Decades ago, horror movies were fun. Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolfman were our friends. These monsters had families. Not long after one of them did his worst and was killed, the sons and spouses came of age and engaged in evil against the public.
The mass shootings that have been happening coast to coast now would make a good sci-fi film if it wasn’t reality. If there was a name for the epidemic of gun violence, I’d call it “Son of Postal Worker Syndrome.”
Postal worker syndrome was identified in the 1970s when a number of postal workers engaged in extreme violence after incurring upset at home or in the workplace. Reasons cited for postal worker syndrome were job insecurity, the breakdown of the family unit and the loss of one’s place in society.
The United States is watching a reality show called “Son of Postal Worker Syndrome.” Since the 1970s, people have dealt with constant and rapid societal change. The government has become more intrusive. Autonomy has been replaced with mandatory compliance. Fear of destitution and isolation has become a societal norm. People have been insecure in their careers and social lives for so long they may be blind to the root causes behind the violence.
It’s unlikely there is one singular way to put a stop to our reality show, but people can seek societal change. In the hippie days, there was a peace movement called Flower Power. Suggesting a remake: Call it “Flower Power 2: Stopping Gun Violence.” Americans can teach nonviolence.
Bruce Reisner
Perry South