Parkland Politics

Parkland Politics Will Simply Scapegoat the Mentally Ill

The Parkland School gun tragedy has inspired demonstrations and debate about gun laws, but it has also created discussion about mental illness.

From the perspective of a mental health consumer like me, on the surface, discussion is a positive thing because we cannot have enough discussions about mental health. However, I am afraid that nothing substantial about mental health will be learned from and done and that the only thing that will result from all of this blather is the oppression of the mentally ill.

They’ll want to, of course, disarm any of us who are armed, and then they’ll want to seize control of our lives and/or lock us up.

The stigma of mental illness will continue, thus people will be afraid to seek treatment or they will resist treatment and people will, in all likelihood, avoid, discriminate against and perhaps even attack the mentally ill.

I, personally, would not advise selling guns to the mentally ill, but I also think that most ordinary people do not need to have guns. We are giving up on civilization when we claim that everyone must be armed, including teachers and school administrators, people who are supposed to teach civility and promote peace.

It’s sick not to confront this society’s gun problem and its abusive and violent culture, in general.

Americans a have become animals, alright? We’ve given up on love and reason and want to fight about everything literally until the bitter, bloody end.

We are no longer righteous, we are simply right wing. This is unacceptable.

Craig R. Bayer, 2/21/18