Men as a class contradict themselves when it comes to responsibility.
They claim to be more logical and stable and responsible than emotional women. When it comes to leadership, it’s what are deemed as masculine features that are seen as posative.
Men are responsible and accountable enough to consistently running our institutions, our governments, our religions and our corporatations in the majority. However…
When it comes to responsibility for their actions, men (as a class) seem to suddenly deny their previous claims. When it comes to parental responsibility, to sexual offenses and domestic abuse and when it comes to shootings all committed in the majority by men, suddenly they have no responsibility or accountability at all
It’s her skirt, or her looking older than 13 or why should I pay when I don’t see them. It’s she didn’t say no clearly enough or she could have rejected me nicer instead of being a bitch. It’s well why doesn’t she just leave if it’s that bad and yes, despite mental health issues impacting men and women and children, it’s their mental health’s fault.
Boys will be boys and not all men directly contract each other.
Now given the recent shooting, we see the same patterns over and over again. The impact of gender stereotypes.
We see the “Man up” rubbish feeding into the lack of emotional regulation skills for boys and men and also the lack of addressing mental health services because its seen as weak or unmanly. This is shown in both the high suicide rates in men and also the high perpetrator rates in men.
We see the sexual objectification of women and girls. The subjects (males) feeling entitled to the objects (females) and when an object isn’t to the product specification of the subjects choosing or it isn’t serving the needs of the subject…well objects are replaceable and disposable aren’t they
Objectification is the first step in any violent crime, because its the first step in justification. We see this same attitude of objectification towards women and girls by the men in the male dominated justice system. This latest shooter, the man who killed Sarah Everard, the man in the majority of of cases of murder, shooting, terrorism all have multiple violence against women and girls offenses in their history. They are always serial and esculation offences. Which means they are condoned and enabled until they get to the most serious crimes because the multiple opportunities to prevent, we’re ignored because it was just to women and girls.
This is why the lack of conviction of rape in the UK is so serious. Not only to the victim reporting but because of the inevitable future victims and the esculation of those crimes. Men who murder women and girls rape first.
And so we have another violent man who saw women as objects he was entitled to, who had multiple offenses ignored, who has killed. Laura Richards plea for a perpetrator database to prevent this is still ignored by ministers. And the seriousness of the lives taken and futures stolen being drowned out by men crying not all men and by looking for other things to blame rather than addressing the misogyny.
Well as long as we cannot get over the not all men barrier…
As long as we blame women for the actions of men…
As long as we silence those talking about this because men’s feelings matter more than women’s safety…
We fail our boys and girls alike.
Because you can’t solve and prevent a problem, that you refuse to acknowledge is there.
G. Aitchison 