THIS: Mass shootings show why we must stop pandering to white male fragility

[Soph0571]

There is nothing in men’s nature that obliges them to behave like this. The problem is not masculinity but misogyny. There are plenty of shy, lonely men living in their parents’ basements who have not taken up violent woman-hatred as a way to relax after work. There are plenty of worried, white, straight chaps nursing private anxieties about their place in the world who have somehow managed not to drink the crypto-fascist Kool-Aid, refreshing though it surely looks to anyone lost in the directionless desert of modern masculinity. Racism and misogyny are chosen. You don’t catch them like a cold; you catch them like you catch a train to somewhere dark and terrifying. And a great many men seem to have bought their ticket long ago.

Not all misogynists are violent, but most modern recruits to the diffuse male supremacist movement seem extremely comfortable with the spectacle of violence being done in their names. These are the people for whom a Hillary Clinton presidency truly would have been “just as bad” as a Trump regime that is doing everything it promised and more. These are the people for whom an administration bent on persecuting migrants and religious minorities, destroying the free press and tearing up the fabric of American democracy remains a fair price to pay so long as nobody has to say the words “Madam President”.

And yet, somehow, it is women who are being implored not to get angry in public, lest we make these men uncomfortable. It is people of colour who are being shamed for being insufficiently civil. It is liberals who are castigated for not showing enough empathy with those who long ago decided that basic respect for other human beings is “political correctness”, and it’s evil, and it must be rooted out at gunpoint. In times like these, a demand for civility is a demand for complicity. We must not allow our society to be held hostage to white male fragility any longer.

[link:https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/29/mass-shootings-white-male-fragility-capital-gazette-maryland-misogyny?CMP=share_btn_tw|

indeed

[hlthe2b]

1. Important piece.. Would you cross-post this please

in HOF? https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1255

Thanks

[Soph0571]

2. Of course

How do I do that??

[lunasun]

4. Hi it is in Topics under Gender on the left side column

[hlthe2b]

11. I put the direct link for the HOF forum in my post above...

[Skidmore]

3. Agree, but it is also illustrates why we must

treat mental illness. This man is seriously disturbed. What does it take to get treatment?

[tomp]

6. What does it take to get treatment?

good question, and one that's been asked for a long time, with no good answer.

probably we need to start very young, with periodic evaluations for every child and seriously addressing problems before they fully bloom or become entrenched antisocial behavior (not to mention other mental/emotional issues). this may include family evaluations/interventions. teachers are already generally mandated reporters of suspicion of potential harm.

also, we have to consider our laws regarding psychiatry. all states have laws about who gets evaluated and how and why. they have laws about who can be held in hospital and for how long. in NY the law says "IMMINENT danger to self or others or inability to care for self" is the bar that must be met for involuntary admission to psychiatric care. calling EMS can often get someone brought to hospital for evaluation and the decision is often made by EMS or police. there is also the possibility of a court order obtained by family for mandatory evaluation. after that it's up to the evaluating psychiatry staff what happens next. courts can mandate medication administration and treatment after discharge.

we have to think about these laws carefully so that we do not unduly infringe upon individual rights but at the same time protect society. it's a deep discussion. i tend to fall slightly on the side of protecting society over individual rights but that's just me, and there are many differing opinions within reason. however, i think most reasonable people would agree that making threats or encouragements to violence would merit mandated evaluation. and in my book that should include trump and yiannopolis among others.

[EndGOPPropaganda]

5. Agree. Remember that right wing media radicalized them.

Republican billionaires use the right wing media to radicalize white people. They do it to get votes for billionaires through identity politics.

All of these white men listen to Fox and Limbaugh and Breitbart. We need to stop the propaganda.

[Yellowdog88]

7. Agreed. And,

How often are these guys attracted to the military, inducted, and sent of to far off places with questionable political goals (i.e. Iraq)?

[mountain grammy]

8. K&R

[BumRushDaShow]

9. "a demand for civility is a demand for complicity"

THIS. Sums it up!

Of course what is "unspoken" but is hinted at in round-about ways, is that if a confrontation occurs after someone decides enough is enough, it could escalate into a a real "civil war". That outcome would be the keyboard warrior alt-right's wet dream because they have "armed" themselves with weapons of mass destruction that "look good" and allows a coward to appear "fearsome", transformed into a vigilante, just like a scenario they tried when playing some FPS video game. Yet they would also be the first to "phone home" for some snacks and socks if bullets did start flying (or even if no bullets were flying).

[malaise]

10. Excellent read

Rec