We’re taught from the earliest age, Cowboys and Indians, war
games around the neighborhood—the mythology of the violent hero. Glamour, accomplishment, self-sacrifice of the
fighter gone down in a hail of bullets, while inflicting ultimate damage on the
enemy---at first just your boyhood
friends, and you’ll all wake up the next day to play again.
Later more serious violent video first-shooter rated M [“mature”]
pre-training for possible real war. Real
damage still only expected to the enemy, blood spilled far away on the other
side of the remote control screen, by avatar, drone, or other high-tech
armament. But the damage, inside of the
violence recruit, is already being done, well before any enlistment. Induced mental illness of dehumanization,
desensitization corrupts first the soul of the victimizer, before it also bodily
devastates the victim.
A darker superhero has emerged. “Forgive us our trespasses and we forgive those who trespass against us,” has been banished from this adaptation, misusing the words of the “Our Father.”
One of the many new anti-heroes -- named "Deadpool"
Glorification of violent heroes through most of our TV and
movies, the training for war mentality—Pope John Paul II termed it the “culture
of violence.” The nonviolent
unconditional, merciful love of Jesus, along with the compassion of Buddha and
the mercy of the Koran, is trashed daily in our media. There is a small nod to random acts of
kindness, and a giant adoration of those who readily kill for a righteous cause
when called upon—organized violence.
After the vicarious immersion, and then training and experience of
killing {by our armed services, or drug mafia, or survivalist militias, or NRA}
we expect a return to normalcy and family values.
It’s time for gun owners and gun dis-owners to come together
and declare that guns in the public domain should never be designed, owned or
stockpiled for the purpose of killing people.
If one chooses to own a gun it is to shoot game—provide meat for the
table. The idea of the homeowner armed
to the teeth against robbers, outlaws, abusive government agents, terrorists, minions
of the police state, and/or whomever else might come to the door, only
perpetuates the pervasive bad attitude that one must always be prepared to
dominate and to kill.
Yet
Jesus our supreme savior hero, servant-commander, exhorts us to “Love one
another as I have loved you.” And “love
your enemy, pray for those that persecute you.”
His kingdom, household, and private property are all, not of this
world. So for our protection what do we
need? "If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.” Mt
16:24 Put away the sword, and
the glorification of the sword.
For more on the new dark superhero of comics and video games --
http://sequart.org/magazine/14825/on-kingdom-come-by-mark-waid-and-alex-ross/
http://www.badhaven.com/comics/comic-news/super-violent-super-heroics-courtesy-of-joe-keatinge/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngaudiosi/2012/11/27/marvel-super-hero-deadpool-comes-to-life-in-activision-video-game/
http://www.jdnews.com/news/military/marsoc-continues-growing-despite-marine-corps-drawdown-1.54511
* Click on blue text anywhere above for more info, and on pictures to enlarge
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