(An)Other

Abstract

Gun violence generally and mass shootings in particular have increased dramatically over the past decade. The tragedy inherent in those incidents is magnified by our collective inability to find reasonable avenues for remediating the root causes of such action. Moreover, the ways in which many individuals process such events is to contort the context to suit their existing world view. We can and must do better.

Keywords

activism complacency guns ideology violence

churches

homes

movie theaters

night clubs

schools

streets

once the pride of a community

happiness unity & sanctity

ripped away through evil as darkness envelopes the light

no reason

only pressed palms, bromides & crocodile tears

as we perform the crisis routine

through screens and polite chatter

interrupted only to announce the next scene

of our worst fears realized

again

this time there were 49

Stanley Almodovar III

and we focus on the shooter

Amanda Alvear

and we talk about ideological influences

Oscar A. Aracena-Montero

and we wonder about mental illness

Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala

and we thank the first responders

Antonio Davon Brown

and we wait for the right meme or infographic to share

Darryl Roman Burt II

and we contort the situation to fit our worldview

Angel L. Candelario-Padro

and we admonish the nra stranglehold on congress

Juan Chevez-Martinez

and we debate the framer’s intent

Luis Daniel Conde

and gun sales rise with the souls of the recently departed

Cory James Connell

and the same talking heads redeploy the same talking points

Tevin Eugene Crosby

and we tweak our profile photos and rant online rather than to elected officials

Deonka Deidra Drayton

and we wonder how we got to this point—again

Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez

and we hear walls and mass deportations are needed but legislation is impossible

Leroy Valentin Fernandez

and advertisers reap the ratings benefits sown by our mourning

Mercedez Marisol Flores

and we know there will be other shooters in other cities at other locations of joy

Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz

and we will again lower old glory for a proper period

Juan Ramon Guerrero

and we will become more numb and armed

Paul Terrell Henry

and we await the parade of local leaders behind lecterns promising better days

Frank Hernandez

and we hear about how this moment doesn’t define us and about the heroes

Miguel Angel Honorato

and we debate the specs of ar-15’s

Javier Jorge-Reyes

and we consider the notion that the world would be safer with more weapons

Jason Benjamin Josaphat

and good guys with guns and bad guys with guns and guys with guns

Eddie Jamoldroy Justice

and teaching children to shoot before they can read

Anthony Luis Laureanodisla

and allowing ourselves to otherize before we empathize

Christopher Andrew Leinonen

and the shooter is almost always male but we never whisper the word masculinity

Alejandro Barrios Martinez

and we bicker about video games, hollywood and personal responsibility

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool

and we talk about muskets and knives

Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez

and we forget the names of the victims as we move on to the next tragedy

Kimberly Morris

and lives are reduced to eulogies and stone slabs

Akyra Monet Murray

and we know we are sick but refuse to ask why

Luis Omar Oscasio-Capo

and self-medicate as we reload our own illusions

Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez

and drift toward inexorable and gnawing hopelessness

Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera

and we create the other side and we demonize the other side

Joel Rayon Paniagua

and no one is right but we can never be wrong

Jean Carlos Mendez Perez

and the global village is a montage of crime scenes

Enrique L. Rios Jr.

and the sense that alienation is the only thing that unifies us

Jean C. Nives Rodriguez

and thinking of the crisis industry and culpability in rubbernecking disaster porn

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado

and thinking of changing the channel instead of changing

Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz

and it all piles up and it all bleeds together

Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan

and we all cry out in different ways

Edward Sotomayor Jr.

and we are not orlando because we are what caused orlando to grieve

Shane Evan Tomlinson

and our silence allows the next shooter to load a weapon

Martin Benitez Torres

and we genuflect at the altar of greed and domination

Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega

and we talk about too much religion not enough religion or the wrong religion

Juan P. Rivera Velazquez

and we rush to define and categorize the massacre

Luis S. Vielma

and the horrific banality of repetition

Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez

and the pain and anguish that transfers from shooter to victim

Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon

and the echoes from the shots reverberate

Jerald Arthur Wright

and there’s no ending

and there’s no plan

and we hum a familiar tune as we wait for the next

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Author Biography

Nathan J. Rodriguez is an assistant professor in the Division of Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, where he teaches courses in public relations. His research focuses on new media practices, and the ways in which individuals assess the veracity of online information.