Scared White Idiots Buy Guns
BY Herschel Smith
10 years ago
How to unpack the creepy, disquieting factoid that gun sales over the Thanksgiving weekend shot, as it were, to a record high?
True. Upwards of 175,000 requests for background checks over Black Friday, the FBI says, which is about three requests per second, which is triple the norm but still just behind December 21, 2012, right after the Sandy Hook massacre, when gun sales freakishly skyrocketed. Because nothing says “We need to come together to stop all the gun deaths” than stocking up on bullets in case the scary black president comes to take away your Glock.
The scary black president! He’s part of the problem, no? He’s one of them, the real reason so many people bought a gun this holiday. According to at least one shop owner, a large percentage of gun buyers mentioned one singular event as a motivating factor for their purchase. Can you guess?
That’s right: Ferguson.
Ferguson? You mean the place where the white cop murdered that unarmed black kid, and wasn’t even indicted for it, and the police responded to the subsequent outrage/heartbreak from the local black community with even more brutality by way of a shocking assortment of military-grade weaponry: enormous tanks and tear gas and riot gear, all of sufficient scale and ruthlessness to outfit an army unit in Afghanistan, because that’s exactly what it was? That Ferguson? Yes indeed.
So. Want to try and unpack this creepy factoid? Break it down a little? It’s not difficult:
You’re a scared white person, almost certainly male. You do not live in a major city, or near a university or intellectual hub of any note, nor have you ever traveled very far from your home town, much less out of state or anywhere further than, say, Mexico. Once. And that was enough.
You do not read complicated books. You do not like new or weird things. You watch lots of TV, mostly Fox News, which rejoices in showing you endless images of angry foreigners and minorities in pain: tear gas explosions, fights in the streets, looting, this time involving sad, small-town black people in Ferguson, all of them protesting the acquittal of that murderous white cop.
[ … ]
But here’s the surreal catch: it’s not for protection, per se. It’s not about the childish fantasy of how the gun defends against the rapist, or the drug dealer, or the Russian mafia kingpin who kidnapped your daughter for the second time, and this time it’s personal.
The gun is uncomplicated, primitive defense against something far more terrifying and murky: everything you do not know. Guns provide an illusion of security, a violent, make-believe defense against a world that’s too complex, with injustices too prodigious, rage too tempting and calm, peaceful acts of love far too difficult to locate. They make you feel, in short, like you might have a chance.
So this is an interesting commentary on a number of levels, not the least of which is that Morford is badly uninformed on trends in gun ownership. The anti-gun nuts are mostly old, balding or gray-headed, crusty, rich, Northeastern collectivist white guys. Girls are buying guns, young guys are participating in 3-gun competitions, shooting is a family sport, and entire families are learning how to use weapons for self defense.
As for hurling insults, we could engage in that all day (like, for instance, Morford has a writing style like a gum-smacking valley girl). But that would soon get boring. So I thought I would take on this notion that gun owners don’t read complicated books.
So here’s the deal, Mark. Let’s play a game, and we can keep playing until someone gives up. It will show me to be an idiot, or you to be an ignorant loud-mouth blow hard, but we can’t both be winners. I’ll mention a few books, almost at random, on my book shelf. You tell me if you think they are complicated enough for you, and then you tell me some titles on your book shelf. Let’s see what you’re reading.
Are you ready to play? Good.
James J. Duderstadt and Louis J. Hamilton, “Nuclear Reactor Analysis,” Alvin Plantinga, “God and Other Minds,” Paul Helm, “Eternal God,” Frederick Copleston, “A History of Philosophy,” all volumes, and finally, Collins and LaPierre, “Is Paris Burning?: How Paris Miraculously Escaped Hitler’s Sentence of Death in August 1944.”
Now, it’s your turn Mark.
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On December 4, 2014 at 2:05 am, john jay said:
herschel:
i just finished “satanic verses” by rushdie, and have just started the kristen lavrensdatter trilogy, which is about a 13th or 14th century norwegian girl, travails and triumphs. (hope i spelled that correctly, and got the century right, … , started it at a friend’s house, having to acquire the used paperbacks down here.)
previous “last book” was on the missoula floods, and the shaping of a good bit of oregon and washington by the columbia river deluges. about 40 of them, during the last ice age in north america, the last floods occurring as recently as 10,000 years ago. interesting yarn about a geologist who figured out the northeast washington scab lands were formed by cataclysms originating from a giant lake located near missoula, montana and how he had to convince a geological community that it wasn’t done by “gradualism.”
are those books complicated enough? well, gotta get back to shotgun news, so i can indulge my fantasies.
john jay
On December 4, 2014 at 2:48 am, ensitue said:
visited or lived in 15 foreign countries, I have a sizable private library, US history is it’s focus and yes I watch Fox News, I even record some segments.
On December 4, 2014 at 3:22 am, Mark Dietzler said:
Don’t bother, I doubt he is as widely read as he thinks he is. Or as smart, either.
Humanities majors from expensive schools often have an inflated opinion of their education. Probably because they have to pay it off for the next thirty years.
Liberal Arts degrees are merely an indication of being credentialed anymore, especially journalism degrees.
On December 4, 2014 at 7:57 am, Danny Ray said:
25 years in the military and I have seen over 100 countries, I have two Kendel with over 2700 books ( divided between fiction and history /philosophy, just finished rereading Henryk Sienkiewicz’s trilogy about the Swedish invasion of Poland and the Cossack uprisings, BTW I also have a masters in Eurasian History, who the hell is he to say I am ignorant? Because I bought a nice used Hi-Power on Black Friday
On October 1, 2015 at 1:56 pm, Melting Granite said:
So intelligent, but you can’t properly spell “Kindle?” And 25 years in the military and been seen over 100 countries? Are you trying to say you’ve SEEN them, like from the air, or been in them? It’s either a blatant lie or an attempt to mislead everyone. You may have FLOWN OVER more than 100 countries, but you certainly did not set your boots on the ground in over 100 countries. Go back and get your medication adjusted.
On December 4, 2014 at 8:28 am, UNCLEELMO said:
I probably qualify as one of Mr. Morford’s rural white guys. I don’t read a whole lot of books. But he might be interested in the last book I read. (I continue to refer to various chapters quite often, as they seem to fit perfectly into the times we’re living.)
The book is ‘Liberty and Tyranny’ by Mark Levin. I wonder if Mr. Morford has read it. He should.
But, then again, maybe it’s not complicated enough for him.
On December 4, 2014 at 9:07 am, hal said:
If my grandfather could see what is happening in our dear country he
would wonder why the people are so passive. He would think this was a
European socialist state under Communist control. He would wonder if
there is an underground patriot group working to defeat the communist
rulers and to help restore democracy. He would ask who let this happen
to the greatest country on earth. I ask the same questions, and have
only one answer. The American people. The fat, lazy, and stupid
American people.
On December 4, 2014 at 10:12 am, Sean said:
Love how Markey-Mark goes to the accusatory “You’re a WHITE male”. Got a flash for you, boy. If your goal is to win friends and influence people, game over. I’m white, and never been ashamed of it. The idea that it’s a “childish fantasy” that having and using a gun can prevent a rape or other crime is in itself, a childish fantasy. What planet did you come from? The only childish fantasy I see here is that you think people are incapable of defending their lives and property effectively. Oh, I forgot. Leftist. You don’t WANT people to believe in themselves enough to take responsibility for their own safety and well being. What you do want is a flock of obedient sheep always dependent on govt. and people like you. People like you socialist morons that create unbelievable chaos and social upheaval, and then present themselves as saviors of the situation they helped create. I got a childish fantasy for you. Hold your breath, and wait for me to give up my guns. Because socialists are murderers just as deadly as any other, as the history books on my shelves show me. You want people to give up their guns? I got a better idea. Come and take them.
On December 4, 2014 at 11:28 am, Bobbye said:
Are only white people buying guns? Hard to know(,http://blackgirlgreenworld.com/?p=2098)
On December 4, 2014 at 11:59 am, TimeHasCome said:
In the upcoming unpleasantness one side has been buying up firearms and ammo in the dire midst of a economic depression . While the other side has been getting in touch with their feminine side , wearing pink in support breast cancer and proudly exclaiming they are Metrosexuals. Just which side will win…………..?
On December 4, 2014 at 10:34 pm, Mrs. Patriot said:
They keep forgetting we’re the ones with the guns.
I think deep down they’re afraid. Afraid to own a gun. Afraid they’ll like owning guns! OMG!
On December 6, 2014 at 7:02 pm, Roger V. Tranfaglia said:
I think the ammosexuals will win!!
On December 4, 2014 at 4:41 pm, McThag said:
Hell. Machinery’s Handbook.
On December 4, 2014 at 4:52 pm, Herschel Smith said:
That does it for me. Had to do some of that to get my degree because they didn’t want to graduate eggheads who couldn’t work with the craft.
On December 6, 2014 at 10:34 am, TexTopCat said:
Yes.
Lots of us with degrees in mathematics and science, can recognize the smell of cutting oil from a lathe. In fact, many of us have the tools and skills to make useful items, even guns.
On December 4, 2014 at 5:23 pm, ChuckB said:
“The Theory of Money and Credit”, “A Conflict of Visions” , “Rules for Radicals”, “Capitalism and Freedom” , “The Black Swan” Typical right wing nonsense I’m sure. In a way, I guess it’s better to let them think whatever they want. Better to be underestimated when TSHTF.
On December 4, 2014 at 6:15 pm, Samuel Adams said:
That’s funny. Bachelors and most of masters from top 10 (at least per US News), Fortune 500 exec, collect first edition biographies, autobiographies, couple dozen different visa stamps in the passport….maybe he’s referring a generation back in my family. Admittedly flat land hillbillies from the Midwest, but also the guys who beat the Kaiser, Hitler, Tojo and the ChiCom hordes in Korea, worked their whole lives, stayed married and took care to make sure their kids (like me) had a better life.
Mark, dost thou project?
On December 4, 2014 at 6:49 pm, Blake said:
Well, I’m working my way through the Bible, for the second time. (The wisdom and history from the inspired word of God is amazing)
I’ve read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” more times than I can count. I have read “Iron Coffins,” “Dreadnought,” “Peter the Great,” “Ghost Soldiers,” “Castles of Steel,” “The Siege of Leningrad,” “A World lit only by Fire,” to name a few. By the way, Bruce Catton’s “The Civil War” is an excellent overview of the Civil war.
My library contains almost all of the above, along with several books by Sowell, a couple by David Horowitz and “The Road to Serfdom” by Hayek. Then there are the biographies I own. George Washington and John Adams among them.
Of course, there are my books that have to do with my profession: books on computer networking, server installation and maintenance along with some books on scripting.
I also read some popular fiction.
So, Mark, buddy, over to you
On December 19, 2014 at 6:01 pm, Crusty Rusty said:
Speaking of Shirer, Berlin Diary is an interesting read, especially the recollections of the crowd’s reactions to Adolf…
On December 4, 2014 at 7:10 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Thanks for all the book lists. If only I had more time. I cannot seem to get Mark to respond to my e-mail, so I thought I would extend the list:
R. J. Rushdoony, “The One and the Many: Studies in the Philosophy of Order and Ultimacy.”
Miller and Freund, “Probability and Statistics for Engineers.”
Still waiting Mark.
On December 4, 2014 at 7:42 pm, z--man said:
If Marky-Mark thinks that guns only provide an “illusion” of security, then by default, the act of using a gun is an illusion too. So what’s he so afraid of? Otherwise, I love it when a Leftist gets their panties in a twist when gun sales surge. Sure-fire way to irritate a Leftist? ……….buy another gun and brag about it on their moronic blogs…
On December 4, 2014 at 8:23 pm, Bill Daigle said:
I’m not embarrassed to admit I read mostly ” The Bible ” …mostly written by religious zealots who mostly forgot to kill any one but did manage to die pretty often in support of their whacked out beliefs in someone smarter than them. I do read other books, but I just seem to keep getting drawn back to the Bible…but I promise, when I have this book understood and am able to properly engage dissidents and show them my faith, I will move on to bigger , smarter books and maybe even movies. Been at this for near 35 years, expect to reach the goal in not too many years ahead.
On December 5, 2014 at 12:42 pm, Mr Bigglesworth said:
This is the same idiot who wrote that Obama was “.. a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who had the ability to let us not merely to me foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet…” Anyone this stupid really isn’t worth getting worked up over.
On December 5, 2014 at 3:45 pm, tayronachan said:
A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking
On December 6, 2014 at 10:21 am, TexTopCat said:
Good article.
I am sure that Mark probably has no idea of what he speaks and certainly has proven with his statements the inability to draw creditable conclusions from facts or bothered to obtain facts before speaking.
On December 6, 2014 at 10:26 am, MrApple said:
Mark Morford sounds like a Grade-A douchebag.
On December 6, 2014 at 11:18 am, Barry Hirsh said:
You ARE kidding, right?
RIGHT???
On December 6, 2014 at 7:06 pm, Roger V. Tranfaglia said:
‘Fraid not Barry, I read him on a irregular basis while living in N. CA. WYSIWYG.
On December 7, 2014 at 3:27 am, G B said:
You guys should cut him some slack. He is, after all, an “admirer of trees.” But, he does ask the probing question, “Which is more dangerous: a paranoid, under-educated, middle-aged white guy with a gun, or an unarmed black teen?” I know where I’m placing my chip.
On December 7, 2014 at 7:44 am, Nohj Snommis said:
I have “The Art of War”, “Special Forces Guerrilla Warfare Manual”, “US Army Counterinsurgency Field Manual”, “The Road To Reality (A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe)”, “Federalist papers”, and the one most liberals wish did not exist, The United States Constitution.
And by the way, I’m white and old, but I ain’t scared of shit, because I already have all the guns and ammo I need.
On December 11, 2014 at 3:35 pm, F said:
Just got the Troy Brovo Rifle AR a couple days ago..
Currently daily reading a large german language Science Fiction Series “Perry Rhodan” publ. Pabel Verlag, (just got a shipment of 500+ episodes this summer) and reviewing “Basic Medical Biochemistry”. Marks,Marks, Smith. publ. Williams & Wilkins.
Also reading “Contact!” by Max Velocity.
On December 11, 2014 at 3:37 pm, F said:
PS: Visited or lived in 13 countries. Speak 1 foreign languge (German) 100% fluent and 2 others (Russian and French) poorly.
On December 11, 2014 at 3:38 pm, F said:
PS#2: Love Fox News : )