Complaints invalid without understanding
Complaining – we all do it. We all have ideas of how things could be improved and done differently.
There are 300 million people in the United States, and each and every person has a unique viewpoint, so it’s no surprise that social media is cluttered with complaints and arguments.
While everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion, I often feel frustrated with complaints that lack a substantial solution, or even a remotely thoughtful resolution. Perhaps the reason behind this is because most of these problems, in fact, don’t have a solution at all.
For some reason, people seem to think laws, rules and regulations are a simple fix. A quick bill through Congress and voila, we’ve fixed all of our problems.
We can’t, and won’t, fix these issues people are complaining about. There are issues deeply rooted in our culture that have no chance of expulsion.
Take gun control, for example. Some people believe guns should be banned, others believe in stricter laws and others believe in no restrictions. It’s a common issue with an impossible solution.
I personally believe that violence is an issue within the U.S., but the idea that this violence comes from our lax gun laws can’t be true, at least not completely.
Americans are obsessed with guns. There are literally more guns in the U.S. than there are people, and if you grow up in a society where gun ownership is normal, and even a hobby, it’s much more difficult to impose regulation.
Whether or not gun control is the reason behind violence in America, it doesn’t really matter. People love their guns, and there’s no way that’s ever going to change.
The complaining and arguing over gun control is relatively pointless. Without an understanding of the cultural reasons preventing change, people shouldn’t take to social media to discuss such issues.
A similar situation presents itself when it comes to sports.
Article after article is published discussing the insane amount of money dedicated to athletics, specifically college athletics.
Between ticket sales, advertising, media and branding, college sports teams are generating a fortune, and professional teams are even more financially successful.
The comments that other college organizations aren’t receiving enough funding due to sports may be accurate, but realistically, this will never change because of our culture’s obsession with sports.
We live in a country where coaches are paid more than teachers, athletic salaries are over-inflated and sports are the priority in schools of all levels. This is a trend that has been growing for years, and there’s no stopping it now.
For universities to even be taken seriously, they must have athletic teams because that is what our country has, and always will, value the most.
We may talk about solutions to school shootings, and we may talk about funding for non-athletic programs, but controversial issues such as these won’t sway the opposite direction. The solution to these problems is reinventing American culture, and that’s highly improbable.
Kidd is on USD’s swimming team.
