What drives someone to violence? Or gun violence, for that matter? Is it simply the lack of restraint? Or is it the self-assured sense of power that comes with bringing someone down to bear? Context tends to matter. Most violence, especially those involving guns, tend to be heat of the moment situations, and thus the former seems to be the most likely reason for harm. Rare is the one that occurs in the latter category. But when it does happen, it tends to happen for the most infantile of reasons.
Consider the case of Jordan Davis. A teenager, he was shot and killed in front of a gas station convenience store in Jacksonville, Florida back in late 2012. The perpetrator, one Michael David Dunn, claims the whole thing was a case of self-defense. But while the matter of whether or not Mr. Dunn’s claim that the victim had a shotgun at hand is true, or whether there is some greater racial aspect to this crime, remains a matter of debate; one thing is incredibly certain: What escalated things was the fact that Mr. Davis’ vehicle, filled with teens, were playing loud music.
For some reason, Dunn had to take issue with the music. Which is strange: At any point, prior to his girlfriend leaving the car, he could have drove off to another convenience store if it was that much a problem. He knew that it would not take his girlfriend that long to make a purchase at the convenience store. Perhaps the music was obnoxious, but the problem is that Dunn knew this “nuisance” was to be temporary. It was only when he bothered the teens to turn down the music that things happened the way they did.
This is where it becomes the latter case: There was no reason for him to ever bother the teens in the first place, especially given that this occurred at a gas station, in what would have likely been a 5-minute stop. Yet, for some reason, Mr. Dunn felt compelled to extend his personal bubble approximately 30 feet, pretend he was in a situation he could not escape, and see the teens as though they were invading his front lawn, even though said lawn was at least a two hour drive away in Brevard County. He felt a need to express power over them in a way that made him feel better, even though the situation was only transient.
The insolence on display by Mr. Dunn toward these teens, and toward Mr. Davis in particular, is truly despicable. If he could not deal with music that loud, he should not have left his little home at all. Mr. Dunn’s actions match that of an immature man-child, and that it led him to shoot at people, regardless of whether or not his life was at risk, shows how disgusting people can be. Such situations can make one scream, with no mask or filter to hide the rage.
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