Our best friend was at that Las Vegas concert—the one that left more than sixty people dead, that night or in the aftermath. And then, because apparently the universe is auditioning for a role as a sadist, she later learned two survivors died by suicide.
And if that wasn’t enough, she was on the UNLV campus when the mass shooting happened last year.
At a certain point you stop saying “What are the odds?” and start saying, very calmly and with feeling: What the actual fuck.
Trevor, there's not much more to say than your illustration says today. The thing that I would add is that we can't allow ourselves to become numb to these shootings just because they're happening with greater frequency. We must hold on to our outrage and keep talking about gun violence until we break through the wall that the NRA has erected to prevent sensible legislation.
Much as I detest Michael Cohen and his enabling of the FatFelon before he "saw the light" going to prison for him, he is quite correct here:
"Today’s children—Gen Z and the kids coming up behind them—don’t practice fire drills. They rehearse for slaughter. Active shooter drills. Lockdown drills. Barricade-the-door drills. Hide-in-the-closet drills. Flip desks. Silence phones. Crouch in your 'assigned location.' Memorize where to bleed quietly so you don’t give yourself away.
Let that sink in.
We have normalized terror for children. We have institutionalized trauma and called it 'preparedness.' And then we wonder why anxiety, depression, and rage are eating an entire generation alive."
And yes, we are definitely a totally fucked nation of cowards who adore weapons of war and see mass shootings as "the price of freedumb"--as long as it's someone else's kid or friend or spouse that lies with their body shredded, bleeding out on a floor.
The children are on their own because I want my guns. We are willing to sacrifice our country's children so I can play pretend tough guy. Simply stunning.
True, a good bit of most childhoods contain trauma in various and many forms. And I was a kid doing the duck and cover drills. I can't say I know anyone who was traumatized by them, though I'm sure some were. But that was a threat from a foreign country, not our own people. Today's threat is one that will never go away and can come at any time. A threat they will live with from grammar school though college. America did all they could to protect us from a foreign nuclear threat (yes, that point could be argued) but we could fix this problem but refuse. I think that is a different level of trauma, a level of trauma I never even thought of as a child, let alone experienced.
That cynical description of political history may be true. However, when it comes to humanitarian aid, no country in modern times has acted sooner, or given more, than the United States of America.
Perhaps my life long opposition to atomic/nuclear bombs and all weapons of mass murder had something to do with those drills. I never vote for NRA supporters; I support peace initiatives with humble donations; I never remain in buildings, or homes, with guns. Maybe these kids will grow into the people that fight and win to dissolve the power of the NRA as they march and vote against assault weapons, support clear and enforceable gun laws, and save their children... in ways we didn't save them...
Too young for "duck and cover". Blissful childhood days when there were only fire drills at school. Grew up in a farming community when the NRA was all about hunting and gun safety. NO ONE had automatic weapons of war. Our terror in grade school was being near Kent State in 1970.
Who benefits from these shootings? As a culture, we seem helpless to stop them. It is so incredibly stupid and cruel. The most effective start, getting rid of the guns seems impossible. Why? I can't understand this.
There is no other solution than to get rid of guns on a very large scale. Any allowable form of gun ownership very restrictive and costly. The types of weapons allowed must be limited to single shot rifles. You must be insured, you must be certified every two years, you must be liable for any accident your weapon is used in, you must be registered by state and federal. better yet, no guns at all.
I grew up in 1950s–70s America: Korean War, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, and then the Kennedys—both assassinations—like the country itself took a punch to the mouth and kept bleeding on the evening news. We had fear, plenty of it, but it lived out there in history and geopolitics. It arrived through newspapers, radio, and Walter Cronkite. It did not arrive as a weekly rehearsal in a classroom telling children where to hide, how to stay silent, how to bleed quietly.
What’s changed is that terror used to be a broadcast; now it’s a lesson plan. We didn’t normalize the idea that your own school might be the battlefield. Today’s kids aren’t just growing up during troubled times—they’re being trained to expect trouble to walk through the door with a gun. And if that doesn’t count as a moral collapse, I don’t know what does.
And on the wall of every school with the warning, "You are in a dangerously contained area and at risk of being the target of a shooter at any time, your safety, is your problem."
America has become one sad fucking tragedy.
I'm not sure if we are still a country or just a geographical repository for vile, cruel, heartless, billionaires and Nazi's.
Our best friend was at that Las Vegas concert—the one that left more than sixty people dead, that night or in the aftermath. And then, because apparently the universe is auditioning for a role as a sadist, she later learned two survivors died by suicide.
And if that wasn’t enough, she was on the UNLV campus when the mass shooting happened last year.
At a certain point you stop saying “What are the odds?” and start saying, very calmly and with feeling: What the actual fuck.
Yeah, the odds are pretty good these days.
T
Trevor, there's not much more to say than your illustration says today. The thing that I would add is that we can't allow ourselves to become numb to these shootings just because they're happening with greater frequency. We must hold on to our outrage and keep talking about gun violence until we break through the wall that the NRA has erected to prevent sensible legislation.
there you go with that optimism again... We are a shit country and this is what shit countries do.
Much as I detest Michael Cohen and his enabling of the FatFelon before he "saw the light" going to prison for him, he is quite correct here:
"Today’s children—Gen Z and the kids coming up behind them—don’t practice fire drills. They rehearse for slaughter. Active shooter drills. Lockdown drills. Barricade-the-door drills. Hide-in-the-closet drills. Flip desks. Silence phones. Crouch in your 'assigned location.' Memorize where to bleed quietly so you don’t give yourself away.
Let that sink in.
We have normalized terror for children. We have institutionalized trauma and called it 'preparedness.' And then we wonder why anxiety, depression, and rage are eating an entire generation alive."
https://open.substack.com/pub/meidastouch/p/what-are-we-doing-to-our-children?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
And yes, we are definitely a totally fucked nation of cowards who adore weapons of war and see mass shootings as "the price of freedumb"--as long as it's someone else's kid or friend or spouse that lies with their body shredded, bleeding out on a floor.
The children are on their own because I want my guns. We are willing to sacrifice our country's children so I can play pretend tough guy. Simply stunning.
T
While I agree with you wholeheartedly, we've always traumatised children. Nuclear drills, anyone?
True, a good bit of most childhoods contain trauma in various and many forms. And I was a kid doing the duck and cover drills. I can't say I know anyone who was traumatized by them, though I'm sure some were. But that was a threat from a foreign country, not our own people. Today's threat is one that will never go away and can come at any time. A threat they will live with from grammar school though college. America did all they could to protect us from a foreign nuclear threat (yes, that point could be argued) but we could fix this problem but refuse. I think that is a different level of trauma, a level of trauma I never even thought of as a child, let alone experienced.
Regards,
T
What is that quote again?: The US can be counted on to do the right thing after all other possibilities have been tried?
I like that.
That cynical description of political history may be true. However, when it comes to humanitarian aid, no country in modern times has acted sooner, or given more, than the United States of America.
I'd agree with both statements. We have done much good as well as much damage.
T
Perhaps my life long opposition to atomic/nuclear bombs and all weapons of mass murder had something to do with those drills. I never vote for NRA supporters; I support peace initiatives with humble donations; I never remain in buildings, or homes, with guns. Maybe these kids will grow into the people that fight and win to dissolve the power of the NRA as they march and vote against assault weapons, support clear and enforceable gun laws, and save their children... in ways we didn't save them...
I do have some limited hope that our younger generation will find a way to change what we've become.
T
Agreed
Too young for "duck and cover". Blissful childhood days when there were only fire drills at school. Grew up in a farming community when the NRA was all about hunting and gun safety. NO ONE had automatic weapons of war. Our terror in grade school was being near Kent State in 1970.
(LOL) Also (Toledo)
Who benefits from these shootings? As a culture, we seem helpless to stop them. It is so incredibly stupid and cruel. The most effective start, getting rid of the guns seems impossible. Why? I can't understand this.
There is no other solution than to get rid of guns on a very large scale. Any allowable form of gun ownership very restrictive and costly. The types of weapons allowed must be limited to single shot rifles. You must be insured, you must be certified every two years, you must be liable for any accident your weapon is used in, you must be registered by state and federal. better yet, no guns at all.
It is so obvious but this belligerent dangerous gun obsessed America loves them anyway.
I grew up in 1950s–70s America: Korean War, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, and then the Kennedys—both assassinations—like the country itself took a punch to the mouth and kept bleeding on the evening news. We had fear, plenty of it, but it lived out there in history and geopolitics. It arrived through newspapers, radio, and Walter Cronkite. It did not arrive as a weekly rehearsal in a classroom telling children where to hide, how to stay silent, how to bleed quietly.
What’s changed is that terror used to be a broadcast; now it’s a lesson plan. We didn’t normalize the idea that your own school might be the battlefield. Today’s kids aren’t just growing up during troubled times—they’re being trained to expect trouble to walk through the door with a gun. And if that doesn’t count as a moral collapse, I don’t know what does.
Powerful graphic.
Thanks, but it will do nothing...
T
Was it in any way cathartic for you to make this drawing? If so, it was worth doing.
It seemed necessary…
T
Succinct. Should be on front page everywhere
And on the wall of every school with the warning, "You are in a dangerously contained area and at risk of being the target of a shooter at any time, your safety, is your problem."
T