They should do something about that.
The plural pronoun “they” was overused on social media by Charlie Kirk fans last week. Kirk was a highly successful political and media influencer for young people with a conservative bent. While speaking and debating students at a university in Utah, he was gunned down. The indefinite pronoun “someone” was overused by those stunned by the school shooting in Colorado the same day.
The word “they” refers to more than one person or thing, although it may be used as a singular pronoun when referring to a person whose gender is unknown or to a single person who identifies with the pronoun “they.”
“Someone” refers to a person without specifying who they are.
My grammar checking software regularly catches me, and calls me sloppy, for using those pronouns that aren’t clearly identified in preceding writing. So now it’s one of the front-of-mind peeves when I read things written by someone else. Damned AI has taken me to church.
Following the Church/school shooting a few weeks ago, “Someone should do something about that,” gushed out of countless mouths at coffee shops, social media, dining tables, and PTA meetings. Evidence says there won’t be much progress from thoughts and prayers, but they do seem adequate for putting the problem on the back burner until the next time, when the cycle of “someone should do something” and no one ever does continues.
The issue of school shootings quickly draws definite lines in our polarized society whenever a massacre occurs.
On one side are the folks who call for reducing the glut of available guns in America. According to a 2018 report, there are approximately 120.5 guns for every 100 residents in the United States. The U.S. has a much higher per capita gun ownership rate than any other country.
On the other side, there is a quick reaction to any suggestion of reducing the number of guns. That reaction, angry and forceful, is supported by the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. The fact that even the court of the supremes over the years has wrestled with the founders’ language doesn’t temper the rhetoric today.
Trying to get those on either side to “do something” may be impossible.
Mass shootings are a pressing and escalating problem. In addition to the devastation for victims, these horrific acts are corroding our entire society. Yet, a viable solution remains elusive.
As I looked for information on how common the “someone should do something” phrase is, I stumbled on the bystander effect.
When a group of people observes a problem, each individual feels less personal responsibility to act, resulting in the bystander effect. We assume that someone else—the unknown or unidentified “someone”—will take charge. We feel no personal obligation to do so. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will intervene.
For most of us, issues like mass shootings, political corruption, or poverty are vast and complex. We feel like we have enough to do each day just to get by, and we think our actions are too small to make a meaningful difference. We feel helpless. Saying “someone should do something” is a way of acknowledging the problem and expressing frustration without having to confront our own inability to solve it. The phrase allows us to remain passive observers, commenting on an issue while relieving ourselves of the burden, risk, or discomfort of taking action.
While I’m not naïve, I can attest from personal experience that speaking out publicly on an issue and rallying people who share your values can effect change. It may not be immediate in our fast-paced society, but gradual change over a reasonable period is achievable.
Decades ago, I was part of a group striving to pass federal legislation to address what seemed like a straightforward problem to us. After a decade of perseverance, Congress finally acted. The simple three-page bill we proposed had ballooned to almost 1,000 pages, but we did, finally, achieve our goal.
Frustrating? You bet. Some of the “someones” involved at the beginning, including me, were effectively out of the fight when Congress finally acted..
I don’t have illusions about being alive on the day the school shootings end, universal health care begins, and all people respect their neighbors, despite race, creed, and party affiliation. I maintain that we can’t give in to despair. We can publicly take a stance to raise awareness and mobilize support for a cause, and influence those we elect
It took a long time for the craziness to recede following the 1960s’ political discord and violence. I was there. It will take a considerable amount of time now. Don’t be a bystander.
