The fact of the matter is, nothing will change because as a culture we're used to it now...I still remember when I was a kid and school shootings were considered horrific, but now we just shrug because they're so common. The only reason this shooting is getting so much attention is because it set a record for most people killed in a mass shooting, which will only serve to encourage those that want to do something like this for the media attention.
Unfortunately, you have two sides on this issue that are very entrenched and refuse to give any ground at all or compromise in any way and simply have no good faith in each other, so there's no way to move anything.
I think that, regardless of your views on the issues that come up when these shootings happen (gun control, religious influences, etc.), apathetic resignation isn't the way to go. LGBT rights - while, in America, we still have a lot of progress to make in that regard - almost certainly would not be at the level they're at if people were silent about it. Publicized events like this should always be handled delicately and not enthusiastically used to further a platform, but they do provide important talking points for them. The fact that we have so many shootings shows that we need
more discussion, not less.
But your second paragraph does raise a very valid point, and honestly I think that's sort of the fault of a mixture of the culture of social media - perhaps even the internet as a whole - and the current political atmosphere of America. We're more polarized now than we have been in decades (someone feel free to correct me on this, I was born in 2001 and as such have little-to-no experience of past decades
), and it's not getting better. It's so easy to find echo chambers nowadays that one can spend hours each day having their beliefs reaffirmed by people equally as closed-minded as themselves.
Personally, I don't know where I stand on some of the issues at hand. I want to support gun control, but I'm concerned about the logistics of enforcing stricter controls when there's already hundred of millions of guns throughout the nation (including 1.5-3.5 million assault rifles alone, according to Slate). I need to do more research before I have a solid opinion on that.
I've been deeply worried about one thing ever since the attack: this is almost certainly going to result in more Islamophobic rhetoric in the media and online (something ISIS wants), and I really hope the actions of one sick fuck don't have repercussions on the population of peaceful Muslims in America. There's been so much rhetoric of that sort here since a few months after I was born - and it's been worse in Europe recently - and this isn't going to help matters. :\
I think the best thing we can do as a society is to offer our support for those affected, get rid of any focus on the shooter - including publication of his face and name* - and carry on with our lives as we did before. Keep going to pride, keep going to clubs (or wherever else you prefer to spend your time), and keep living. Glorification (even through infamy) and fear are the motives at the heart of attacks like these, and so our best response is to deny them both.
I'm in Florida for the summer, so I might see if there's any way I can give blood or something, but I don't think they'll let a lanky 14-year-old kid donate so I might be out of luck in that regard. I'm going to keep an eye out to see if a list of items to donate or something of the sort is published.
* - Just to clear up any ambiguity, I don't think we should have laws against such publication. Such a prohibition would be a direct infringement of our First Amendment rights. But I think it should be part of a commonly agreed code of ethics among journalists not to publish those things. After the shooting of Christina Grimmie - rest in peace - there were articles with pictures of the shooter
next to pictures of her. I don't know how that could strike
anyone as okay, and not see it for the immense show of disrespect it actually was.
