How to Fix a Broken Record – In the Aftermath of Charleston

The Charleston church shooting left broken lives, and the reminder that racism is still a potent and malignant force in American culture. I wouldn’t pretend to blame the tragedy on anyone other than the shooter, or on anything other than the warped ideology that compelled him to act. But in the midst of the fallout that has become so much a ritual in our society, with the buzz and blare of the 24-hour news cycle, and the social media frenzy surrounding gun control, race, and privilege, it’s hard to feel hopeful for the state of our civil discourse. As a nation sounding more and more like a broken record, we need to reexamine the way we discuss our most contentious issues – particularly race.