Out of Tragedy—Hyperbole?

While millions of Americans offer solutions to what happened on Friday, over news outlets, Facebook, Twitter, across coffee tables at holiday parties… I've been silent. I have no solutions, because I don’t understand the problem.

I get that there is a problem. In fact, with hundreds dead in mass shootings over the past few years, we've gone beyond problem status— we've got an epidemic.

But what happens when we treat an epidemic before truly understanding it? Before we have a scientific approach? Usually the solutions are guided by superstition and emotion, and while some may have limited success, they are too localized to make a lasting difference.  Over time, science and reason catch up and we’re able to address the problem far more effectively.

Comprehending the Incomprehensible

It’s my job to understand people. As a copywriter, I get into people’s heads on a daily basis to figure out what motivates them toward certain actions (or inactions) using psychology and philosophy, a lot of research, and natural instinct and empathy. Usually I’m pretty good at it.

When it comes to mass shootings, though, I’m at a loss. I can’t even begin to understand the shooter’s motivations. Can you?

There’s a trend in social media right now that asks us to stop talking about the killer and focus instead on the victims; and while I appreciate the sentiment behind it and agree that they need to be mourned, when it comes to actually understanding this problem and looking for a solution, we’re not going to find an answer in any of the victims because they are not the problem.

Another trend of the moment—vehemently promoting specific solutions: Gun control, increased mental health services, even prayer in schools have all been offered up, and while I’m not going to say any of these are wrong, how do we know that they’ll work? As far as I've seen there’s no substantial body of research to suggest that any one of these is the answer.

We Can Do Better

Anecdotal information about what happens in Canada or how poorly the war on drugs is going are no doubt important pieces to look at, but taken on their own they wouldn't be enough to form the basis for a marketing campaign (too insubstantial—too much room for cultural variance and misinterpretation), and they shouldn't form the basis for a federal policy shift, either. We can, and should, do better.

We are facing a horrific new disease. Something strange has happened in our evolution, and we don’t yet understand what it is. So yes: Let’s not forget the victims, and let’s allow ourselves to feel sad and angry and horrified, but let’s also take a measured approach here and look for a rational solution, because nothing is going to change until we find it.