My little sister recently failed her driver's test; she forgot her turn signal when parallel-parking in an empty lot.* The girls here are inordinately impressed that so many Americans drive at sixteen. A car in Phnom Penh is like a tank, lumbering through roads overcrowded with motos. When asked about being able to drive, I explain that there's a written test, a temporary permit, and physical test, all before heading out onto roads that are regulated by officers. Safety is a priority. There are rules in place to protect the drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
I wish I could offer the same explanation for another source of American fascination: guns.
I was heartbroken during last week's news summaries and presentations. The Parkland shooting did not captivate Harpswell's attention in any special way: these girls constantly analyze corruption, violence, and injustice throughout the world. The tragedy nevertheless turned up in many assignments. They covered the facts from a distance. Each one mentioned the 17 dead, the profile of the shooter, and included an offhand conclusion about how "America has many shootings." Or they'd have a sentence like, "there was also a shooting in 2012," referring to Sandy Hook. Always, I have to explain how there have actually been many shootings since 2012, at schools and churches and concerts.
All of these conversations have the same reaction:
"Oh...that's horrible...but...why?"
The shock makes way for confusion, and the Cambodian women try not to offend me while they process my country's culture. They ask questions with caution.
"...so can anyone get a gun?"
"Americans like guns...because...it's like...freedom? Guns represent freedom?"
"But what about just banning some of the guns?" Hm. Interesting idea.
From the perspective of Harpswell girls, I hear the gun debate questions in their most basic form. The arguments get simplified to reflect the uniquely American gun problem, unfettered by semantics of a 200-year-old document or the economic chokehold by the NRA.
It's subtle, but I'm a crooked liberal. My responses to their questions might not get an NRA "A" rating. I usually describe the sheer accessibility of deadly weapons. I provide an overview of insufficient background checks. Sometimes I try to convey how while Sandy Hook was significant in it's singular horror and anguish, slaughtering children was not significant enough to change America's gun culture. Partisanship prevents any action. Research into gun control is blocked. States' rights seem more precious than students' lives. America has more guns and more gun violence than any other developed country.
These discussions leave me lonely. I want to defend my country, but I feel beaten down by shame and heartbreak and frustration and helplessness.
The Parkland shooting does not, however, leave Americans totally hopeless. With this tragedy, I get to turn the conversation to the voices of the Parkland victims. The student activism is a demonstration of leadership, eloquence, and courage. These agents of change aren't burdened by the B.S. They're calling it out.
Emma Gonzalez, a survivor from the Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland, passionately advocates for gun control.
We're numb to the formulaic "thoughts and prayers." The current movement in America should point to a different formula: How to demand change.
At Harpswell, I bring it back to how if you want to see action, you need to voice it. If you want to voice it, you need to have a literacy about it.
Students are developing a voice, and actually using it. Teens aren't just eating Tide Pods. They're using social media to connect their ideas, research the tone of an issue, and organize action. They're acquiring the language of activism to transform grief into advocacy.
I can't deny how statistics of a deadly gun culture contribute to the image of America. But my American identity cannot be reduced to the death toll — it needs to be about the refusal to be desensitized, the privilege to speak out, and the responsibility to make change.
*My little sister now has her license, and Emily if you're reading this: chill. We get it. You can drive. Wear your seatbelt. I'm sorry that it would have been easier for you to buy a gun and shoot up the DMV than it was to legally get your driver's license.