Male shooters get a break

Another mass shooting has happened and it feels almost routine. From both news stories and articles I find it interesting that gender itself is never mentioned as a factor, even though the murderers are almost always men. As if it goes without saying.

The killers themselves are spoken of, as if their actions were somehow natural, to be expected. The phrase “what pushed him over the edge?” is often used, as if men’s “edge crossings” can somehow, justifiably lead to killing. Try to imagine this phrase being applied to a woman accused of mass murder. “She just couldn’t take anymore, so she massacred 16 people at a church, car wash, deli.”

In what universe would this ever be stated? It seems as if men are excused for committing random acts of violence, that maleness itself both leads to the killing and is then therefore the reasoning behind it. For a woman to go “over the edge,” is to what, have PMS, gain three pounds, buy $500 shoes?

Mass murder commentary seems to fall into the domestic abuse excuse area: “What did YOU do to make him hit you?” As if, though unlit, the fuse is always there.

Jennifer Adams

Spokane