Friday, December 14, 2012

How does one explain

Something like what happened today? My inlaws all want to know why this happens "all the time" in the US, and why so many people kill themselves there and also murder children.

It comes up often in converstion, how violent the US is in their eyes. They always look to me, Miss US FlippIng Ambassador, to explain an entire culture of crazy (in their eyes) . My answers are never sufficient and my opinions are not always in sync with all of the U.S anyway.

One thing is for sure, is I feel the way everyone else does about all the lives lost in the shooting - this is not right, not normal. This should not have happened. I told my inlaws the shooter must have been very very sick, it is not normal (in any country) for someone to want to take the lives of so many innocent people big and small.

Here, when people hear about violence it is supposedly one type of person that is involved. The type the US media is always discussing but I will not as they get enough media coverage. Or at least that is what people assume, we have no way of verifying those facts.

Today I tried to explain to my inlaws how much good there is in the US, how the shooting today is not representative of all of us. They didn't believe me, and frankly? I don't blame them.


[my thoughts and prayers going out to all the lives affected and lost today in Newton CT at Sandy Hook Elementary. Words would never be enough, let alone a stupid blog post about what other people think around the world. My heart hurts for all the mommies and daddies not tucking in a little one tonight, sending as much strength your way as I have.]

2 comments:

  1. It is hard to make people believe that the States does have good people after horrible things like that constantly happen. It did confirm one of my decisions, my kids will not step foot inside another school in the States again. I don't want to have to worry that I will get that horrible call.

    Their families and friends are in my prayers. It was a very horrific thing to happen. Make syou hug your children a little closer.

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  2. I remember talking to a friend of mine right after this happened. One of our friends had asked him a year or so ago if he thought it was safe to send her teenage son to live with his aunt and uncle in the states to go to high school. It's interesting and sad what the media protrays about other countires. I still get asked frequently by family members how I feel about my safetly living in Mexico with all the drug violance. I tell them that I feel safer where I am in Northern Baja than I do in the town next over to where my parents live in CA.

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