The role of masculinity in school shootings (men = bad)

The UMass Daily Collegian ^ | 11/23/15 | Saee-Nazari

[pabianice]

...While we call to combat mental illness, we must take the same approach in examining gender and deconstruct what it means to be a man.

To be a “man” means to be straight and cisgender because masculinity is constructed to be heteronormative and cisnormative. Any signs of ‘femininity’ or diverging from a man’s gender role is discouraged, often invoking the use of derogatory terms. Men are emasculated for not conforming to our culture’s masculinity through the use of terms that are violently misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic. The violence that is encouraged in masculinity isn’t only physical or verbal, but systematic...

There are countless movies that glorify men’s use of violence to achieve power – “Scarface”, “Drive”, “50 Shades of Grey”, “Rambo”, “The Expendables”, The Bourne Trilogy, “Gladiator” – and the pornographic ones sexualize men’s control and dominance over women in a heterosexual lens. Therefore when we examine the shooting at Umpqua Community College and Chris Harper-Mercer, we must recognize the trend of these mass shootings by examining the culture of masculinity. When these men are glorified, masculinity becomes distorted when attributed to power and toxic when means of attaining that power are violent and justified.

[ctdonath2]

Like I said: she. Just not “cisgender” male.
Whatever it is, ain’t a manly man.

[Oztrich Boy]

well ,only on Mondays