Problematic
“The Liberal Case for Guns”
Season 1, Episode 5
I don't want a gun that kills somebody.
For four episodes, Problematic has managed to tackle broad issues from Islamophobia to internet addiction. But one of the deadliest issues today finally gets into the spotlight. With as much mass shootings as the nation has suffered through, guns are still a problem. There are many cases for the use of guns. But there are just as many against them too. This week’s episode of Problematic did pose both sides in the right light but is it enough to convince those opposed or for to see what the other side believes?
Moshe Kasher is joined this week by Killer Mike, Kumail Nanjiani, Ana Marie Cox with Mike being an advocate for guns. He’s something of an anomaly; he’s from the south (Atlanta represent!), he’s black and he’s a member of the NRA. He is quick to note that the typical gun owner is most likely against him but that doesn’t deter Mike. Conversely, Nanjiani is against even gun ownership citing that he doesn’t want to be in a position of potentially killing someone. Cox argues that not all liberals are anti-gun. She owns one but isn’t out for blood. And Kasher is the first to object to Mike’s “gun/car” analogy. Whatever the case, everyone on the panel at least sees what the other side is arguing.
The statement proposed tonight is “maybe it's time for liberals to lock and load.” Kasher points to the election and how it fueled gun sales. He also provides information on how the other side felt in the 2008 and 2012 elections. As Cox suggested at and as Kasher pursues, not all liberals are weaklings. Viewer questions and a short chat with Professor Adam Winkler of UCLA School of Law give even more reasons for the avocation of gun safety.
But one segment stood out from the others. It was a look at guns in the gay community. The NRA has members that are in fact gay and some of them are even conservatives. The four people that Kasher sat down with were able to argue for their pro-gun beliefs with the same breadth as liberals. It’s an interesting segment in an all together well thought out episode.
Should you watch “The Liberal Case for Guns?”
The questions posed tonight should get any person on the opposite side thinking. It’s just a matter of talking after that.