The leader of a country takes on responsibility for comforting his or her nation when tragedy strikes.
Individuals look to their governing body for guidance; for reassurance this won’t happen again; and for confirmation this is the exception, rather than the rule.
They look to their leader for other things too.
Like damage control; an active effort to deconstruct policy and bring about systemic change to plug any holes that jeopardise safety.
Or inspiration; an overwhelmingly positive gesture of grit or goodwill which empowers in the face of evil.
Listen: Mia Freedman traces Trump’s predictable pattern when it comes to comforting his nation in the wake of a shooting. Post continues after audio.
President Donald Trump failed to demonstrate any one of these qualities, after a lone gunman killed 7% of a South Texas township at the weekend.
It’s the third time he’s failed to do so in a single month; a month which has seen over 100 lives fall victim to gun laws unchanged since the country’s inception.
The definition of insanity, said Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.
When it comes to mass shootings in the United States, disaster response in the era of Trump follows one of two scripts.
Firstly. If the killer is dark-skinned?
Trump gives a press conference. He blames immigration policies that are in fact his own. He vows to stop the ‘terrorists’ and immigrants ransacking his otherwise puritan land.
It’s always too early to discuss guns, however. That would be insensitive.
Until it’s not too early, by which time it’s no longer a gun problem.
It’s an immigration problem.
May God be w/ the people of Sutherland Springs, Texas. The FBI & law enforcement are on the scene. I am monitoring the situation from Japan.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2017
Alternatively. If the killer is white?
Top Comments
Couldn't have said it better myself
Couldnt have said it better myself.