CNN is my homepage and I love being informed on a lot of issues, not surprisingly enough however, violence is a staple of the website. I mean we all know the saying ‘If it bleeds, it leads” but I think it might be a little bit overkill (hate to say exactly what the other Charlie said but ‘no pun intended’). I mean even in the last 24 hours headlines about rat poisonings, The Grim Sleeper serial murderer, a five year old with a loaded gun in school, birds dying from blunt trauma, changes in the security ratings, and the video I posted today Utah dances with the idea of a pistol as their state symbol, violence is media gold and we see that with this video:
The video itself sucks but the main point is that Utah may have a John Browning Pistol as the state symbol.
I mean let’s be serious here, I love the Second Amendment (I’m from rural small town, Illinois and actually knew a girl who had named her hunting dog… ‘Browning’). And I fully plan on buying a firearm if the situation becomes necessary. But Utah, C’mon! We have the right to conceal a weapon but making it your state symbol is crossing the line. Making it the staple of your state is almost terroristic, in the sense that they flaunt AK-47s and blast bazookas to show their military prowess. What message does this send to anyone not from Utah?--"Uhh... badmouth Mormonism or the BYU mascot, Cosmo the Cougar, and I'll blow your f-cking head off!" It's just too aggressive in my mind. I mean if the people want to pay homage to a state hero I understand that but I live in the Land of Lincoln and I don't think North Carolina should change their state nickname to the Land of Gatling. I mean I love America and Utah is probably a fine place but this is just a little too much for me. The transcontinental railroad was completed in Utah, why not make a RR spike your state symbol like your quarters (I love coins)? But then again I’m sure some other person might b-tch and moan and retell the story of Phineas Gage (he gets a RR spike through his head…and lives). All I’m saying is that there is some other alternative to having a deadly, killing machine as your state symbol, but then again its not my call, only my opinion.
Ok. I don’t see a problem with Utah’s attempt to connect with its history of handgun production since weapons have a very important role in defining mankind. On the other hand, making a handgun your state symbol is a tad over the limit. As I look at the Florida state flag for comparison, I see it’s covered with sunshine, palm trees, Ponce de Leon sailing into the distance and a Seminole Indian spreading flowers. Not exactly cannon balls, rifles, and grenades. However, thinking a little more deeply upon the subject I can’t help and remember the bloody and violent frontier of Florida and when it was first being settled. Sure its mosquito-infested swamps were a place for convicts and soldiers to escape during the Civil War but it was also inhabited by thousands of Indians at the time. What did we do to develop Florida? Well we first had to kill or drive all the Indians either out into the west or into the Everglades. Persecuting and degrading Indians was a common attribute for many soldiers and landowners of the time and was something that continued well into the 1950s. How is it that the same government that victimized countless tribes of Indians also finds it appropriate to put a Seminole on the state flag? Maybe Utah is just getting straight to the point and saying that guns played a pivotal role in establishing its state history and decided to do away with abstract and hidden messages. One thing is for sure though and its that this country’ foundation was built upon bloodshed.
ReplyDeleteI understand Peter's point about how often times history is covered up by people's attempts to overlook the most brutal parts that they want to forget about. This is true with any form of history, because if you look at it, how else can anyone conquer land owned by others than brutal mass slaughter of the natives? The natives are not simply going to say, "Okay, take our land." Although it is a fact we often want to forget, there is almost always an element of violence that has occurred and is attempted to be buried.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I think the case of Utah making a handgun as its state symbol completely outrageous. Yes, it's to an extent embracing one of the most life changing inventions for mankind, but does that mean we go around embracing our ability to kill and shoot others? Why doesn't New York make the electric chair its state symbol? Out of so many other things Utah has to embrace to offer, why a handgun? Wait... I guess it is Utah. I guess they really don't have anything to offer (haha I joke).
Though I am strongly against the idea of having a modern firearm as a State symbol anywhere in our country, the national and international impact it may have strongly depends on the visibility of this symbol. The news report makes it sound like Utah will be putting the Browning handgun on its flag, when in reality it may be lost among a number of symbols:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.utah.gov/about/symbols.html
Since the bill has passed, I hope that the news about a State adopting a weapon as a symbol does not spread world-wide, because there is no doubt it will have negative repercussions on the image of the United States.
If Utah adopts a pistol as their state symbol I can only imagine the outrage that would arise in the Northeast. Utah is already seen as an exceptionally violent state, as the "firing squad method" is still used for execution of convicted felons (they have options in the way they die, let it be known). Regardless, Utah is a very interesting state in the mind of Americans who are ignorant to it's practices and interests. In my opinion, adopting a pistol as the state symbol would only further alienate Utah from it's Northeastern counterparts.
ReplyDeleteI mean, the point of a state symbol is to represent something unique about the state. If Utah wants to be known as the most violent state, making the gun their symbol seems like a great PR move. I mean, the government allegedly represents the people. If the people in Utah feel that a pistol best attracts tourism and business to their fine state they should absolutely set it as a symbol, even though it is violent.
ReplyDeleteI mean, a gun can be used for many things besides killing people. Like opening beers or checking the mail.