Last month, in the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, our very own Karen Hall was asked to join Christie Casciano on News Channel 9 to discuss changing gun culture in modern America and we could not be more proud of her. Karen has studied American popular culture in the post-war period and her specialty is the crossover between entertainment and US militarism, now widely called “militainment.” She discusses with Christie the importance of working with children’s perceptions of violence and gun use; providing the young with a wider range of heroes they can look up to beyond the individual fighting with gun in hand, which is so often tied to our concept of strength and patriotism. She expresses the desire to focus on “the helpers”: firefighters, teachers, helping parents, and the numerous others that are patriotic and help without the use of violence. Sorry, so excited for Karen that I’m spoiling the interview for you! Watch below and listen to the words of wisdom that she has on this very serious subject that continues to be an issue for America and many other countries today.