Hi everyone,
I just wanted to take a moment here in the Alliance community to acknowledge and witness the tragedies that have unfolded in recent days--in particular with the Newtown, CT school shooting and the Clackamas, OR mall shooting just 3 days before. In fact, the web site for ThinkProgress has posted a timeline of shootings since Columbine and the CT shooting was the eighth in the U.S. in 2012.
I don't have answers about what's going on in our culture. True to the spirit of depth psychology, I do have a million questions. There are clearly dark shadows at play--and the archetypes and gods showing up in these scenarios are demanding attention--something only those who are paying attention can probably begin to address right now. I am reminded that Martin Prechtel, author and initiated shaman among the Maya people in Guatemala, suggests that if a culture is not willing to make offerings, there will be arbitrary sacrifices. It makes me wonder: What are we, as a culture--and as a community, even--missing here? What is being neglected, bypassed, or buried that we can individually and collectively address? And how do we begin?
I know many of you have likely been horrified at the events--especially this week--and at the same time I find it somewhat surprising that no one (including myself until now) has brought it up here in the forum for discussion, a place I would wish could be a destination and a container for such distressing emotional issues at such a critical time in our culture.
This is not a judgement but a curiosity--a wondering at how we can make this community more relevant and meaningful in dealing with the difficulties that come our way--and in connecting more humanly with each other. Perhaps there are no words for the horror and despair; or perhaps many of us, me included, are introverts and find it hard to reach out, or find that the feeling function is our inferior function...
What do you think? How have you been affected by this tragedy and the increasing violence in the world today? I wrote a brief blog on the subject of witnessing, but it doesn't begin to address the depth of emotion I'm feeling and you may be as well... Please join in discussion, even if only to express your feelings here...
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I reckon you're bang on there, that's very well put.
I just want to add here that whereas we may not speak of "colonialism", there is much talk of "colonization" --- which I think does show an understanding of who we are as a society. Unfortunately, perhaps, where this is NOT talked about is within our political circles ....
I often wonder when we say things like "Americans think ....." just which Americans are being reported on ..... it seems as if it is generally those in political power ..... which, as we know, could leave 49% of Americans with differing opinions unheard.
I have had a hard time wrapping my mind around the concept of colonization ---- but have come to recognize it even in regards to the way we think ....
touche! ;)
Wonderful discussion last night. As I was writing to my friend and mentor about it today, I suddenly remembered a dream I had several month ago, way before the shooting. In that dream I was in a house packed with panicking, agitated strangers. I was told that there is a mass murderer in the house. He is looking for a person with a tattoo. I took a breath of relief - I knew I didn't have a tattoo. Then the mirror appears. I look in a mirror and I see a 4-letter ancient Hebrew word tattooed on my forehead. I never knew Hebrew, and I didn't know I had it written on my head. "Oh shit.. What do I do now?", - I think to myself and wake up. The dream didn't make much sense to me back then, and so I almost forgot about it, but perhaps I should revisit it.. Any suggestions?
Thank you much!
Heck, the 4-letter Hebrew word couldn't have been YHWH (Yahweh), could it? Do an image search on that or 'tetragrammaton' if you think it may be, perhaps it may jar your deeper parts of memory. It's interesting that the mass murderer is singling out one person, why do you think that may be?
WOW!! It could be! I'll do an image search for sure, and...what's "tertrgrammation"?? I never heard of it before. And yes, it's a good point I didn't realize before - why would a mass murderer single out anyone, he wouldn't be a "a mass" then.. Curiouser and curiouser. Thank you John!
No worries, this dream had me very interested! I was wondering if you come from a Judeo-Christian background, perhaps Christian (if it's not too personal a question for the public space)? The Tetragrammaton refers to the four letters YHWH that form the 'Divine Name' in Hebrew, or they can also be rendered JHVH. The original pronunciation of the name has been lost, but most Hebrew scholars agree on Yahweh being the most likely pronunciation, and in English, 'Jehovah' has been the translation used for centuries from the JHVH interpretation. A good bible should have its use in Psalms 83:18 most commonly, a not so good bible will have it rendered as LORD (not the use of the four capital letters).
If you're from a Jewish background, then I guess the name of the God of the Israelites needn't any more explanation. ;) If you're from a Christian background (whether still practising/believing or not), the Tetragrammaton has appeared on a lot of ancient church art in particular (very common in stained glass motifs, altars, and so on), and I'm wondering if you were raised as a Christian at any point if this may be the source of your memory of these four letters? (It seemed the most likely assumption for a Westerner who's not a Hebrew scholar).
As for the rest of the dream, I was wondering if the shooter might be singling you out for religious beliefs/background, whether active/inactive, conscious/unconscious? It would seem that religion and/or fundamentalism is one of America's most sensitive and explosive subjects during this period, and if this violent shooter is coming for you for having some kind of religious background in a culture that's becoming increasingly tense about it? I have another interpretation or two in that vein, but only if that interpretation fits, and if you do come from a Judeo-Christian background (the interpretation is useless unless it fits the dreamer).
Apart from more obvious reasons, as for the mirror (and this may be an interpretation too far), but as Hebrew is written from right-to-left, in opposition to English, what if you could only recognise it in a mirror where the direction would be reversed? That one might be labouring it a bit! ;)
Let me start out by saying that I'm not American, I'm Australian, with a British father and probably a more British worldview than Australian. Therefore, whatever I have to say can only be taken as that of an outsider, and I can never know what it's like to be an American experiencing cultural grief. If what I'm about to say is taken with offence, that's quite okay, tell me off... I don't mind.
Whatever your view on him, Michael Moore has some interesting viewpoints on this that make sense to me as an outsider at least. Gun control like in Australia and Britain would obviously make some kind of difference, but how come gun-loving countries like Canada and Switzerland aren't experiencing problems to anywhere near the same extent? One point in particular that brings out is a culture of fear that's prevalent in the US. I remember once seeing some American news programming and was quite shocked by the content; it was almost as if fear was 'sexy' when it came to news. That's not to say the same route isn't taken here or in the UK - there's definitely a great deal of sensationalism depending on which station one chooses - but American news seems to take fear to a whole new level, and it's quite alarming to think that this form of reporting and its take on reality is being watched by entire families every night.
Now fear is one thing, but it's really the demonising of people that comes out of that fear that seems to create genuine conflict and violence. In any of these shootings, how often do people think about what was happening to the shooters themselves that made them turn into murderers? If you were able to interview them, what do you think they would say? Ever notice that mass shooters tend not be 'handsome jocks' as it were - the popular people? It seems that these mass shooters tend to be in 'outgroups', whether it be gothy teenagers, picked-on 'nerds', the mentally ill; these people seem to rejected by mainstream society. Marginalised.... demonised...
From the outside, Americans seem to divide and/or categorise themselves quite willingly: "I'm a Republican", "I'm Pro-Choice", "I'm Hispanic", etc. Why is it that people need to identify ethnically? Or politically? Sure, it creates bonds between ingroup members, but doesn't it also separate you from the rest of the world? Why are there White TV shows and Black TV shows? Why is there White music and Black music? While America espouses values of racial, political and religious diversity and tolerance, it seems that these groups divide and stick to themselves rather than the country being a big melting pot. There seems to be a great deal of demonising within, as well as without. Why does the US jump from one war to the next? Why are 'American values' something to be spread to the rest of the world - values that are spread violently in the form of warfare? If it's okay to be violent towards other countries, is it really such a leap that it's going to be violent within?
Those are obviously two provocative paragraphs, but I'd be interested in an American take on an outsider's perspective.
hi john~your questions are interesting. as an american who has lived abroad and is married to a german, i've asked myself the same questions. especially when i had the opportunity to live elsewhere and watch my culture from other shores.
you're putting your finger on one of the most painful aspects of living here: the constant need for *dualism*.
we're not nearly as **tolerant** as we'd like to think we are. watching the political landscape gyrate with the election of a "black man to the white house" is enough to bend anyone's mind. the issue of race is HUGE in this country because of our history with slavery, which the white anglo saxon protestant decendents had no trouble engaging in the *new world*. as in the brits, the europeans, etc.
lots of what you see going on here takes place in the absence of the more british form of **class** warfare. every culture has its own form of **class warfare**. the brits seemed to have put it all in much tidier boxes than americans have. in fact if there's a place less tolerant than america, in my experience, it would have to be great britain. brits just do it much better with an accent!
that being said, we also have a bizzare relationship with authority here: the "don't tread on me" form of liberalism that permeates the gun culture, for example, makes it exceedlingy difficult to regulate guns. and people take their constitution here as a *fixed" rather than living document. so the second amendment that protects gun rights becomes a rallying cry for evoking the next american revolution. my god, the very people who are most strident in this call themselves the *tea party*. talk about a throw back. these folks really do think we're fighting the next revolution. my husband has colleagues at his place of work who have "moved the mountains and have been hording weapons and food to prepare for the total breakdown of government." we also have the BIG issue of corporate money corrupting politics in a way that has never been seen in before here. i wonder how long we can go on with such bastardization of government.
and indeed you are correct: we export violence. so did the brits and the dutch during certain times in history.
so that's a mixed response to your query. violence and how it manifests culturally may appear on the surface, unique to that culture, but violence is part of all of us. and every culture has it's way of marginalising and demonising, shunning, etc. it's not unique to this culture.
Aye, makes sense to me. I think in terms of cultural shadow, something Americans would probably like to know about Australia is that we also have a genocidal history, and in some ways I think Australia and America have some cultural parallels in that regard (explore the history of the Tasmanian Aboriginal genocide if you want to be properly shocked). The European colonial powers of old have been replaced by American colonialism, although it's never really called that directly by the US itself - perhaps rather like what you were saying about class distinctions, re: US and Britain...
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