Slaughter and the aftermath

It's a dangerous business, writing a piece like this so shortly after a tragedy when the emotions are still raw.

But I'm going to anyway.

I don't find it necessary to again comment on the disgusting state of American society when theaters aren't safe. I don't think I have to say that it's like living in a third-world country and metal detectors will be necessary everywhere we visit because these things actually happen. In the civilian world.

I don't think I have to say that these are unprecedented and intimidating incidents.

I shouldn't have to say that.

But here's what I am going to say: do not take this tragedy and use it as a soapbox to shout "Now is our time" from. Do not make this a jumping off point for a faux children's crusade that will fizzle out in two weeks because it isn't fresh anymore and it isn't the newest cause anymore.

I still cringe and think about the embarrassing Kony 2012 campaign. What happened? What noble and faithful societal correction officers most of those bandwagon supporters are. Not all of them, not all of you, to be fair.

This cinema shooting is a nightmare. But what I find completely distasteful and unacceptable - beyond the senseless murder of living breathing human beings with souls just like mine - is the butterflies that some get in their gut when they see the headlines and immediately knee jerk with a self-elating, self-catalystic call to arms to the like-minded, whomever they are, and when these people begin to make statements about how the time has come to do a thing.

No. The time has passed to do a thing. The time was yesterday or the day before or the day before.

We have failed as humans on every level - socially, culturally, nationally and yes, religiously - when tragedies occur because someone intentionally robs innocent people of their lives en mass. We all foot the bill for this.

Do not take this opportunity to spew empty rhetoric about how the time has come to act. Do not promise that things will get worse and do not all but pretend to hold the other end of the hangman's rope and proclaim that if your people don't act, these things will be more common. How dare we.

The fact is we all shot those people in Colorado. We are all responsible. I'm responsible.

This is not about your children's crusade or rhetoric or perfect opportunity to step up and manipulate the circumstances to forward your message, whatever it is. Be a human being. Mourn. Get angry. But put legs on your desire to do something and stop talking about it. We will be flooded with people talking for the next six months. 

Have some respect; have some empathy. This is not the time to put on closet altruism and pick and choose quotes or texts that vaguely resemble circumstances on your TV. If that worked, we wouldn't be here, because that's exactly the full extent of what most of us have done every time something like this happens.

This is the time to either act or shut up. Pick one.