It’s become a cliché every time another mass shooting rocks the United States. Politicians offer “their thoughts and prayers” (thoughts and prayers) to the relatives of the victims, without, however, proposing concrete actions to tighten firearms control. How did this Hallmark-worthy phrase end up at the center of a fiery political debate?
The story repeats itself
This time the horror unfolded last Monday at a Christian school in Nashville. Six people, including three children, were killed by someone armed to the teeth.
As always after a mass shooting in the United States, elected officials expressed their sympathy to the relatives of the victims. “We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of those who lost their lives,” Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles said.
His statement sparked a torrent of comments on social media, accusing him of being hypocritical at best, and complicit in the tragedy at worst. In 2021, the elected Republican had posted on Facebook a photo of his family posing all smiles with assault rifles in front of a Christmas tree.
“When babies die in a Christian school, it’s time for us to go beyond thoughts and prayers,” responded US Senate Chaplain Barry Black.
PHOTO BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
As always after a mass shooting in the United States, elected officials expressed their sympathy to the relatives of the victims.
American culture
The saying thoughts and prayers is unique to American culture, says Véronique Pronovost, researcher at the Raoul-Dandurand Chair.
It refers to a feeling of compassion and empathy (thoughts), but also to the intervention of God (prayers). “Prayer is a common place for American society,” underlines the doctoral student in sociology from the University of Quebec in Montreal.
In politics, the use of the expression dates back to 1950, when President Harry Truman, during a White House conference, offered “his thoughts and prayers to the young men who are fighting in Korea”, notes the american media Insider. Its contemporary use, mostly associated with mass shootings, is thought to date from the Columbine High School shootings, which killed 17 in 1999.
In Quebec, when a tragedy occurs, politicians often offer “their thoughts” to show their empathy. Paying tribute to the victims and naming the horror “has the effect of calming the discontent and rallying people behind the politician, which however does not work in the United States anymore”, explains Ms.me Pronovost.
“Expression of indifference”
Today, the expression has rather the effect of antagonizing the fringe of American society which has been calling for a tightening of gun control for years, especially when it comes from the mouths of Republican leaders.
“It’s become kind of a cliché, because the longer the time goes by without political leaders taking concrete action to ban assault weapons or make it more difficult to acquire them, the hollower these words seem,” notes Russell P. Johnson, associate director of the religious studies program at the University of Chicago Divinity School.
According to Véronique Pronovost, the massacre at Sandy Hook primary school, which killed 28 people, including 20 children, in 2012, was the tipping point. It was the tragedy that was to change everything legislatively, and yet history keeps repeating itself.
“There is an extremely strong cynicism that has emerged”, observes Mme Pronovost. In recent years, the expression has inspired many memes, including a video game in which you have to prevent shootings using the “thought” and “pray” (impossible to win) buttons. Even the Urban Dictionary defines the adage as “an expression of indifference in the face of tragedy, in an effort to appear empathetic.”
A rallying cry
“Thoughts and prayers are not enough,” ex-US President Barack Obama thundered during a speech following the Umpqua Community College shooting in Oregon in 2015. According to an analysis of washington postthis declaration marks the politicization of the adage on social networks.
In 2017, a journalist from theAtlantic calculated that the phrase “thoughts and prayers” had been heard 4,139 times in the Senate or House of Representatives since 1995, which equated to almost once per sitting day. Today, Republicans would avoid using the phrase that has become a “rallying cry” for Democrats, a Republican official told the Insider in 2021.
For Russell Johnson, there are certain risks to these criticisms. “Following a mass shooting, criticizing conservative political leaders can also become routine talk that does not necessarily lead to substantial change,” he explains. Above all, they must not shy away from the need to show compassion and solidarity when a tragedy strikes society, he believes.