Silence begets violence?

It is easy to sweep things under the rug. When something is uncomfortable, our natural reaction is usually to try and avoid the situation. It is not easy to talk about things that make us uncomfortable, but that is what we must do. The recent tragedy in Connecticut will act as a gateway, opening the floor for communication. Lawmakers, mental health professionals, and average citizens need to collaborate in order to create policies that will prevent this from happening again. Unfortunately, in the past few years there have been many terrible incidences of violence. Between the school shooting in Connecticut, the movie theater shooting in Aurora, CO, the mall shooting in Oregon, and gun scares at many schools, violence has been more visible than ever. Is it due to the violent video games played by our children? The violence so common to TV shows? A dysfunctional household? Mental illness? It is hard to deduce a single answer. But I think the reason that the Sandy Hook shooting has really caused outrage is because the victims were children. In addition, the sheer number of victims is astounding-- second only to that of the Virginia Tech shooting. It could also be a wake-up call to those of us who live on the east coast-- that it could, in fact, happen to us. What we need to do is take action. President Obama himself said that this was not the first time he has had to make an address about gun violence in his presidency. As a nation we have a responsibility to make sure this violence does not continue to escalate. Catholic Social Teaching calls for us to put our beliefs to action. We can pray for those who were affected by the tragedy, and they do need our prayers. But we can also take action, just as CST calls us to do-- being active members of our society and affecting change through our compassion in order to carry out God's will.

Factory Fire in Bangladesh

The recent factory fire in Bangladesh has provoked a lot of questions. Who is responsible for the horror? The corporation for not installing proper safety measures? The government for not enforcing proper examinations of safety? Consumers for still supporting these companies and allowing them to continue? There is an argument that the factory, however horrific, provided the workers with wages, and in a country with few opportunities a small wage is better than no wage. This may be true to some extent, but should we be content with this fact? I believe that all people should be treated fairly no matter what the circumstances, and these workers are no exceptions. Although it seems unthinkable in America's capitalist society, maybe the corporations should shave off a bit of their extraordinary profits and share some with the workers. I think we are all a bit to blame in this tragedy. The corporations should not be allowing these awful working conditions. The government should be making sure that proper safety checks are being enforced, not just a quick once-over that may have included bribery. In addition, consumers have a right and responsibility to choose to support or not support these companies based on their treatment of workers. This information should be readily available to consumers so that they can be educated and make a decision with an informed conscience (in a similar way that we are compelled to make an informed decision when participating in politics in our own communities).