Flags, Deflection, Guns, Rationalization

In order to get through life we all have certain psychological defense mechanisms that we use more or less depending on the person and the situation. A very common one is rationalization which is defined as:

‘Rationalization is the cognitive distortion of “the facts” to make an event or an impulse less threatening. We do it often enough on a fairly conscious level when we provide ourselves with excuses. But for many people, with sensitive egos, making excuses comes so easy that they never are truly aware of it. In other words, many of us are quite prepared to believe our lies.’ ¹

When psychologists talk of defense mechanisms, they are typically speaking of the individual. However, humans practice defense mechanisms as a group. While there are many areas that we practice rationalization, a frequent one in the United States is gun violence. Whether the killing is en masse or an individual, we continually hear comments that displace any responsibility in regards concerning easy access to fire arms. We rationalize that it was the person with the gun, and not the easy ability of all people in this country to obtain fire arms.

After the Sandy Hook massacre, despite Obama’s best efforts, the discussion centered on the shooter having mental health issues. It was the same with the attempted assassination of Gabby Giffords. The God Reagan, in his infinite wisdom, with his Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act effectually defunded mental health programs in this country. This essentially dumped the mental ill on the streets. Currently many of the mentally ill are housed in prisons ² (for profit prisons?). After the NRA’s (and others) rationalization and deflection, we did nothing post Sandy Hook about gun control or mental health.

After many shootings in schools the discussion became about securing our schools. There were even laws passed to arm teachers! With children passing through metal detectors and teachers packing as part of the educational process, it strikes me that we have passed through the looking glass into sheer insanity. But rather than have a sane discussion about reasonable gun control this is what we did as a nation.

Now we have had a shooting in a historically black church in Charleston, SC, with 9 souls leaving their loved ones behind. The alleged shooter, Dylann Roof, was allegedly a white supremacist (Allegedly I should be using “allegeds”). Fox News was trying to turn the discussion from a racially motivated killing to a religiously motivated one. Really Fox News, really?   Lindsey Graham called it an example of “Mideast hate”. Huh? Because Roof had posted  pictures with him waving the Confederate battle flag everyone has jumped on the Confederate flag being an issue. Many businesses have joined that bandwagon by removing the flags and merchandise with the Confederate flag on it.

I will have to admit in the last few years this flag seems to have become a more racist symbol than I remember it being in my childhood. I do remember moving to Mississippi for work in 2003 and really looking at the Mississippi state flag for the first time. The flag’s canton contains the Confederate flag. My thought at the time was, “My gawd, what have I done?” I have always found the Confederate flag on the South Carolina State House problematic. Perhaps it was the inability for legal reasons ³ to lower it to half-mast that put it so heavily in people’s faces. Now many politicians have jumped on the “Eliminate the Confederate Flag” bandwagon.

However, once again we have rationalized and deflected. We have rationalized this massacre being the work of an isolated white supremacist kook. We have deflected the national discussion away from reasonable gun control to one about a symbol.

How very sad.

Despite all the statistics and facts that can be brought to bear on the subject, it remains a topic ruled by emotion and skewed perceptions.

Again very sad.

Why cannot we discuss what are the real issues, a nation flooded with guns and no sane policy for regulating access to them?

I’m going to stop, I am depressing myself.

Footnotes:

1: Defense Mechanisms by Saul McLeod

2: When Did Prisons Become Acceptable Mental Healthcare Facilities? Stanford Law School

3: Why South Carolina’s Confederate flag isn’t at half-staff after church shooting

Cruising the Internet I found similar articles to position of deflection and rationalization.

1. Giving Up on Gun Control
2. Tearing Down the Confederate Flag Is Just a Start
3. Confederate Flags and Institutional Racism
4. Eviction Notice- The GOP wanted to keep pandering on the Confederate flag. Why they couldn’t this time