Just like my heart went out to the Atlanta victims last week it goes out to the victims in Boulder this week. And their families will be in my prayers as well. My rule of thumb is to wait at least 24 hours before making commentary on such events because I like to have as much information as possible before entering into potential debates on those events.
But there is an overarching tendency that I am prepared to point out. Let me ask this question. When you heard about the Boulder shooting did your thoughts go to the characteristics of the victim and shooter? Were you hoping that the victims matched the characteristics of groups you like be they Christian, racial minorities, MAGA supporters or Jews? And were you hoping that the shooter could be tied to a group you do not like? I fear for far too many Americans those thoughts were rampant in our minds.
We live in a tribalistic, polarized culture were even national tragedies are spun to further the social interest of our group. If we do not turn from this then there are dire consequences ahead. We lose our ability to solve problems and to accurately perceive reality. It is all about our team winning.
Am I talking about those who were so fast to link the Atlanta shooter to conservative Christians but cautious us to never link a Muslim terrorist to Islam? Yes. But I am also talking about those who immediately link Muslim terrorists to Islam but did not want to make such linkages last week. Tribalism is a troubling phenomenon and poisons across the political spectrum.
As I think about trying to make sense about these shootings, I will do my best to try to limit desire to make "my team" look good. That is a powerful temptation and I may not succeed in doing that. But I have to make the effort. We all do if we want to get an accurate perception of reality and find real ways to address the issues brought out by these shootings. I must say that so far we are not off to a good start in doing that.