Just a kind of “close reading” or random comment today on the recent Stephen King novel The Institute, which seems to be mainly about the way institutions, organizations, and cultures can abuse individuals who are part of them.
From King’s text: “Sounds like that Cleveland deal. The cop who shot the black kid who was waving a pellet gun.” “That was in my mind when I approached, but the cop who shot Tamir Rice swore he thought the kid was waving a real gun around. I was pretty sure the one I saw was real, but I couldn’t be completely sure.”
Just a few thoughts. The U.S. does have a gun culture that I think is a bit out of control. I don’t like guns at all, but I think if you want to have self-defense or hunt, you have the right to a pistol or a rifle. I don’t think anyone but the military or SWAT teams should have rapid-fire guns. Rice was 12 years old and waving a toy gun when a policeman killed him in 2014. It was a tragedy. An investigation found the police officer who killed him had been deemed emotionally unstable. I think a lot of young police officers do have emotional problems and should not be in positions of authority with the potential to wound or kill people. Police academies need to do better jobs screening their recruits.