See and act | The Press

In the washington post on May 26, Professor Patrick Sharkey, from Princeton University, released the results of one of his studies¹. The figures revealed that the impact of the mass killings only lasted a few days for the majority of people. Four, precisely. According to Sharkey, that means four days to act and prevent the next unsustainable killing. Four days before a return to other daily concerns and before the sadness and anger subside.

This Monday marks the 16^e day since the massacre at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, which killed 10 people, and the 6^e day since the one at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in which 21 people lost their lives.

Anger at his barbarities and unenviable American exceptionalism persists. Perhaps today there is a departure from Professor Sharkey’s rule? And if so, what to do with it?

See and denounce

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority launched the “If You See Something, Say Something” advertising campaign. A slogan which became a registered trademark and which was then taken up by the United States Department of National Security, then by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. The objective of the campaign was simple: to encourage vigilance and the reporting of any suspicious activity to the authorities. An instruction which does not seem to have been applied in the case of the Buffalo and Uvalde killers. The latter, for example, had announced these gestures to come on Facebook, under the radar of the authorities and without reporting. The avoidable has become the tragic.

Alone, the act of denouncing cannot always protect against the worst, but it is certainly part of the solution. “Say something” has a value.

Beyond slips and his presidential legacy marked above all by an illegal war, George W. Bush remains an emblematic figure of the Republican Party. He is aware of his influence and has used it repeatedly to speak out since 2016 – in reaction to the obvious party drift and the damaging divide created by Trump.

This is notably in a speech at a ceremony marking the 20^e anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, last September, that former President Bush displayed his colors. “A malign force seems to be at work in our common lives. It turns every disagreement into a quarrel, and every quarrel into a clash of cultures. Much of politics today is reduced to simply calling for anger, fear and outrage, making us worried about our nation and our future,” Bush said, without naming Donald Trump. , but leaving no ambiguity that he was talking about him.

Like the previous ones and those that followed them, this exit from the former president also revealed a nostalgia for a Grand Old Party that he no longer recognized. A feeling that must not be foreign to several former members of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Do they recognize themselves in this race for leadership and in the rhetoric of whoever dominates in the polls? Do they not tremble when they see the slippages to which it leads? Aren’t they, like me, frightened by the dangerous carbon copy taking shape before our eyes?

There’s a duty of care protocol, I know. But George W. Bush and other influential members of the Republican Party had taken too long to warn party members against Trump. This is a mistake that the leaders of the Conservative Party of Canada cannot afford. If they see something, they have to say something.

Denounce and act

In the aftermath of the Texas massacre, there was a big moment more than 2000 km from Uvalde. Once again and in front of more than 3 million viewers, the NBA (National Basketball League) set the example. Before a game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, there was a minute’s silence in honor of the 21 victims of the tragedy. This gesture has almost become routine. But this time around, 60 seconds weren’t enough for the Heat. The minute elapsed, the team announcer transmitted a message which was also projected on the giant screens of the FTX Arena: “The Heat encourage you to call your senators at 202-224-3121 and leave a message asking that ‘they support sensible gun laws. Change also goes through the polling stations […] Make your voice heard in the election next fall² “.

To denounce and be indignant, yes. But we must also act. According to Elections Canada, approximately 62.5% of Canadians voted in the last election. This is a percentage that does not seem to me to be up to the stakes. If the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership race is any bittersweet appetizer, we will need to vote in even greater numbers in the next federal election. There are discouraging and frightening political shifts and I understand the feeling of powerlessness of many Americans because on occasion, I feel it too. Our best tool remains the ballot box. If you see something, you have to say something. And vote. To all levels of government.