A Weary World, Not Rejoicing

Post-shooting social media is my least favorite type of social media

When the Colorado nightclub shooting happened a couple of weeks ago, I was hit with a familiar wave of emotion.

Shock. Not-shock. Horror. Wariness at instant media narratives. Annoyance at the defensiveness of conservatives, desperate to defend firearms before the bodies were cold. Reading every article about it. Logging out of all social media. Logging back in to hate-check people who I knew who aggravate me.

I tried to do things a little differently, this time around. (I hate—hate—that I’m saying this time around as if mass groups of people being killed is just this totally normal thing). I prayed real, on-my-knees prayers. I texted a couple of friends that I knew could potentially be struggling with the news for a variety of reasons that I was thinking of them. I didn’t read 18 think pieces.

Guns are a topic a la abortion—they come with emotion. They come with histories and baggage. They come with passionate pro-and-con lists, they come with accusations of being a child murderer if you don’t think they should all be outlawed, they come with accusations of being a pro-government lib if you don’t think you should be able to buy them at garage sales. They’re one of those topics full of nuance that people prefer to flatten. It’s easier and more retweetable.