Good evening everyone.
Please note that I am about to risk being unpopular again.
We are all likely aware of the mass shooting that happened in Buffalo earlier this week. We have learned from the shooter's internet history that he is quite racist. Such racism is thus thought to be the underlying motivation of his crime.
Perhaps...
There is another piece to this that badly needs attention, if only to discount the possibility. As we look at the history of mass shootings (and we can add mass killings with an automobile), we note that the perpetrators of 122 of those shootings were men (plus two vehicular mass homicides as well). The perpetrators in another three shootings were women. In another two, it was a man and a woman together.
My friends, as I have pointed out in another posting from a few years ago, another question desperately demands consideration. Maybe it is the guns. Maybe it is not. But if the perpetrators in over 96% of these mass homicides were men, can we PLEASE have a discussion about men's mental health?
Have a good evening.
R/SCG
Men's mental health has become a self-reinforcing generational problem. Simple phrases such as "men don't cry" or "be tough" have perpetuated a cycle of emotional repression. When a man opened up about his feelings, his social group was unprepared and unable to respond, as such the usual responses followed being fear and anger. Repeated again and again, father to son, peer to peer, worker to worker, we have created a situation where men are unable to open up about feelings, struggles, fears, to bare themselves emotionally without fear of ridicule and mockery.
ReplyDeleteEven worse, we have over the last couple of decades breed a modern mentality of egotism, so called "respect", and a hyper-aggressive masculine mentality that some strive to be and project. It takes the fear and repressed emotion, and redirects it towards others, it requires you to get in their faces, ask if they have a problem, demonstrate aggression towards others because they "disrespected" you.
Our society has denied healthy, safe, and supportive emotional outlets. In some ways it has been corrected, people are able to open up, talk, share, to emote, express, to be safe in the company of others when emotional. However there are those who have gone the opposite direction, that have rejected the trend towards emotional openness and receptiveness, leading to more fear, more anger, more hate, more aggression, more emotional repression.
I was talking to someone today, they struggle with some things, I ask sometimes what they think, how they feel, and what feelings they have. The mind, the body, the soul. Introspection is hard learned, but I find it wonderfully helpful to understanding what, how, and why I think feel any given time. Then I share. Sharing is good.