Other than the mad dog killer who commits them, no one is to blame for these mass-shootings. Society is not to blame. Gun control is not to blame. Lack of gun control is not to blame. The media is not to blame. Our corrupt, useless media can be blamed for many things. This is not one of them, and this is in no way the point of this piece.
Now that that’s cleared up…
In the wake of another horrible mass-shooting, once again I woke up to CNN’s failing “New Day” humping the leg of gun control like ghoulish dogs. In more responsible and even compassionate ways, the story also led on Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, ABC, CBS, and all the major online news outlets.
Some in the media look at the issue of mass-shootings with genuine concern. Some in the media, like CNN, only see an opportunity to push their anti-gun agenda.
To those genuinely concerned, I ask you to look at the media’s possible role in these shootings.
Many of these mass-shooters are looking for infamy; looking to go out in a blaze of glory; are so desperate to be someone, they are willing to condemn themselves to Hell through a wanton act of evil.
Sadly, in this day and age, killers inspired all or in part by this demonic dream can count on it being fulfilled by the national media. In our current culture, it is a sad and destructive fact that if you commit a mass shooting, your infamy is assured.
You will be the center of attention.
Your nihilism will shake the world.
There is no appealing to those in the media so lacking in humanity they can hardly contain their partisan joy when reporting on these murders. They want our guns, and they see a few dead innocent people only as an opportunity, not a tragedy.
To those in the media with a soul, maybe it’s time to show some moral courage — time to consider your own role in fulfilling the fantasy and desires of mad dogs.
What if the national media were to stop fulfilling the fantasies of mass-killers?
What if the national media told future mad dogs that if their goal is national infamy, they are going to be disappointed?
What if for the good of our country and countless innocent lives, the national media were to put their political agendas and desire for easy ratings aside, and relegate these atrocities to the local news?
You can’t ignore mass-shootings. No one is suggesting that. You can, however, treat them as local crime stories. You can choose to not blow them up nationally for days, and sometimes weeks on end.
Again, no one is blaming the media for acts of evil committed by others.
The media does, though, have the power to remove an incentive to commit this evil.
How about it?
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC