Trauma

I read this morning that some of the kids who survived the school shooting in Florida are getting death threats from gun supporters now. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, though it always baffles me how people can be so counter-productive about what they're trying to accomplish. You don't convince people that guns are perfectly safe by threatening to shoot them.

Besides, in this case, it probably won't even work.

Most of the time when people experience trauma, it screws them up. They're fearful and broken. They retreat and grow quiet in the hope that if nothing else hears them or notices them, nothing else bad will happen. This response is understandable, but it often doesn't work. The monsters in the world seek out the people who are reacting this way because they know that something with cracks in it is easier to break.

Sometimes, though, when you traumatize someone, they don't get quiet. They are still scared and messed up, but they believe the best way to find security is to fight as hard as they can for it. They get really loud. In situations like this, where there are groups of them, they find strength in unity.

They also realize they've faced death, which makes your death threats rather meaningless.