"Where is the evidence that he carried out this massacre because he was bullied?"
On the surface it's a valid question. But just beneath the surface, from the viewpoint of anyone who attended America's public school system, it could hardly be a more ludicrous question.
Imagine meeting a black man who grew up in Georgia during the 1950's and asking for the evidence that he was mistreated. He would have difficulty producing any. But no one would believe you if you claimed that the absence of documented evidence meant that he wasn't treated badly. That's because it is common knowledge that the prevalent culture in Georgia during the 1950's dictated that black people needed to be routinely mistreated so that they would not forget their proper place in society.
And so it goes today with society's least masculine young males.
I don't need documented evidence that Adam Lanza was subjected to a considerable degree of cruelty during his short life because the prevalent culture in America today is that young males who are not physically powerful, aggressive, and socially confident are considered to be legitimate targets for cruelty. Boys will be boys and all that...
I don't need to know in specific terms what happened to Adam Lanza. All I need to do is look at his photograph to realize that he lived in fear throughout his adolescence, and that he had few, if any real friends.
The process of turning a child into a mass murderer is well understood, and widely practiced. Millions of Americans blithely condition other people's children to hate everyone around them and then feign bewilderment when things turn out badly. December 14th was not the last time we're going to witness such a massacre. It's going to happen again...and again...and again until Americans stop putting violent males on a pedestal and stop referring to non-violent males as faggots, pussies, and wimps. If you wouldn't refer to a black man as a nigger, you should think twice before using similarly demeaning terms simply because the target isn't violent enough to punish you
Have a nice day.
Regarding "society's least masculine young males": Masculinity has been defined in a rather superficial way. Moral courage has been overlooked and is currently unappreciated. A guy who is physically strong but lacks moral courage is a coward.
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is that many slightly built guys have shown moral courage. For example, speaking out against Jim Crow in the 1950s took a great deal of courage, the sort that is not taught in sports. (I also recognize that women can show great courage as well, but the issue is boys and men.) There have been great scientists, who seem to have not had any athletic background, who spoke out against tyranny and oppression in their homelands, such as the late Dr. Andrei Sakharov of the former Soviet Union.
One of the greatest heroes of World War II was a citizen of a neutral country (Sweden) who wasn't even a soldier. He was a highly educated, slightly built man who didn't appear to be the dashing hero type; and although he saw the value of physical exercise, he disliked competitive team sports! He was sent to Budapest under diplomatic cover to conduct rescue operations to save the Jews, whose situation had become hopeless. His name was Raoul Wallenberg. He was a man of extraordinary courage. Not exactly a wimp! Surviving several assassination attempts, he repeatedly risked his life to save others from the Nazi death machine. He saved the lives of at least 10,000 people without ever using a weapon! His eventual fate was horribly unjust. When the Red Army had driven the Germans out of Hungary, agents of Stalin's secret police abducted Wallenberg to the notorious Lubianka prison in Moscow, where he was never again seen as a free man.
I've often thought that if Wallenberg had been born in this country, mandatory P.E. coaches would have tried to break his spirit.
The point is there are real heroes who are often overlooked by the popular culture. "Least masculine" young males need to be informed that they have more than their share of such heroes.
I could say a lot more, but this is more than enough for this single post. I'll have more to say later.
America's "least masculine males" need not be told anything. Those who deify and reward cocky, belligerent, violent males need to change their behavior.
ReplyDeleteAs always...
Soulless, social climbing whores reward the bully.
Gutless, bottom feeding cowards blame the victim.
And toadying sycophants fawn for the bully's favor.
I agree with you. I was approaching the issue from a different angle.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly, some of the most anti-intellectual institutions in this country are high schools.
I was wondering if you had heard of the latest high-school football rape scandals: the first in Torrington, Connecticut, and the second near San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. The second scandal has resulted in the suicide of the victim. Possible subjects for new topics, I guess.
We now see a new barbarism regarding rape victims who are subjected to intense bullying simply because they had the misfortune to be raped by football players and dared to bring accusations against them. It's incredibly vicious and absolutely sickening! There's no denying we have a rape culture in this country. How can anyone deny it? I happen to be the father of two wonderful young women; so, you can imagine how I feel. Never mind that . . . Even if I had had two sons instead of two daughters, I would still be sickened and angered about it.
There has been a recent movement to promote values-based coaching of which the former NFL player Joe Ehrmann is a prominent leader; but such enlightened coaching is far from the norm. Do I believe that the majority of high-school football coaches are morally opposed to any of their players bullying any of the students at their schools? No, I don't.
I find it quite ironic that the real sports haters, the ones who are the worst enemies of school sports such as football, are to be found among the fans themselves. Many of the fans and coaches are so caught up in the "win at all costs" mentality that they're completely indifferent as to how their gridiron "heroes" treat other people away from the game. If I were a football fan, I'd want the players to be subjected to a strict code of conduct. I would not tolerate bullying by players; and I'd want all allegations of rape (Well, actually, gang rape seems to be more popular these days) to be investigated seriously instead of being covered up, which seems to be the typical reaction. But this is not what many of the fans want. They don't even care for values-based coaching.
I appreciate your blog. (Actually, I had posted here a few times before about two or so years ago, but I forgot my username.) Sadly, we live in a sick society.
Later.
I'll check out those two incidents you mentioned. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
ReplyDeleteI've posted three links that might be helpful. Quite unpleasant reading. Shows the viciousness of these scandals.
"Torrington High School students rally for rape defendant, blame victim, police"
http://www.registercitizen.com/articles/2013/03/25/news/doc514fd4e6545d2940833348.txt
"Dead California teen's family sue suspects in sexual assault case"
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/16/us-usa-california-suicide-idUSBRE93F04320130416
"Family says boys were sober during sex assault"
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130415/DA5M4OKO0.html
Here's another one. (Actually, needless to say, there are many more.)
ReplyDelete"Accused Rapists Scribbled Messages All Over 15-Year-Old Audrie Pott’s Unconscious Body"
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/16/1873191/audrie-pott-accused-rapists-messages/?mobile=nc
Again, unpleasant reading. It never ends . . .