Americas deadly obsession with guns及中文翻译Word文件下载.docx
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Americas deadly obsession with guns及中文翻译Word文件下载.docx
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ThemassacreofinnocentsataprimaryschoolinNewtown,Connecticut,onFridaywasindeed,asPresidentObamaputit,heart-breaking.Hishalting,grievingaddresstothenationcapturedthepainthatisfeltintheimmediateaftermathofsuchashockingevent.Butthepainwillnotlast,forithashappenedbefore–andnoAmericanpoliticianwillhavethenervetoproposetheonlycuretothisrepetitiveinsanity,whichwouldbeasensible,matureandresponsibleattitudetowardstheownershipanduseofguns.Hewouldneverbeelectedtopublicofficeagain.
ThisPresidentcannotstandforelectionathirdtime,soperhapshemightbeabletobreakthemould.Butitishardtobelieve.Thetruthis,Americaisasocietyobsessedwithgunsandaddictedtotheirrepulsivebuteffectiveuseasinstrumentsofdeath.Theylikethem;
theyteachtheirchildrenhowtoshootthem,asNancyLanzadidhersonAdam,theyoungmanresponsibleforthecarnageinConnecticut;
theystorethem;
theyharbourafetishforthem,andwillnevertolerateanyattempttodenythemtheirtoys.Theyrarelyadmitwhattheirgunsaredesignedtodo,whichistokill.
Statisticsmaybeabadexcuseforprose,butthosewhichpertaintothissubjectmakechillingandnecessaryreading.TheydemonstratethatthereisapathologicalpleasureatlargeintheUnitedStates.Therearenearly300milliongunstobefoundthere,onethirdofthemhandguns–whichareuselessforhuntingpurposes,butbrilliantastoolsforkilling.Thisrepresentsthehighestconcentrationofprivateownershipofmurderweaponsintheentireworld.Therateformurderbygunfireis100timesthatoftheUnitedKingdom.
Everyyear,17,000peoplearekilledinAmerica,70percentofthemwithguns,andnearly20,000peoplecommitsuicidebyshootingthemselvestodeathinthehome–whereagunisreadilytohandinthecupboard.AlmosthalfofallUShouseholdshaveagunstoredaseasilyastheknivesandforks,thebedlinenandthetoothpaste.Peopleareshotatwork,atschool,atthesupermarket,atbusstops,orevenatthefrontdooriftheyringthebellataninconvenienttime.Inthewholeworld,onlyColombiahasaworserecord.
Thestatisticsareevenmoreheart-breakingwhenappliedtotheyoung.TheslaughterofchildrenbygunfireintheUnitedStatesis25timestherateofthe20nextlargestindustrialcountriesintheworldcombined.Ifyouaddthemallup,sincetheassassinationsofRobertKennedyandMartinLutherKingin1968,welloveramillionAmericans,childrenandadults,havebeenshottodeath,andevennow80peopledieinthismannereveryday.TheterribleslaughteronFridayisnotasunusualasitshouldbe.
EventhecolloquialvocabularywhichlittersAmericanspeechbetraysacallousindifferencetothebrutefactofmurder.Ihaveheardotherwisesageandhighlyeducatedmentalkof“takingout”anundesirablefoe,asifitwereatrivialandsimplematter,notthebloodyendingofsomebody’slife.
Speakingpersonally,theverynotionthatanobjectinmyhandscouldkillsomebodyinsecondsifIpushedtherightbuttonfillsmewithpassionatedread.MostAmericanswouldthinkmeutterlystupid.Theywouldalsothinkmeblindtooneobviousadvantagewhichagunbestows,andthatisthepowerfulvalueofdeterrence.Possessionofahandgunprotectsus,theysay,fromrandomassault.
Thetroublewiththisblandstatement(tooshallowtobecalledanargument)isthatitisnottrue.Carefulstudieshavedemonstrated,overandoveragain,thathomeswhichdonothaveaguninthedraweraresaferthanthosewhichdo,forthemeresightofsuchaweaponprovokesimmediateaction;
theonlythingitdetersisthought.Besideswhich,mostgunmurdersathomeareperpetratednotbyanintruder,butbyamemberofthefamilyoranacquaintance.Oneonlyhastoponderforaminutetorealisethatasquabbleismorelikelytoberesolvedbydiscussionandcompromiseifthereisnogunavailabletoenditquickly.
Mosttragicofallistheincidenceofsuicides,farhigherinAmericanhomeswhichpossessgunsthaninthosewhichdonot.Ayoungpersoninthegripofoverwhelmingunhappinessanywhereintheworldmaycontemplateputtinganendtoitall.Butusingaknifetakesgreatcourage,ismessy,andensuresthatdeathwillbepainful;
gasandpillsareunreliable;
andallthreearesoslowthatthereistimetothinkagain,toreflect,andtostrengthenthemind.Fearisitselfadeterrence.Butifagunisathand,resolutionofone’stroublescanbeswiftandpainless,effectedinseconds,beforeanytemptationtoruminatecaninterfere.Thegunrenderssuicideanattractiveandemotionaloption;
homeswhichharbourthemareinherentlydangerousplaces.
AdamLanzapresentsuswithawoefulillustrationofallthis.Hewastroubled,andhehadweapons.Itwaseasy.Andyet,incredibly,suggestionshavebeenputforwardtoextendthecarryingofgunswellbeyondthehome,tovirtuallyanywhere.ATexasRepublicanintheHouseofRepresentatives,LouieGohmert,onceproposedabilltopermitmembersofCongresstocarryfirearmsintotheCapitolBuilding,presumablyintheirhands,theirpockets,theirbriefcases.Forwhatpurpose?
Toshootothermemberswhodon’tsaytherightthings?
Ortoprotectagainstwhatandwhomexactly?
ThatsuchabarmyideamayevenbeutteredspeaksloudlyofAmerica’smalaise.InArizona,wheretheattemptedassassinationofCongresswomanGabrielleGiffordsandtheslaughterofsixotherstookplacelastyear,almostanyonecanhaveapermittocarryaconcealedweaponandbeallowedtotakegunsintoabar(wherepresumablytheyaregoingtodrinksomethingmorepotentthanlemonade);
thatsamestate’slegislatorshavetalkedaboutpassinglawspermittingteachersandstudentstocarrytheirgunstoschoolwiththem.Suchisthecontagionofmadness.
Furthermore,thenewschannelsaresofarremovedfromanymoralanguishaboutallthisthattheyhappilypounceuponthesceneoflatestslaughtertogetclose-upsofbloodstainsonthefloorandtoportraythedistressofthebereavedinharrowinglystupidinterviews(“Howdoyoufeel?
”etc);
thecoverageisrepeateddozens,perhapshundredsoftimes,reducingpaintoentertainmentandmakingtheviewerspassivelycomplicit.Somechannelswillnotdeigntoairanyviewwhichmightsuggestthatcitizens,eventhosewhoarementallydisturbed,oughtperhapsnottobearmedwithlethalweaponsinthefirstplace;
theymightthenceforthberefusedadvertisingrevenueiftheydared.
ThatiswhyPresidentObama’sdecency,humanityandrestraintshouldbealessontothemediaandasnubtotheirextravagance.In2008,thederangedstudentSeung-HuiChomoweddown32ofhisfellowsattheuniversityknownasVirginiaTech.Thenewschannelsdidexactlywhathewantedthemto,obliginghimwithmassiveattention.Thisyoungmanhadnopointthathewantedtoprove,nostatementthatheneededtomake,noenemiesthathewishedtoconquer.Hewantedonlytoexpresshimself,andtookwithhimtwopowerfulgunswithwhichtodoso.
Thiswasmurderinthepursuitofself-esteem,whatthewriterJamesCarrollcalled“expressiveviolence”.ItwastheperversionofyetanotherAmericanvalue,theonewhichsaysnochildshouldhavehisaspirationsforself-expressionthwarted;
allythiswiththevaluethatnobodyshouldbedeniedtherighttoownanduseagun,andyouhavetheloudestexpressionofselfimaginable.
Overthedecades,therehavebeensomeweakattemptsatsanity,alwayssubsequentlyrescinded.WhenagunmantriedtoassassinatePresidentReaganandinsteadgravelywoundedWhiteHousepresssecretaryJimBrady,theUSCongresswasshockedintoaction.Itpassedtheso-calledBradyLaw,whichincludedsomesmallmeasurestomakehandgunslesseasilyavailabletomaniacs.Intheensuing30years,thatlawhasbeensoprogressivelyemasculatedthatitnowmeansnothingatall.Anypoliticianwhotriedtogiveitsomeweightwouldnotbeelectedtopublicoffice.Thisisnotbecausethepublicwouldnotwelcomereform,butbecausethosewithpowerandmoneywouldnotallowit.
Hereisthesortofthingtheydo:
inVirginia,lawshavebeenenactedprohibitingthepolicefrommountingso-called“sting”operationsonshopswhichopenlysellassaultweaponstopeoplewithoutcheckingtheirhistories.Thepolicearetherebylegallypreventedfromdoingtheirjobofkeepingpublicorder.Whenevertheytryto,somebodywillhappilygobeforethecameratoproclaimtherighttocarryanduseagunwithoutanyrestriction,eventhatoflunacy.
Andhereisthesortofthingtheysay:
anArkansasRepublicancalledJayDickeytoldanInternationalHeraldTribunejournalistthat“it’sreallysimplewithme.Wehavetherighttobeararmsbecauseofthethreatofgovernmenttakingoverthefreedomsthatwehave.”Bythis,themancanonlymeanthefreedomtokill,whichhecherisheshigherthanthefreedomtobegoverneddemocratically.Itisindeedafrighteningremark,becausetheUSgovernmentisseenastheenemy.
Noristhisparanoiaisolated.AfterthevileshootinginArizona,thesaleofhandgunsrocketedpreciselybecausetheloonieswereterrifiedthattheirgovernmentmighttaketheirgunsaway.Formervice-presidentCheneyonceloudlyproclaimed,towildapplauseandthekindofwhoopingwithwhichadolescentsgreetpopstarsorbaseballheroes,thatAmerica’ssourceofhappinesssprangfromthebarrelofagun.Hisaudience,ofcourse,wastheNationalRifleAssociation,oneofthemostnoisomeanddangerousgroupsintheworld.Itisimpossibletooverstateitspowerandinfluence.Onthematterofweaponsdesignedtokill,itcontrols
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