Apparently the new poster-victim of "gun control", Colin Goddard, said something predictably hoplophobic and anti-rights last week.
*shrug* Ok. As I said on Twitter,
Only a "gun control" extremist would think hiding under a desk would make someone an expert on firearms.
Let us not mince words; by his own admission, "hiding under a desk" is exactly what Colin did on that fateful day… And yet, based on that single act of self-preservation, his fellow anti-rights cultists would hold him up as the Sole Authority on All Things Gun-Related.
Sorry, no. You see, I have had the… misfortune… of engaging Colin in a Twitter conversation, and it rapidly became apparent that he was absolutely outstanding at parroting the standard anti-gun talking points, misdirections, and outright lies; however, I also realized that Better Half has probably learned more about firearms just through osmosis from me than Colin has ever learned being the current spokesperson for the largest (not as though that is saying much) anti-rights organization in the country. Which is just sad. One would think the Brady Campaign would actually attempt to educate him on the finer details of firearms and firearm-related laws, lest he give nonsensical, error-riddled interviews like this one.
Yes, Colin’s experiences in that classroom at Virginia Tech were horrific, and no, he never should have had to go through them and no one would have ever wanted him to go through them. However, simply surviving a mass shooting through the grace of luck and a highly-developed sense of self-preservation does not an expert make, any more than hiding in a doorframe and surviving an earthquake makes you an expert on tectonic plates.
As soon as Colin has the backbone and maturity to do actual research on the serious topics he is so flippantly discussing, I might care what he has to say, but until that point, he is scant more than a useful idiot engaged in some mutual exploitation with some very unfriendly folks who want to arbitrarily deny me certain Constitutionally-guaranteed, individual, natural rights.
I cannot say as I though I respect someone like that at all.
Oh wow, I actually have something relevant to add to the discussion! I actually talked about this in a blog post of mine from 2007.
Perhaps I’m just emotionally stunted, but whenever a tragedy like the Virginia Tech shootings occurs (and it IS a tragedy, don’t get me wrong), the thing that amazes me most is not the senselessness of the deaths, but by the reactions of all involved. In short, I’m shocked that people are still surprised by this kind of thing.
“How could it happen?” they all wail.
How could it NOT? Eris on a Pogo Stick, people, we’ve only been murdering each other for thousands, if not millions of years. We are a race of predators, and if you have any doubts of that go look at your teeth in the mirror — you’ll see tools specifically designed for the biting and tearing of flesh. Killing is in our genes and in our blood.
The problem, of course, is that we’ve managed to short-circuit the system nature uses to govern predator populations. Our numbers are no longer constrained by the prey population — domestication of animals and the invention of agriculture has effectively removed us from the food chain. We are the ultimate apex predator.
But what happens when a species of predator no longer needs to engage in predation? The answer is simple: We prey upon each other. Small-scale predation is known as crime. Large-scale predation is known as war. In case you doubt me, the next time you watch an episode of COPS or whatever, watch it the way you’d watch a Wild Kingdom episode:
* Was that a gangbanger engaging in a drive-by shooting, or was it a male predator seeking to eliminate rivals for territory, resources, and access to mates?
* A pedophile? Look, it’s common practice for predators to separate the young, the old, and the sick from the herd.
* And don’t even get me started on the similarity between child neglect and the way lionesses treat their young when their mates die.
We are predators. We are killers. And the fact that this continues to shock people astounds me. The fact that we have managed to somehow create civilization, art, poetry, beauty — these are all exceptional accomplishments, but they don’t mean we’re no longer animals; they’re just indicative of what we can accomplish when we’re not killing each other.
I could go on for several more paragraphs, but it’s late and I’m tired, and I fear I may start to ramble off-thesis if I’m not careful. Instead, I will close with a selection from the Principia Discordia:
One day, I came upon a man urinating in a bus station. When I confronted him about his action, he turned to me, without stopping, and said:
“Keep in mind that since the universe is in constant flux, nothing that occurs one moment has any relevance to anything else. Everything you believe, feel or think is based on the false assumption that truth exists. Thus, you are free to do any action which brings you pleasure. That humanity feels constrained by morals is one of the funniest jokes I’ve ever heard.’
So I beat the shit out of him and took his wallet.
I have an observation about Colin Goddard. He is so much more than an ill-informed and ignorant tool of the gun control proponents; he’s a good looking and photogenic useful idiot, hence his special appeal to them.
I still struggle with his obvious reasoning disconnect that he was shot repeatedly in a gun free zone and the only thing that stopped the carnage was people (i.e. police) showing up with guns (oh my!) to confront the SOB shooter. Likewise, his obvious lie that an armed student or teacher could not have stopped it is mind numbing stupidity.
Thanks for the link. I think the real reason Colin is useful to the Bradys is that he’s young and good looking. The old angry women that make up the bulk of the anti-gunners think he’s eye candy, and the simpering males that follow the old angry women can look at Colin and pretend that they are as handsome and brave.
@ Erin Palette: I am right there in the same boat with you – murders, spree killings, and mass murders are all horrifically tragic things, and things that no one should ever have to endure, but they are going to go on happening so long as there are two or more people still breathing on this planet. Period. We pale fleshy creatures are faulty and flawed, and whether you buy into the Biblical explanation for it or the evolutionary rationale, we are going to go on killing one another until there is no one left to kill or be killed.
However, we are also thinking organisms, and in the process of our flailing about, we have managed to develop a variety of tools that are quite effective at keeping the larger / stronger / meaner from always ruling the pack – some of these tools are laws, some of these tools are morals, and some of these tools are force-multipliers. Those who would seek to deny us the latter are not advocating peace – they are forcing us to return to the age when the thug gets what he wants because he can take it from you, and I will be damned if I can see that as an “improvement”.
@ Braden Lynch: Pretty much exatly what I said in the first link of this post… However, also bear in mind that Colin is flagrantly using the Brady Campaign – after all, he is getting a cushy paycheck, and having to do scant more than show up in various locations and present his craptacular “film”. Would that we all had jobs that easy!
@ Sean D Sorrentino: I have to admit, I may have said it a while ago, but you said it much more… luridly
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I’m sorry Linoge. I initially failed to follow your link back that describes how you had already realized that Colin Goodard was a “fresh, new face” for gun control before my posting (I must be rash and dumb). Well, I recognize that you had identified his desirable marketing traits for the BC a while back. Not that it will do them any good, hopefully.
It is still perplexing to me that he took away the completely wrong answer to the horror of the VT shooting. That is, to join an organization that adores “gun free zones” and restricting concealed carry, both of which could have saved lives there. The “cushy paycheck” may indeed be the motivation for his lack of introspection.
Regarding his film, I heard murmurs of a counter-documentary being produced on it.
[...] Ouch: Only a “gun control” extremist would think hiding under a desk would make someone an expert on firearms. [...]
com-on he didn’t hide under his desk he flopped to the floor and rolled up into the fetal position
Funny, isn’t it? When we find someone willing to say idiotic things, we try to find some way to teach him not to be an idiot. When the collectivists find someone willing to say idiotic things, they try to find some way to use this willingness as a tool to advance collectivism.
@ Braden Lynch: No insult intended nor received, just pointing out that we were both on the same page
.
Never having lived through any kind of experience even approximating his, I would not venture to guess as to the mental process required to get from that experience to his current position… I do sincerely believe that his paycheck has a significant amount to do with it, but, aside from that, ascribing “logic” to his actions – or even asking it of his actions – may simply be asking for too much from him.
@ The Duck: Either way, his credibility is not assisted by his actions.
@ AuricTech: While it is tempting, we cannot confine ourselves to blaming the anti-rights organizations. The information is out there. Colin has been specifically confronted with that information. And he continues to bitterly cling to the lies and misinformation being peddled by his employers.
That fault is his and his alone, and until he takes responsibility for that intellectual dishonesty, my respect for him will be approximately nil.
[...] are 2 feet away from a gunman that has your friend and co-worker hostage. You have 2 options. Hide under a desk or save your friend’s life. I say the employees chose right. Judge for [...]
@ Linoge:
Precisely my point.
Our side has labored mightily, though in vain, to inform Colin of the facts; the collectivists offered him a paycheck to be their public face and push a part of their agenda.
I rather suspect that Colin prefers to remain willfully ignorant, in order not to face the reality that, paycheck by paycheck, he is engaging in the ongoing sale of his soul, and not even receiving Wales in return.
As the saying goes, every man has his price… his just appears to be significantly lower than most.
Of course, by the same token, I would not fault anyone for selling anything they so desired and appropriately owned in order to make a paycheck – such is life, sometimes. But when doing so involves advocating for the arbitrary abridgement of my personal rights, liberties, and freedoms, he can not-so-respectfully piss up a rope.