Analysis Of Toxic Masculinity And Murder

870 Words2 Pages

98 percent of mass murderers are men. According to Time in 2014, almost all rampage killers are men.This statistic startled me as I read "Toxic Masculinity and Murder" by James Hamblin of The Atlantic. In essence, this one figure demonstrates that masculinity is "a more common feature than any of the elements that tend to dominate discourse—religion, race, nationality, political affiliation, or any history of mental illness."
The rest of the article went on to elaborate on how the American attachment to "dominance models of manhood," according to Amanda Marcotte of Salon, is a significant factor as to why or culture has such high levels of violence. Supporting aggressiveness, physicality, and anger within masculinity makes it toxic and harms …show more content…

The term makes them angry, or confused, as many feel it lumps all men in with the rotten apples. This is the voice of the "other" which is addressed in the article. I appreciate that Hamblin made a conscious effort to include the "not all men" trend on the Internet.
He gives little credibility to the "not all men statement, addressing that while informative on an oppositional attitude, it does not do anything to address the sometimes toxic aspect of growing up as a man. The two stories are alike in the sense that people agree men can be, and sometimes are, violent. There are certain expectations placed upon a man as he grows and strives to be masculine. However, the stories diverge on a course of action.
The "others" do not want to demonize men, yet are not taking an active role in eliminating the occasional poison that masculine expectations inhibit. Hamblin 's opinion, as well as several respected experts in psychology, criminology, and sociology, believes that toxic masculinity is an accurate term that can further both discussion and action on how to stop the aggressive and destructive notions of

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