Man is certainly stark mad; he cannot make a flea, yet he makes gods by the dozens.
- Michel de Montaigne
Tuesday 18 December 2012
Sunday 16 December 2012
Why this isn't the time
Another mass shooting, again at a school, and the reactions are predictable as ever. "We need to talk about gun control." "Don't politicize the tragedy." "To not talk about it would be to politicize it." "I love you guys, but Americans are fucking idiots" (from a Canadian friend of mine).
Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with politicizing the attack -- it's an inherently political topic -- but this is still the wrong time to be talking about changing policy. Why? We're in the wake of an attention-getting but unrepresentative event. Emotional reactions don't lead to good policy.
While this attack is clearly a terrible event for those directly involved, it's a detail from a public policy standpoint. There are roughly 9,000-10,000 per year in the US. That's 25-30 per day, every day. Newtown is, in a very real sense, just another day.
It also seems that most commonly proposed gun control measures wouldn't do much to prevent attacks like this. Waiting periods, background checks, registration, all sensible but not relevant to the situation at hand. These mass shootings tend to be perpetrated by people with no prior criminal record, a long planning horizon, and no concerns about getting caught.
What might help? The most effective policy would probably be to suppress media coverage. These people are copycats, looking for attention. We give it to them. I recently read about some countries that suppressed reports of suicide-by-train, with a resulting drop in rates (large drop by train, smaller one overall). It seems like a similar dynamic But would I advocate that? I'm not so sure. The only other thing I'd see maybe working would be eliminating all guns, but I'm not even sure that would be possible, setting aside for the moment the costs and Constitutional issues.
Anyway, I don't think there's anything wrong with politicizing the attack -- it's an inherently political topic -- but this is still the wrong time to be talking about changing policy. Why? We're in the wake of an attention-getting but unrepresentative event. Emotional reactions don't lead to good policy.
While this attack is clearly a terrible event for those directly involved, it's a detail from a public policy standpoint. There are roughly 9,000-10,000 per year in the US. That's 25-30 per day, every day. Newtown is, in a very real sense, just another day.
It also seems that most commonly proposed gun control measures wouldn't do much to prevent attacks like this. Waiting periods, background checks, registration, all sensible but not relevant to the situation at hand. These mass shootings tend to be perpetrated by people with no prior criminal record, a long planning horizon, and no concerns about getting caught.
What might help? The most effective policy would probably be to suppress media coverage. These people are copycats, looking for attention. We give it to them. I recently read about some countries that suppressed reports of suicide-by-train, with a resulting drop in rates (large drop by train, smaller one overall). It seems like a similar dynamic But would I advocate that? I'm not so sure. The only other thing I'd see maybe working would be eliminating all guns, but I'm not even sure that would be possible, setting aside for the moment the costs and Constitutional issues.
Friday 7 December 2012
Thursday 6 December 2012
Dave Brubeck R.I.P.
Dave Brubeck died today. It's almost twelve years ago I had a chance to see him play live, an 80th birthday concert with four of his sons and the London Symphony Orchestra, but missed it because I'd already bought my flight back to the States for Christmas. It's high on my list of things I regret not doing in life.
To be honest, I didn't even realize he was still alive until I heard the news. I didn't even realize he was still alive and playing twelve years ago until I saw the show advertised. I'm certainly not a great follower of his. But as jazz goes, I think he's one of the best, and I'm not sure he's as well known as he should be.
If you're not familiar with him, check out Take Five. You'll recognize it. Then go a bit deeper with Unsquare Dance, probably my favorite of his. You might recognize it too. It's been in commercials and apparently made #74 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. Then try The Real Ambassadors, with its great backstory. And his verison of Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho. And what he did with Volga Boatmen while touring Russia. And on and on and on.....
To be honest, I didn't even realize he was still alive until I heard the news. I didn't even realize he was still alive and playing twelve years ago until I saw the show advertised. I'm certainly not a great follower of his. But as jazz goes, I think he's one of the best, and I'm not sure he's as well known as he should be.
If you're not familiar with him, check out Take Five. You'll recognize it. Then go a bit deeper with Unsquare Dance, probably my favorite of his. You might recognize it too. It's been in commercials and apparently made #74 on the U.S Billboard Hot 100. Then try The Real Ambassadors, with its great backstory. And his verison of Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho. And what he did with Volga Boatmen while touring Russia. And on and on and on.....
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