It's an odd question in light of the consumer economy that we all live it, and especially the up-scale reporters who ask that question. Many of us own things that we demonstrably do not need, but which make life easier, or more pleasant . No one would dream to ask why we need two SUVs and a pickup truck. No one would dream to ask why I need a big shop. And, I certainly won't look in my wife's closet and ask whey she needs all those shoes.
The question itself is arrogant and overbearing. It appeals to a certain percentage of the population who seems to believe that they can dictate what you or I need. It pretends to frame the question is a way that makes us seem unreasonable.
This weekend, reporters asked Lindsey Graham that question, and he replied with a reasonable, thought-out answer.
“Here’s a scenario that I think is real: There’s a hurricane, a natural disaster, no power, no cops, no anything,” the Republican lawmaker told reporters aboard Air Force One.
A reporter asked if he meant looters.
“Yeah, people, they’re not going to come to the AR-15 home,” Graham responded. “Well, I think if you show up on the porch with an AR-15, they’ll probably go down the street.”It's a reasonable answer, I guess, but I much prefer to give them another. I fix them with and icy state and simply say, calmly and coldly, "To shoot tyrants and their lackeys."
There generally is not a follow-up question.
"No one would dream to ask why we need two SUVs and a pickup truck. No one would dream to ask why I need a big shop. "
ReplyDeleteYou're mistaken, there are PLENTY of people who would ask those questions. They ask why you don't just take an Uber, or public transportation (and as someone who commuted via public transportation for decades, I can tell you that transportation, pools and toilets are all wonderful things until you put the word "public" in front of them.) Or if you REALLY need a car a Prius, Volt or Leaf would suffice. And of course no one needs a shop if you live in an apartment in a city like everyone should. I recall seeing a letter-to-the-editor once that said no one should own a car bigger than a Subaru unless they were a plumber or something (then they'd be "allowed" to have a mini-van).
Mark D