We’re Obsessed with Mass Shootings while Ignoring Hundreds of Thousands of Other Deaths
By Onision in Philosophy
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Mass shootings grab our attention, and for good reason. In 2023, the Gun Violence Archive reported 722 deaths from incidents where four or more people were shot, not counting the shooter. The FBI’s narrower definition of active shooter events counted 105 deaths that year. Those are real people, real losses, and it hurts to think about. But here’s the reality check: those numbers pale next to what else is killing us. Most all of you are stepping over the bodies of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, ignoring them, to pay attention to... just hundreds... hundreds. HUNDREDS compared to the hundreds of thousands you all keep ignoring/refusing to talk about.
According to the CDC’s 2023 provisional data, heart disease took 695,547 lives. Cancer claimed 613,331. Unintentional injuries, like car crashes, ended 222,518. Stroke took 162,336. Chronic lower respiratory diseases, like COPD, hit 147,382. Alzheimer’s accounted for 120,124. Diabetes killed 97,566. Kidney disease took 55,406. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis ended 54,766. Even COVID-19, in a quieter year, caused 49,303 deaths. That adds up to over 2.7 million deaths from these causes alone. And again... how many people died in mass shootings in 2023? Not even 1,000? Yet what have you heard about more than all the above combined? Right, shootings. Does anyone really care about loss of human life considering the mathematical abomination we have here? Is everyone just obsessed with the method of death, and not the death itself? How mentally sick is that?
When you put 722 next to 2.7 million, it’s clear where the bigger problem lies. Mass shootings are tragic, no question - they are terrifying, horrible & I wouldn't wish that on anyone - just like, I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone, because that is sociopath behavior (shout out to you know who). But these horrible violent deaths are a small piece of the puzzle compared to the daily toll of these other conditions. The data isn’t here to judge; it’s just showing us what’s happening.
Why We’re Drawn to the Drama
So why do mass shootings dominate our conversations? Because they’re loud and visible. Imagine a crowded mall, sudden gunfire, people running for their lives. It’s a scene straight out of a movie, and it sticks with us. Heart disease, on the other hand, is a quiet killer. It’s someone collapsing at home after years of poor diet. Cancer is a slow battle, often fought behind closed doors. Stroke might hit while someone’s alone, with no one to witness the fall. These deaths don’t make the news the way a shooting does. They lack the instant shock value, the story we can share and feel part of.
That’s not to say those 722 lives don’t matter. They matter as much as 722 lives should always matter --- but definitely not as much as 1,722 or 17,220 or 172,200 lives - because that's just math, more lives lost = more important issue... unless you're saying people who are victims of shootings are some how more important people than people who die other ways - in which case... wtf? Everyone matters the same, everyone gets the "1 human life" value equivalent. But the 7,400 people dying every day (10 times more in a day, than the collective losses from shootings every year) from heart disease, cancer, and the rest don’t get the same spotlight. It’s human nature to react to the dramatic, but that focus can pull us away from the bigger picture. We’re wired to care about the immediate threat, not the slow grind of preventable illness.
What We Can Actually Control
A lot of these top killers aren’t random. The American Heart Association says about 80% of heart disease deaths, or around 556,000 a year, could be prevented with better eating, exercise, and not smoking. The National Cancer Institute estimates 40% of cancer cases, over 245,000 deaths, are preventable through diet, exercise, and avoiding tobacco and alcohol. Stroke? The CDC suggests lifestyle changes could reduce that 162,336 number by a third, saving over 54,000 lives. Diabetes? Over 90% of cases are type 2, tied to obesity and inactivity, meaning we could save around 87,000 lives with better habits.
These aren’t far-off dreams. They’re choices we make every day—what we eat, whether we move, if we light up a cigarette. Compare that to mass shootings. The GVA recorded 503 incidents in 2023, averaging 1.4 deaths each. The FBI data shows most active shooter events end quickly, with police stopping the shooter 58% of the time. These are real tragedies, but they’re not a daily epidemic like heart disease, which claims 1,900 lives every day. Cancer takes 1,680. Stroke, 445. Diabetes, 267. The numbers show where we could make the biggest difference, and it’s not just about guns.
The Politics of Distraction
Mass shootings turn into a tug-of-war politically (the trans "issue", the gun issue, these are topics impacting a surprisingly small amount of people, yet somehow dominate many discussions... serious question, are we stupid?). One side pushes for gun bans, the other for more armed guards. Both are loud, but neither tackles the bacon cheeseburger crisis (mass slaughter of animals smarter than your own dog - which by eating you kill yourself a little more every time you turn them into feces) or the rise of vaping-related lung issues. Now on the Trans "issue" where rarely shooters are trans --- have you asked how many non-trans people were responsible for shootings? Wild guess... 99% of them?
The CDC’s 2023 data shows total firearm deaths at 33,298, including homicides, suicides, and accidents. Mass shootings are a small part of that. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization says noncommunicable diseases like heart disease and cancer make up 74% of global deaths, over 41 million a year. In the U.S., that’s 2.7 million of our 3.2 million annual deaths. Guns are a concern, but they’re dwarfed by these other threats. Yet we spend more energy debating firearms than funding research into heart disease, which gets just $1.7 billion a year from the NIH.
Practical Steps Forward
So what can we do? The CDC estimates a 20% cut in sugar intake could reduce diabetes deaths by 10,000 a year. A soda tax, like the one on cigarettes, might save 5,000 more from heart disease. Following through with mandating physical education in schools could lower stroke and cancer rates over time. These aren’t perfect fixes, but they’re concrete. A 2019 Lancet study suggested a 10% drop in processed meat consumption could prevent 20,000 cancer cases annually (yes, some of the innocent, harmless animals you turn into your poo are in fact getting their sweet revenge on your internal organs). That’s where our energy could go.
Rethinking Our Outrage
Violence doesn’t make a death more important. A heart attack is brutal—your chest tightens, you gasp, you’re gone - often times right in front of your family... god damn. Cancer wastes you away, organs failing - not a bang bang, a slow, often painful death... yikes. Stroke shuts half your brain while you’re still aware - horrible process. These kill 7,400 people a day combined. Mass shootings? About two a day. TWO, A, DAY... TWO OUT OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS!!!!!!
If it’s about saving lives, the math points to the big killers. The American Cancer Society says early detection could save 100,000 lives a year from breast and colorectal cancer. The American Diabetes Association says lifestyle changes could halve diabetes deaths, saving 48,000. Imagine if schools taught nutrition instead of just duck-and-cover drills.
A Call to Wake Up
If mass shootings fire you up, use that passion wisely. Eat better. Quit smoking. Get moving. While you’re tweeting about the latest shooter, 7,400 people are dying today from preventable diseases. Hollywood loves a gunfight, not a salad bar, but if we care about life, let’s look at the top of the list. 722 deaths in 2023 are a tragedy. 2.7 million are a catastrophe. It’s time to wake up and focus on what really matters.
You didn't process a single ****ing word I just said.
Alright, go back to your pretending 700 people matter more than 700,000.
I talk like this because nothing I'm saying is original. These concepts have been ignored for decades and yet you continue your behavior anyway - ignoring those who suffer in silent in the masses, for the few who suffer in the headlines.
Whatever keeps making Coca-cola and the meat industry more money right? Dance money puppets, dance.
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