I have way to much to say about this . . .
1: I’m all for our right to bear arms, but I also believe that rights need to be earned and maintained. I believe in their use for hunting, sports (target practice, etc), and self- defense, but not as proactive weapons of violence or as a means of retaliation. Now Mr. Dude, since this prank happened on your property, and at night I suppose you could argue it was personal defense, but was the means to and end appropriate for the harm being done?
The more shit like this happens, the closer we get to having our rights taken away. There has to be some way that we, as a peer group, can influence positive and negative behaviors when it comes to gun ownership and usage. This was not cool dude! Was killing a 15 year old girl in a fit of anger and spending the rest of your life in jail, really worth the $$$ it would’ve taken to repair the car?
2: Each of us is constantly fighting against stereotypes. Whether we like it or not, we are ambassadors of our people—of our ethnic backgrounds—and our actions either work to support or break stereotypes. If you really care about helping your ethnic group move up in society, you need to think about the cause and effect of your actions. This was not cool dude. Because of you, there is probably one more person out there convinced that black people with guns are dangerous. Way to go guy. (That last sentence was sarcasm).
3: We live in a culture of pranking. MTV and YouTube of filled prank videos that get more extreme as the years go by. I personally hate the culture of pranking. It tries my patience, and quite frankly, I will end a friendship over a prank because I hate them so much. So I sympathize with you, Mr. Dude. I understand where the anger came from. You probably worked so hard to earn the money that bought that car, and watching it being vandalized by kids probably hit you at your core.
But, how can kids these days understand value of anything when we live in a society where everything is disposable? How can we hold them accountable for their actions when, as society, parents are continually “rescuing” their children rather than scolding them for their own actions? Well Mr. Dude, I suppose aiming a gun at them, destroying the car they were driving, and taking a life was one way to go. I’d be surprised if any of those kids ever participated in a prank again, but what did this action really teach them?
Did it teach them to be respectful of other people’s properties? Probably not. Did it teach them not to underestimate the reactions of others? Probably. Did it teach them to see guns as a means to and end? Probably. What good was there in this for your son and your family? They now forever be labelled as the son/family of the man that killed a defenseless 15 year old girl in retaliation for a vandalized car. How hard will it be for them to break free of that label? How will this hamper their chances for a brighter future? You’ve just added to their list of obstacles to overcome. Was it worth it Mr. Dude?
Rant over.
My Not So Dirty Thirties 