Taking aim at real discrimination

Gun owners gathered in Northern Virginia yesterday. They carried loaded weapons at a park near D.C. They were protesting, uh, well... I am not exactly sure what they were protesting. The gathering was legal. I have no issue with people owning guns, but I do worry about folks who feel under attack when no obvious threat exists. Nor am I crazy about loaded weapons in public parks.

This protest, and others like it, seem to be more about intimidation than debate. There are a lot of angry people in this country right now, and gun owners can express that anger with a bit more gusto than your average Tea Party supporter. What are they angry about? Well, your guess is as good as mine. I see no shortage of gun shops where I live.

Living in the Washington area exposes residents to a lot of protests. But the one protest I haven't seen yet is a march of unemployed middle-age men. These are guys who were and are openly discriminated against in the job market. There is virtually no one who would argue against the statistics that prove mid-career men face obstacles (some of them illegal) that most other segments of society don't face when looking for work. There's no affirmative action plans in place for mid-career men. These are men with college degrees and years in professional trades. These aren't untrained, unmotivated guys making a life of hanging out on street corners.

As the result of men being discriminated against by some employers, many women are now carrying the financial load for their families. And while there are signs that the economy is improving, it's not improving fast enough for unemployed people over 50.

My guess is that many older men are without work for the first time in their lives as a result of the current recession. And there is an embarrassment factor associated with that. They've never asked for help so it isn't likely they are going to organize a mass protest or file a lawsuit. My gut feeling is that many of these men come from a generation where personal feelings and failures are concealed.

Gun owners, on the other hand, have no qualms about openly displaying their firearms. They believe that packing heat and yelling out unfounded fears towards the White House is somehow going to protect their rights to shoot things. But unlike the unemployed, no one appears to be threatening their rights. Best I can tell, there is no discrimination against gun owners. I can go buy a gun in 10 minutes and be shooting by noon. No one is going to say I am too old or overqualified. Men and women are treated equally at the gun checkout counter. So what are these protests really about?

We live in a time where far-fetched threats seem to mobilize people more than real threats. Emotions run high when guns, Obama or taxes are mentioned. But the real threat to our way of life has less to do with these topics and much more to do with a decaying sense of self worth in individuals who played by the rules -- folks who want existing laws to be enforced so that they can earn a living. Whether white, black, male or female, people want the right to earn a paycheck more than they want to carry guns in parks and restaurants. So maybe the next protest in D.C. should be about evening the playing field in the job market.