Just as a domestic violence survivor
murderers her/his abuser, there is nothing good to come out of the recent
tragedies surrounding race, police officers and violence. From the officer involved shootings of civilians,
to all the victims of the
sniper attack, the series of deaths have caused a widening of the chasm of
mistrust between police officers and people of color. Going forward, stereotypes will be reinforced, individuals
and ideologies will be blamed. But what most likely won't happen is a
real conversation and
legislation about the availability, access and (mis)use of military grade
weaponry. Which is a common factor in both the socialized fear of police
officers by people of color and the socialized fear the police have of
(usually) men of color.
Watch Samantha Bee astutely address the
issue of Gun Control:
Hashtag Wars
The reality is that there is a very good chance that the Dallas sniper has fueled the #bluelivesmatter campaign. While it is true that police officers lives do matter, they are not equitable (or mutually exclusive) to the lives of black and civilians. This is because A) When these two hashtags are compared they are usually compared after a violent incident. B) The violence experienced by "black lives" and the violence experienced by "police lives" are not the same thing. When one decides to become a police officer it should be done with the reasonable understanding that you will experience violence and possible mortal danger. You should not have that same expectation just because you are black. Therefore police officers being shot and killed in the line of duty, while tragic, is an occupational hazard; while the consistent killing of unarmed people of color is more akin to genocide. These ideas are all overshadowed by the hashtag #alllivesmatter a hashtag which is the most recent attempt in a long history of way of isolating, alienating and erasing folks of color's identity by the white male patriarchy.
Masculinity and Violence
Masculinity and Violence
There is a long history of the connection between Masculinity and Violence, especially White male violence . One of the general principles of gender boys (and girls) learn through the process of gender socialization is that boys need to be tough and strong. That strength and toughness usually comes at the cost of boy's complex emotions. Through an elaborate system of shaming (see image below), marketing, and praise, boys learn early on that they can freely express anger and little else. This means that all of the complex emotions that boys have are encouraged to be filtered through anger. The result is that even the very basic positive emotions of say Joy and Love, when filtered through anger, become different forms of violence such as riotous behavior and domestic violence
Here is the first 10 min of Tough Guise 2...a great watch
Reading List
For further Sociological reading on these subjects read the work of
Naomi Zack White Privilege and Black Rights
Eduardo Bonilla Silva Racism Without Racists
Michael Kimmel Angry White Men
Lisa Wade Gender Ideas and Institutions
Audrey Omar Masculinity and the Acceptance of Violence
