I’ve been bumming about the Tuscon shootings since Saturday, and I’m trying to corral my thoughts into a semi-coherent entry about the fact that I think it’s the very sad outcome of many of the factors people have proposed as sole factors– shitty gun control laws, a totally unproductive systemic way of dealing with mental health, and violence not just in our political system but in our culture as a whole– as well as the distressing way the shooter seemed to have thought about/obsessed over his intended victim (and, also, women in general), which hasn’t been touched on much by the media for reasons about which I have several theories. So I’ll write that once my brain stops throbbing over the whole “blood libel” thing, as well as my long-overdue Black Swan post.
But! The good thing is that some really awesome people have gotten recognition as a result of this, so here are some stories about great people if you ever (understandably) start to get down on humanity. I know I’ve been making judicious use of these links lately, so I hope they can be helpful to others as well.
First of all, I know he insists he’s not a hero, but I think we can all agree that Rep. Giffords’s intern Daniel Hernandez’s ability to maintain a clear head and get stuff done is incredible. It blows my mind that Hernandez is my age– and it makes me want to step up my game. Clearly, being 20 and doing awesome things are not mutually exclusive. And, while I certainly wasn’t shocked to find that a gay man was capable of heroism like some news outlets seemed to be, I sincerely hope all the political leaders who wrongly suggested in their last-ditch attempts at blocking the DADT repeal that gay men wouldn’t know how to handle themselves in a battlefield situation have seriously reconsidered their position.
Also, I’m unabashedly anti-death penalty, but even if you don’t feel the same, I think it’s important to know about the work of Jared Loughner’s lawyer, Judy Clarke. I think those who defend violent criminals often get a reputation as being heartless, soulless bastards, but, even if you are the electric chair’s number-one fan, it’s hard not to admire Clarke’s ability to treat everyone, even some of the most foul criminals in history, as fully human. Some of the people she’s defended are people I consider the most absolutely foul, but I have massive amounts of respect for her.
And if that wasn’t enough for you, here’s a picture of a man saving a baby kangaroo from flooding:
And a video that reminds me that groups of people, not just individual persons, are capable of being good even when there’s not a disaster:
