Gopnik also presents a more psychological view to the topic. He discusses how "the aftermath of a terrorist attack is the wrong time to talk about security," and he couldn't be more right. We simply can't sit and discuss the aftermath; we have to begin approaching the subject with what we're going to do about it. Action must be taken. Why does America deem it just to place a gun in the hand of almost anyone? Gopnik makes it seem as though the facts should be hitting the government across the face--"No other country on the list has had a repeat performance as severe as the first." Therefore this presents another psychologically analytical question. What could the government possibly be thinking?
Gun control movements have taken place all around us, and have proved to be flawless. My thoughts are that America loves to believe in how strong it is, and that everything is going to be okay if we sit it out. This is a topic that Susan Sontag approaches in her essay.
Sontag wrote that "Our (America's) spirit is unbroken"; this is horrible because it seems like everything else we touch is breaking around us. Everything is not okay, and nothing is ever changing. The essay brings up the point that things could be stirring in Washington, but the public is never being made aware of such informations. We've been aimlessly stuck in this wore in the Middle east for too long. President Bush got us in and now everyone stands clueless behind every decision he made and refuses to introduce new policy.
My favorite quote from this passage was: "Let's by all means grieve together. But let's not be stupid together." Sontag so beautifully paints the picture of the country we live in today. She attacks a tough topic with dead-on brutal honesty, and she certainly reached deep into my mind and dug out the coward in me. We're not being brave to continue this horrible war we've engaged ourselves in. "Who doubt's that America is strong?" I do.
