Our World in 2018

OUR WORLD
Time necessary for national
politicians to come together and agree
on a system that will equally divide
voting rights and power in such a
federation. Time necessary for them to
concede their power and hand it over
to a new structure. Time necessary
for it to mature in peoples’ minds that
while history, language, colour, culture,
are inconsequential in front of the
one grand truth that we are all human
beings with a shared need for peace,
prosperity, fairness, and justice.
When putting forward this universal
argument, I’m often asked “Why stop
with the EU?” In the long term, we
won’t. But the European Union is the
best place to start, and one of the most
challenging places to succeed.
Natural selection vs
evolutionary stupidity
Moving on to a very different kind
of problem. One major flaw with
representative democracy today,
is that it allows our politicians to be
insulated from those they govern. In so
far as they do not become involved in
a catastrophic scandal, they and their
consequences of their own actions.
In the USA, the long list of politicians
who have not stopped to blink at the
unending gun violence in the country,
do not feel that such incidents could
ever be a problem for them. Some
will or will not keep guns in the house,
others will collect them, but they will
usually not live in neighbourhoods
where their votes will result in them
being hurt as a consequence.
In the name of preserving the
second amendment to the constitution,
and propping up an entire industry,
America has been engaged in a selfinvolved
arms race to the bottom. Not
the international arms race to possess
as many nukes as possible, but a race
to sell as many guns as possible – too
In the name of
preserving the
second amendment
to the constitution,
and propping up
an entire industry,
America has been
engaged in a selfinvolved
arms race
to the bottom.
many of which end up with troubled
youths. In mid February, there was
another school shooting in the USA.
17 killed by an army of one. The killer,
had purchased at least ten guns in
the past year or so – and it appears
he had done so with great ease.
You’ve all seen the graphs – there are
more guns per capita in the USA than
anywhere else in the world. Firearms in
A
Indeed, personal convenience, and
meant it remains possible for nearly
anyone to buy a gun in America.
On the night of February 26, 2012,
some might remember another
tragedy that occurred. A man whose
name is not worth remembering, was
driving into his gated community –
concealed gun strapped to his side. This
former altar body, had grown up with
some sort of cop fantasy, and when
he saw a young black man walking on
‘his streets’ he began to follow him –
even calling 911 to say he was doing
so. One thing led to another, and the
young black man – Trayvon Martin -
whose name we should all remember
– was shot dead. The killer, said he
had feared for his life. The victim, was
armed with a pack of skittles and a
can of ice tea. The shooter was fully
acquitted of all charges in court. The
day of the acquittal, #BlackLivesMatter
.
clashed that day; gun control and
racism. The videos of police brutality,
and the many questionable deaths of
black people – put bluntly, in situations
where white people would still be alive
- managed to steer the conversation
from guns, to the grater evil of racism.
Societies’ have evolved after
reaching organic tipping points;
historically resulting in revolutions
or wars. Racism has – at least in the
legal sense, long been left behind.
Society has not always understood,
implemented or taken ownership of
these changes, but the footprints were
made in the sand.
But what about guns? The
ridiculous tradition of the 21st century
gun hoarding in the USA cannot
remain. Our world is better than
that. It’s time for American citizens to
push past the power of the industry
and the millions of dollars that
the NRA are funnelling to political
campaigns directly or indirectly.
It’s time Americans set aside even
their own convictions, in the name
of logic. It’s time to take the leap
towards evolution, and ban personal
gun ownership in the US without a
valid reason for a permit, and a strict
procedure on being considered for
such a permit. I can’t help but feel we
are getting there; coming closer to
that tipping point on the issue of guns.
We will finally see more and more
politicians coming out against the
constitutional right that Americans
hold so dear. And even though I am
not American, I say ‘we’ because any
such loss of life, is not a loss for the
A.
So here’s to pushing our societies
past those tipping points, bringing
about change without bloodshed,
having a revolution of principles, to the
.
14 2018 | OUR WORLD