Fort Hood: What the Gunman Caused

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

On April 2^nd, 2014 a shooter entered Fort Hood, Texas, shot three soldiers, and injured sixteen others. After his unforgivable actions, he committed suicide. The gunman was a veteran who served in Iraq and was claimed to have health and mental issues.

It was reported he was being treated for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (a mental illness usually found in soldiers and veterans), but there was no formal diagnosis or official statement claiming that he had the illness. However, it was discovered that he was suffering from depression and anxiety and taking anti-depressants.  While this supposedly contributed to the shoot out, another factor was that he was denied temporary leave to attend his mother’s funeral.

Because of this tragic event, the Internet erupted not only with sympathy for those at Fort Hood, but the realization that PTSD is not a stigma.

PTSD is a serious illness that usually occurs after something traumatic like sexual assault or war. In the armed forces, it is a strong possibility to be struck with PTSD. 11-20% of Veterans who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were struck with PTSD.  10% of Veterans who fought in the Gulf War also obtained PTSD and 30% of Vietnam veterans have it as well. Its effects include reliving the event (ex.: hearing a car backfire and it recreating a memory for a veteran), feeling on the edge, feeling emotionless, and avoiding situations that remind you of the traumatic event.

As seen in other tragic, veteran incidents like this, the media tends to focus on the idea of PTSD being the ultimate cause of horrific actions. By concluding that veterans who have PTSD are dangerous individuals, they create a stigma around them and the illness itself. However, this recent event at Fort Hood has caused many veterans and writers to push the notion of taking the D out of PTSD and to stop labeling it as a cause of violence.

The gunman is completely guilty for his crimes committed at Fort Hood, but his lack of PTSD had no part in it. Rather than assuming veterans with PTSD are dangerous, we should investigate, and not believe everything the media tells us. Let us open our minds and look behind the veil of situations before deciding on what we believe.

Black Cats Prowl on Halloween

Greetings everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Halloween is represented by many different icons that we've come to know and love. Some of these icons include witches, ghosts, pumpkins, and black cats. The black cat is mostly noted for being a bringer of bad luck. It is also known for being rather adorable.

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Because of their stigma, people tend to treat these cats differently. For starters, they aren’t adopted as much. In movies like Hocus Pocus and horror films, there are black cats everywhere. When people see them interacting with the villains, they automatically associate the creature as evil. This way of thinking is entitled ‘Black Cat Syndrome’. To help black cats find a new home, shelters offer some days where people can adopt them at a cheaper rate, or make it a two for one deal.  

Speaking of adoption, there is a new trend surrounding these particular felines. Around this time of the year, black cats are adopted tremendously. For the cats being taken to a home with a loving family, it’s fantastic.  They’re finally out of the shelter and are able to begin a new life  - or so it seems. No sooner Halloween is over, they are returned to the shelter with the reason of “it didn't work out.” Not only does it diminish the cat’s hope for a new life, it gives them trust issues for the future. People have taken up this horrible habit because they believe having a real black cat for Halloween would be the cat's pajamas. Instead of buying black cat décor, they opt for one at an animal shelter. They take the creature home to fit the Halloween scene and return it no sooner the holiday is finished.

However, there are those who go to the extremes when it comes to black cats. Due to their negative connotation of evil, people will go out of their way to torture these poor animals. Some are sacrificed while others are just tormented because of their stigma. To avoid this and adopting black cats for Halloween, shelters have created various methods for protecting them. They will scrutinize the family, inform them of how to keep their black cat safe around this time of the year, and even postpone adopting black cats for the month of October, if not earlier.

It’s a shame, honestly. In the past these beautiful animals were seen as royalty to the Egyptians, luck to the Scottish, and protection to the sailors. While some are lucky to belong to a loving family, others face the torment of man.  Why anyone would want to harm these adorable creatures is beyond me.

At one point in my life, I was fortunate to own a black cat named Kitty. She came crawling to our door on Halloween and we couldn’t turn her down, not with the possible idea of her being tortured. She lived for a long time as a happy, healthy feline who loved her cat treats. 

May everyone enjoy this Halloween, including your pets. Keep them safe and give them a few suitable treats.