A note to my readers. This may be the hardest article I’ve ever written, which would make it a very hard article to read. So, feel free to forego this article if you wish. Otherwise, know that I want each of you to be blessed and safe.
There is the thinking that “there is nothing new under the sun.” I believe this era fits that thinking.
I have done some minimal research into these heinous acts of the killing of other people, and what I’ve found is horrifying and dangerous. “Research” today usually means to start with the web and go from there. So, starting with the web, this is what I’ve found … and, please remember that these numbers come from the web and represent only those killings that were considered massacres by the creator of the report I found. There were, we know, more homicides perpetrated on individuals.
The report begins in the 1920s; the report indicates that there were eight massacres, from November 1920 to December 25, 1929. You will remember hearing about the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. In my own state, a fight between coal miners striking at a mine at Serene fought against the state militia; that ended with six dead. Before that, in 1914, another group of Ludlow coal miners and, again, the state militia fought ending with twenty-five dead (including 14 children)¸quelled only when federal troops came in. Seventy-one victims are recorded as dying between June 1922 and December 1929. Before that (and here statistics are sketchy) at Greenwood, Tulsa, OK, and Ocoee, FL, more than 870 people were killed as a result of attacks on people of color. Also, earlier (in the 1800s) in my own state, more than 150 men, women, and children were killed during the infamous Sand Creek Massacre, an attack on a peaceful Indian encampment, authorized by the governor.
Fast forward to 2022 and the numbers are increasing. And, news travels instantaneously around the globe. Today, weapons can deliver faster death to more humans at one time. I have pulled some stats from the web. They are frighteningly appalling. More and more citizens, young and old, are meeting death in this carnage.
All of these citizens left their homes being sure that they would be returning after their errand. Or, school. Or, the market. Or, synagogue, church, or worship area of any kind. Or, just walk on the street from one place to another. All of their friends and relatives expected to see them again. But, that didn’t happen.
Many of the people committing the massacres turn their weapons on themselves after doing the damage. Some are killed by police I remember a time when “suicide by cop” was a discussion issue. Is that an issue, today?
Do you think about these issues when you put on your coat, walk out of the door, lock up the house, and get into the car? I don’t think I do, but wonder if I should. Do I shop in my usual places? What religious organization do I attend? What social activity am I going to? Do I leave my house at all?
I certainly don’t have the answer to these questions. Do you? Maybe, Charles Dudley Warner describes our current situation. He said: “It is fortunate that each generation does not comprehend its own ignorance. We are thus enabled to call our ancestors barbarous.”
Will we, in our era, be called savagely cruel and exceedingly brutal by our succeeding generations?
Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are appreciated.
One reply on “Part II: ‘Tis the Season of Repeating Offenses”
Even with all of the mad shootings I’ve only ever felt vulnerable once. I took my friend Jane to eat at the Aurora mall food court in October. It’s right across the way from the Century theaters where that crazy person shot so many people in 2012. I can honestly say I felt like a sitting duck and somewhat anxious. I was happy to leave. It was a very unpleasant feeling and I hope never to feel it again. My son Evan actually saw that same movie at the same time and date at the Century theaters in Lakewood. Needless to say I had a moment’s panic when I heard the news the next day. It was a horrible until I called him to make sure he was ok. I also felt similarly when reports of a high school shooting came in when Columbine happened. The initial report didn’t say which high school or where it was, and Evan was in high school in Westminster that day. What a world we live in!