This is who we are. It isn't who we have to be

Senator Chris Murphy on America's primordial racism and violence

This is not who we are. It is always tempting to frame episodes like the racist massacre in Buffalo as the exception to the rule. It is harder to acknowledge what the overwhelming record makes plain. This is precisely who we are.

America has a greater-than-average propensity toward violence, especially racist violence. And while the idea of violence as a…