[Fwd: Re: Guns etc]

Katha Pollitt kpollitt at thenation.com
Thu Nov 18 14:27:49 PST 1999


Jeffrey St. Clair wrote:
>


> > So don't try to pretend you think guns are just good clean american
> > manly fun and paint me as some kind of castrating killjoy ("cutting them
> > off, so to speak" ha ha). We may disagree about guns in public -- but
> > in your real life, your practical life as a human being and a father,
> > you have the same fears and perspectives as I do.
>
> We differ on what we would DO about them. Frankly, my biggest fear is my
> daughter's driving habits.

Yes, as I said, in private,we both accept that guns are very dangerous (which Alex and Jordan do not); agree about what we would do personally (not have any or let our kids play with those who do); and differ on what the law should be -- although,interestingly, you haven't actually asked me what I think the law should be.

My point, however, was this: In public you present yourself quite differently, as having no problem with guns, and you use dismissive language to describe my position: I am "obsessed" with guns (not alex, who has written probably a small volume's worth of pieces about how cool gunshows are and how stupid gun opponents are, whereas I haven't written even a paragraph about gun control, except on this list where we are just thinking out loud). I want to "make people feel guilty" about them. I want to take away people's gun fun (heavyhanded sexist castration allusion here--honestly, you should apologize for that).

Your loaded-language way of discussing gun control seems to my ear to deny that guns pose dangers. Since, in fact, you DO think they pose dangers, why do you write as if those dangers were a joke and people who acknowledge them are wusses and/or ballbusters? Are you afraid someone will describe you as "puffing" and too scared to get out of the car?

Katha



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