It’s good that the press is talking about misogyny as it pertains to mass shootings in the U.S., but I can’t help but feel like we need to move beyond that term, especially since it doesn’t appear to apply to the motivations of the El Paso shooter, but the broader concept of toxic masculinity easily applies both to him and the Dayton shooter (and, for that matter, the Gilroy shooter). As rare as it is to see people openly discussing “a hatred of women”, it feels like a comparatively safe move on their part, versus tackling the more comprehensive issue of, well, traditionally masculine attitudes and behavior.
Published to write.house by Bix Frankonis. Comments and replies by email are welcome.