Why Does Half the World
Imitate 'Peaceful' Newtown and Aurora? (Folha, Brazil)
"What goes on
in the American suburbs and the types of neurosis they create, with all of their
invisible, solitary and often suffering individuals, is something everyone
seems to find interesting - yet half the world attempts to create imitations of
these 'havens' with their identical houses, baptizing them with bucolic names. The
marketing says these are great places 'to raise children' away from it all. Do
we really believe that?"
The list of who or what to blame for the Sandy Hook school
tragedy is a controversial one. Republicans blame violent movies and video
games; Democrats blame gun culture and the National Rifle Association; and
people on both sides speak of failings when it comes to the diagnosis and
treatment of mental disorders in the country.
But everyone, from CNN
to the Japanese press, has pointed to the “unity" of the Newtown community
and its image as the "perfect village," where almost everyone is
rich, White, and has a comparable home.
"This is the most peaceful and secure place in the
world," was something I heard on most days I was there. What’s more,
whenever I travel the U.S. countryside, someone always asks me, "Is it
dangerous to live in New York?" Even in the U.S., big cities have a bad
reputation.
Posted
by Worldmeets.US
But anyone who analyses these Newtown-style murders, i.e. since
Columbine in 1999, will notice that almost all these attacks take place in
small towns, suburbs or university campuses in the middle of nowhere. For
example, the Aurora theater and Newtown attacks, which happened this year, were
carried out by killers who lived in these supposed havens of tranquility and
oasis of perfect families.
And who within these suburbs doesn’t fit the mould of the
perfect suburban family? Is it those who are aesthetically, intellectually,
sexually or religiously different, and who are because of that - marginalized?
In big cities like New York, there may even be a "lunatic" on every
corner, but almost everyone eventually finds their place in society. And being
different is no reason to mock or ostracize. It's just part of the landscape.
Neither Newtown nor Aurora (which was the site of the July
shooting that took place inside a theater) have town squares. In fact, they
practically have no sidewalks. So to go to the supermarket these days, you need
to be in a car. Spontaneous meeting places are scarce, or linked directly to
the customer. You turn up, you buy, and you leave.
What goes on in the American suburbs and the types of
neurosis they create, with all of their invisible, solitary and often suffering
individuals, is something everyone seems to find interesting - yet half the
world attempts to create imitations of these “havens” with their identical
houses, baptizing them with bucolic names. The marketing says these are great places
"to raise children" away from it all. Do we really believe that?
Journalist Raul Juste Lores
is chief correspondent in New York, former correspondent in Beijing and
Buenos Aires, former editor of the ' market', and an Eisenhower Fellowships
scholar. He writes Wednesdays on the site. Follow: @rauljustelores
