some dope in my squarely-in-the-middle suburb. I know it's out there but who and where? And how would I attempt to get in touch without drawing attention to myself? Even Tor and the dark web takes some technical nous. At least making it difficult and risky cuts out a portion of the domestic homicides, suicides, death from temporary insanity and allows law enforcement to focus their energies on the remainder.

But, as I was trying to say - I grew up in two places without as strong a gun culture, without guns being so entrenched in the nation's identity and psyche. My mind boggles at how hard it would be to get any progress on a more effective form of gun regulation.

[sabotabby]

Yeah. I think what it affects the most is scale. Yes, there are shootings here, and there was a horrific assassination in the UK. But what's notable about the latter is that one person was killed. It's a tragedy, but had that happened in the US, even more people would have died.

And it would have a huge impact on DV and the deaths of children. I don't think there's a case here of a toddler shooting itself with a gun in recent memory.

[xxgross.livejournal.com]

Aw, good gay kitties. Haha!

[sabotabby]

I love them, and they love each other. It's beautiful.

[ironed_orchid]

Gay kitties are the best.

[sabotabby]

They are! I didn't know Cocoa was gay until I got a girl cat. Sabot, I think, is bi, because she's had sex with at least one dude cat.