tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605595811129778872.post5823746308864733824..comments2013-02-14T13:08:05.783-05:00Comments on Heroic Nonsense: Humbug, part 2: Holidays in Newtown, CTSpekkiohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07469918029692401764noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605595811129778872.post-155591910302224112012-12-30T17:49:47.582-05:002012-12-30T17:49:47.582-05:00It's interesting that you should mention consu...It's interesting that you should mention consumption and internalization of anger. In my various treatments for depression, one of the things the clinicians emphasize is the propensity for people with clinical depression to not only internalize anger (as you said), but never, ever cut themselves a break or do anything for themselves. "Normal" people seem to instinctively know that you have to cut yourself a break - call a friend, go shopping, take a walk, take a hot shower - find *something* healthy (or at least not unhealthy) to do to get some relief.<br /><br />So I guess the Holiday Season™ helped most of us get past the tragedy. But I still worry about the families involved - it probably made things worse. <br /><br />And I think it's the proper task of our elected leaders, academics, writers, and artists to focus (or re-focus) our attention on the dialogue we need to have. That our elected leaders fail us so often in this regard...well, that's another story entirely.Spekkiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07469918029692401764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4605595811129778872.post-34637146856002201672012-12-29T12:22:51.034-05:002012-12-29T12:22:51.034-05:00I think grief is interesting from a psychological ...I think grief is interesting from a psychological perspective, because it is an indescribable emotion. It is unlike other emotions in its lack of feeling. Anger - grief's blind little brother - is a directed sentiment, but it is also abstract in that it is generally not acted upon. Most people internalize their anger, and that is the hallmark of the English speaking world. The fact that things have returned back to "normal" so quickly is perhaps part of a larger fact - one that sits at the base of American culture: we are a nation of consumers. Have we used consumption to allay our grief and anger? Have we done so for hundreds (if not thousands) of years?<br /><br />I don't think the Newtown incident is more or less heinous than other shootings. But, what is surprising is the lack of dialogue in our response towards it.<br /><br />What do we do? What are we supposed to do for our children that is going to protect them? I would like to believe that metal detectors in schools is a step in the right direction. We have to start acting like we have a future as a country, and work together to grow that future.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03087034576073856694noreply@blogger.com