Citation

Coulehan J. Ann. Intern Med. 2000; 132(11): 911-913.

Affiliation

State University of New York at Stony Brook, 11794-8036, USA.

Comment In:

Ann Intern Med. 2001 Mar 6;134(5):425; author reply 425-6

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, American College of Physicians)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10836919

Abstract

In the early 19th century, Port Arthur, Tasmania, was the site of a notorious prison in a land at the end of the world. In 1996, Port Arthur was also the site of the worst mass murder in modern Australian history. A gunman with a semiautomatic weapon stepped into a tourist coffee shop and systematically shot dead 35 men, women, and children. Throughout Australia, an outpouring of grief, shame, and anger followed this tragic event and led quickly to more stringent gun control legislation. Several years later, Australians still remember the mass murder at Port Arthur with shame and horror as a personal affront, rather than simply a historical event. In the more violent society of the United States, many Americans perceive themselves as helpless victims or detached observers, rather than as persons who are responsible for promoting change.

Language: en