As a lifelong Kansan, with the exception of 5 years on Long Island, I can tell you that the hate shown by the shooters the these incidents is not uncommon. It is uncommon for someone to actually express it directly. My daughter attended elementary school on Long Island and never experienced the bigotry and use of ethnic slurs until we moved to a small town just outside of Wichita. As one commenter pointed out, most of the people have not lived anywhere else and have not experienced a true multi-cultural environment. Without coming out and saying it, they are referencing, "Those People". They could be Native Americans, Middle Eastern, Asian, African, Hispanic or even poor white or of the "wrong" religion. There is a ferocity among the Evangelical Christians who seem to have forgotten the second of Christ's great commandments, to love thy neighbor as thyself. In reality, much of this isn't really hatred, it's ignorance. It is easier to believe the stereotype than it is to actually learn and adapt. This is not just a Kansas trait. It is there bubbling under the surface in a lot of areas especially where the white middle class feels threatened. Just look at the last election and who is occupying the White House. My fear is that this culture of hatred and ignorance will only get worse until we realize that one of the only things we can control in our lives is how we treat other people and that all of us are no more or less human than the other and should be treated with respect.
3
I did an overlay of two maps, one I made from NY Times articles and one from the NY Times. My map was of hate crime related charges (mosque burnings, murders, other shootings) and the NYT map was of counties where DJ Trump won heavily.
I know full well that correlation does not equate with causality, but the results were startlingly coherent. I think I shall not go to Kansas, or Alabama or Mississippi or ......... You fill in the rest of the blanks.
I know full well that correlation does not equate with causality, but the results were startlingly coherent. I think I shall not go to Kansas, or Alabama or Mississippi or ......... You fill in the rest of the blanks.
3
Simplifying by looking to regional explanations "It's Kansas, the South, the Midwest". Disregarding independent and dependent variables in these events continues the propagation of provincial thinking. You are not superior because you live in the East Coast, West Coast, South, Northwest any other longitude/latitude. I live in Kansas City where Olathe, KS and Overland Park, KS are simply suburbs where all races, religions, rich, poor, voters for Hillary, voters for Trump, nonvoters live. It's America and it's your kind of town. These events aren't due to any commenters personal however terrible experiences in KS [nor TX, NY, etc.] I followed the stories, This was terrible. Be clear though, neither man was polluted by Kansas, neither has been found to have been on murderous rampages as found in some acts of violence, other cities, states. Were they listening to hate-filled broadcasts, reading propaganda, heeding fake news, needing mental health services? Probably but that's not just KS. Take a look to Congress and their dirty hands for the impact of greed over the people's needs. Facts aren't sound bites nor fluff nor just those details you find intriguing or comforting to explain your fears. Feelings aren't facts. When Adam Purinton walked into, then out of my elementary classroom I saw a sad little boy we tried to help. We couldn't do enough for Adam, nor his future victims. Ignore mental health services and let them have guns. Brilliant Congress! How's that working?
3
These stories are truly tragic. Any time we categorize someone as "other" we have helped create a climate in which people can be hurt. The media certainly helps us to build our ideas about how others are; creating fear and hatred of instead of compassion. There are people who lack imagination and empathy everywhere. We turn our backs on people whether we are averting our eyes from the homeless man on the corner, moving to a "better" neighborhood to protect our children, or overgeneralize about a region of the country as we read about it in The New York Times. We need to do better than this.
Not Mark...
I lived in Kansas from the late 80s up until the mid 90s. Lawrence was beautiful and safe. I left my balcony doors open at night, my apartment door was always unlocked. I left my car doors open with the key in the ignition even on a 20 minute run. I walked and jogged late at night all around the campus and beyond.
And then I got stalked, chased and nearly molested by a group of drunk frat boys who kept shouting at me to go back to the trees of Africa...though I was a South Asian one summer evening. I managed to escape...my running was way better than theirs.
Then an abortion clinic near Lawrence got bombed...actually bombed! Several people died.
Then I got stalked by a sexual predator. He had heard me at a major speaking event on campus and became obsessed with me. It was scary, and way before stalking laws came into place. I had to change my address, my numbers and my routines. Suddenly...everything became scary and unsafe. A year after that I left Kansas for California, though the stalking continued for awhile after that. He found my address in California and sent letters, emails and voice messages with sickening threatening sexual violence. FBI and few others tracked the guy to a small town in Kansas. He was a young man I had never ever met.
Few years later the book, "What's the matter with Kansas?" came out...and became a best seller.
My only regret is that I had not left the State sooner.
I lived in Kansas from the late 80s up until the mid 90s. Lawrence was beautiful and safe. I left my balcony doors open at night, my apartment door was always unlocked. I left my car doors open with the key in the ignition even on a 20 minute run. I walked and jogged late at night all around the campus and beyond.
And then I got stalked, chased and nearly molested by a group of drunk frat boys who kept shouting at me to go back to the trees of Africa...though I was a South Asian one summer evening. I managed to escape...my running was way better than theirs.
Then an abortion clinic near Lawrence got bombed...actually bombed! Several people died.
Then I got stalked by a sexual predator. He had heard me at a major speaking event on campus and became obsessed with me. It was scary, and way before stalking laws came into place. I had to change my address, my numbers and my routines. Suddenly...everything became scary and unsafe. A year after that I left Kansas for California, though the stalking continued for awhile after that. He found my address in California and sent letters, emails and voice messages with sickening threatening sexual violence. FBI and few others tracked the guy to a small town in Kansas. He was a young man I had never ever met.
Few years later the book, "What's the matter with Kansas?" came out...and became a best seller.
My only regret is that I had not left the State sooner.
13
To blame these two instances of violence on a so-called Kansas mentality is stupid and thoughtless.
3
I have been critiqued for my remarks regarding Kansas. For the record, I am from Ohio. This article is absolutely true, and needed.
In my personal experience, the tribalism here in Kansas is the worst I've ever seen. The first question one is asked is about church attendance. It's assumed that you vote for the GOP. If not, you quickly learn to not mention politics. It's really not worth the stress or bother, to " explain" yourself.
Until I moved here, I'd assumed Kansas to be a flatter and hotter version of most other Midwest states. No. I'd estimate that 90% of the long term residents have NEVER actually lived in another state, except for Military Service. So, there is very little exposure to other cultures. And different is NOT good, or even socially acceptable. It's just not " done".
In practice, it's all the small town petty gossip, busybody neighbors and lack of filter, writ large. Fine, I've learned to deal with all that. Mostly by
Isolating myself and frequent visits to my Parents in Florida, and vacationing in Seattle.
My honest, heartfelt advice to those considered relocating here, particularly minorities: Be very careful and weigh your options.
If you are prepared to spend the great majority of your time isolated at Home, fine. Otherwise, think very, very hard. And please, maximize your life insurance, for your Family. My Husband has. Seriously.
In my personal experience, the tribalism here in Kansas is the worst I've ever seen. The first question one is asked is about church attendance. It's assumed that you vote for the GOP. If not, you quickly learn to not mention politics. It's really not worth the stress or bother, to " explain" yourself.
Until I moved here, I'd assumed Kansas to be a flatter and hotter version of most other Midwest states. No. I'd estimate that 90% of the long term residents have NEVER actually lived in another state, except for Military Service. So, there is very little exposure to other cultures. And different is NOT good, or even socially acceptable. It's just not " done".
In practice, it's all the small town petty gossip, busybody neighbors and lack of filter, writ large. Fine, I've learned to deal with all that. Mostly by
Isolating myself and frequent visits to my Parents in Florida, and vacationing in Seattle.
My honest, heartfelt advice to those considered relocating here, particularly minorities: Be very careful and weigh your options.
If you are prepared to spend the great majority of your time isolated at Home, fine. Otherwise, think very, very hard. And please, maximize your life insurance, for your Family. My Husband has. Seriously.
13
The main thing I am taking away from this article is that KS has some hateful people who are not only hateful but too stupid to even persecute the ethnic group they were after. While I believe that all crimes of violence are hate crimes, the sheer absurdity of being murdered both randomly and by mistake.
6
My heart aches for these women. Their tragic loss should be a wake-up call to houses of worship throughout the world but, as an American, let's realistically start here. Without serious interfaith exchange, such horror will continue. This is especially necessary in parts of the country - like Kansas - where, historically, many people can go through their entire lives without meeting a non-white or non-Christian individual. We have so much to learn from our northern neighbors, who welcomed thousands of Syrians refugees literally into their homes. Love Trumps Fear
8
Kansas. Go figger. Dorothy! Where are you? Tap your heels and get your toosh home! Your 1930ish innocence is required.
lt wasn't long ago that Kansas was considered a terrific place to live because folks were so darn nice there.
Well, it was, after all, "Republican nice".
Now, Kansas, you seem to be topping the charts when it comes to bigotry when "non-Americans" come over that flat horizon of yours. Are you losing jobs? Is the next generation of Hawkeyes forgetting to go to church, quitting the Boy Scouts and crossing the street to avoid the local Humus carryout?
Or has Mr. Sam Brownback, Governor of Kansas, taken his holier-than-thou self down yet another notch and Kansas is following his nose dive a little too closely?
Dorothy!
lt wasn't long ago that Kansas was considered a terrific place to live because folks were so darn nice there.
Well, it was, after all, "Republican nice".
Now, Kansas, you seem to be topping the charts when it comes to bigotry when "non-Americans" come over that flat horizon of yours. Are you losing jobs? Is the next generation of Hawkeyes forgetting to go to church, quitting the Boy Scouts and crossing the street to avoid the local Humus carryout?
Or has Mr. Sam Brownback, Governor of Kansas, taken his holier-than-thou self down yet another notch and Kansas is following his nose dive a little too closely?
Dorothy!
22
You're in Kansas again!
3
While you may be accurate in pointing out that both Srinivas Kuchibhotla and William Lewis Corporon (together with Reat Underwood) were killed in what apparently were cases of mistaken identities, I find it somewhat disturbing that you would choose to highlight that similarity between the two incidents. The tone of your article suggests that the "tragic" aspect of these two incidents was that one victim was an Indian mistaken for an Iranian while the other victims were Christians mistaken for Jews. That is completely besides the point. These incidents are horrible because they were hate crimes, pure and simple. They would not have been any less tragic or evil if Mr. Corporon and Mr. Underwood had been Jewish and Mr. Kuchibhotla had been Iranian.
39
The author was only recognizing and reporting of the two "truths" and realities, not the coulda been. The subtext is the tragedy of mistaken identities.
3
I think it was important to highlight the "mistakes" that can be made when people target any group of people as the "object" of their hatred. In the Corporon case, the murderer killed Christians who were supposed to be the good guys when he had intended to kill Jews; the supposed bad people.
This story highlights that hate is destructive and senseless. In not taking the time to establish the full identity of their victims, the haters demonstrated that they hate all of humanity and not just the small section of society that they have labeled "unworthy" of living.
This story highlights that hate is destructive and senseless. In not taking the time to establish the full identity of their victims, the haters demonstrated that they hate all of humanity and not just the small section of society that they have labeled "unworthy" of living.
Could you translate please?
1
Fox "News," Rush, Alex Jones, etc. are the gateways to Breitbart, the Daily Stormer, etc., selling hate against minority groups as the cause of all that's bad in people's lives. That with loose gun restrictions makes a lethal mix. Until enough people turn away from hate propaganda and until we enact serious firearms safety laws nationwide, we will see more of these horrible crimes.
45
Amen to that! When, oh, when will the USA grow up enough to enact appropriate gun laws. You need a learner's permit to drive a car and you have to have a licensed driver in the car with you until you pass the driving test AND you have to have liability insurance. Seems to me that's an proper approach to the safe use of firearms. And, no, I'm not anti-gun. My son-in-law, a former cattle rancher, has a large collection of guns, which he stores in a gun safe. He's an excellent marksman and has carefully taught my grandson appropriate behavior w/ firearms.
7
You must be joking. President "Not Hillary" flat out on TV told those using violence to KNOCK IT OFF.
What did BHO say, about Ferguson? The riots in Baltimore?
... silence ..
What did BHO say, about Ferguson? The riots in Baltimore?
... silence ..
2
Silence?
On Ferguson:
""There are productive ways of responding and expressing those frustrations, and there are destructive ways of responding," Obama said. "Burning buildings, torching cars, destroying property, putting people at risk -- that's destructive and there's no excuse for it. Those are criminal acts. And people should be prosecuted if they engage in criminal acts."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/politics/obama-holder-ferguson/
On Baltimore:
"Mr. Obama also made clear that he had no sympathy for people rioting in the streets, calling them “a handful of people taking advantage of the situation for their own purposes,” who should “be treated as criminals.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/us/politics/events-in-baltimore-refle...
Anyway, I thought "the carnage" ended on Trump's inauguration day? Along with ISIS and the enaction of great health care for everyone...
On Ferguson:
""There are productive ways of responding and expressing those frustrations, and there are destructive ways of responding," Obama said. "Burning buildings, torching cars, destroying property, putting people at risk -- that's destructive and there's no excuse for it. Those are criminal acts. And people should be prosecuted if they engage in criminal acts."
http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/25/politics/obama-holder-ferguson/
On Baltimore:
"Mr. Obama also made clear that he had no sympathy for people rioting in the streets, calling them “a handful of people taking advantage of the situation for their own purposes,” who should “be treated as criminals.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/us/politics/events-in-baltimore-refle...
Anyway, I thought "the carnage" ended on Trump's inauguration day? Along with ISIS and the enaction of great health care for everyone...
3
What strong women - with their kind hearts and enormous strength, perhaps things will get a bit better. We must all do our part by looking into our own hearts and seeing where darkness may have taken root. Then bring that darkness into the light, acknowledge it and move past it. Love will conquer hate. And, as Anne Lamott says, "Grace always bats last."
8
I am unsure as to the similarity to which you allude, at least anything beyond the fact that individuals were killed by ignorant, violent, gun-owning, cowardly racists.
38
DUH! Hate, nothing but blind hate killed all of these folks.
5
also, the vicitims were not what the gunmen expected them to be, neither jewish nor iranian.
3
These women show the essence of personal strength and decency. May their mission make some headway in this difficult period, and help to demonstrate to those who cannot already see the fundamental lie of white supremacy and racial bias.
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