Silence Begets Violence?

Though we say to every national event "We'll never forget," it seems that in the wake of the shooting in Connecticut, this couldn't be further from the truth. The children and teachers who were killed at the school in Newtown, CT seems surreal. We couldn't be going through this, could we? We're America after all. I feel there are many thoughts that arise with America, including: personal rights (such as the one to bear arms) and a sense of morality (which may be underdeveloped in a third world country.) I feel this shooting is a call to action for us to get off our high platforms where we think nothing is wrong and confront the harsh reality that things aren't okay. The rising increase of guns and limited gun control is frightening. On Black Friday alone, there were 150,000 background checks for guns. Why are we so frightened? Are they all for self-defense? I think as a society, we should mourn the deaths of those kids and adults and change our regulations on owning guns. Whether it be limiting the amount you can purchase or cutting them out entirely, I'm not sure. I feel social justice is needed in our world to stop the message of hate and violence where we feel a gun is necessary. The Catholic Church teaches to spread love, not hate. We, as a generation, need to take on this cause. We need to defend the dignity of life and build communities of support and encouragement. We need to treat the mentally ill appropriately so that mass shootings don't happen. We need to speak up on our stance against guns and make a change not wait until someone else does. We need to say something.

Factory Fire

The fire in Bangladesh is a real-life example of the need for social justice in our world. In 1911, a similar event happened and became known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Both factories had bars on the windows and poor working conditions. One would assume that we would learn from that experience, but sadly, the message has yet to be wide-spread. The fire in Bangladesh shows just how vital our need for social justice is in our world. No matter their race or heritage, all humans are humans with dignity and deserve to be treated with respect. I feel that as consumers we are called to be aware of such injustices and refuse to purchase those items. Part of me feels that the guilt should fall on the corporations, but I am fully aware that a corporation may try their hardest to ensure fair working conditions and be lied to by the smaller companies. So I feel it is the job of the corporations to follow up with their branches in other countries to the best of their ability, ensuring that human dignity and worker's rights are being upheld. I also feel its very important to educate the workers in poorer countries, and in places like Bangladesh, to know what rights they are entitled to. In relationship to the United States, I believe that we must ask more questions instead of closing more doors. We need to take initiative, as a strong world power, to educate others about social justice issues in light of the Catholic Church's teachings.