On January 8, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot through the head in a shooting spree that also killed six other people. Not long after that, stupid arguments began over who is more responsible for the incident for the use of violent political rhetoric. Seriously- this is like the highest profile game of "Nuh uh...uh huh...Nuh uh...uh huh..." I've seen since Lonestar and Barf were deciding whether to jam the radar.
Shut up guys.Six people died, and don't think so highly of yourselves to think that your opponents are to blame for it. If there was ever a time for political differences to be put aside in the interest of working together towards making the USA a better place, then I'm sure you screwed that up as well. This is ridiculous.
And it's doubly ridiculous because this is not a new problem! Look at sports, for example. Commonplace violent language has existed in our culture long before you idiots started to throw it around like hot potatoes. And I'll give you some examples to prove it.
Note: I am not condoning the use of violent language in sports- I'm just saying that so many of these terms have become a part of my (and millions of other sports fans') vernacular that it's silly to me to think that you can blame this shooting incident on language.
Football is often referred to as "war"- in fact, the Arena Football League used to call their game the "50 yard indoor war". And a head coach better get his guys prepared to go to battle, because if his team does poorly, he's likely to get the "axe".
His chances for success surely increase if he has a quarterback with a strong arm (commonly referred to as a "cannon") that throws long "bombs" and "bullet" passes to his receivers. The quarterback may run plays out of the "shotgun" or "pistol" formations.
Oregon and Oregon State play the 'Civil War' every year. Kansas and Missouri have a Border War. Arizona and Arizona State duel in the desert. And religious schools have Holy Wars with their religious rivals.
If the New York Jets have taught us anything, it is what a football "gunner" is. Well, and how to act like a buffoon.
Hmmmm what else....oh, silly me- I forgot about defense-with all their "blitzs" and quarterback "sacks".
Football isn't the only sport that invokes images of Mark Wahlberg. Hockey goal scorers has its "snipers". College basketball gave us "The Alaskan Assassin", although Trajan is hardly the first athlete to be referred to in that way. It's also generally good to have a long-range "bomber" to nail the late game "dagger" to put the game out of reach.
I definitely do not mean to make light at all of the tragic shooting in Arizona on January 8th. I do, however, fully mean to make light of the ridiculous back and forth about who is more at fault for the shooting. The left doesn't want to take responsibility because theirs is the side that took the violence up a couple octaves. The right doesn't want to take responsibility because it is the right.
Just grow up. Please.
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