America’s white masculinity complex and the myth of the “senseless” mass shooting (Salon)--HOF

[hlthe2b]

America’s white masculinity complex and the myth of the “senseless” mass shooting
The media pegs men like John Russell Houser as "killers without a cause." The truth is more unnerving

...
If this is a troubling pattern, what’s just as disheartening is our tendency to mark these tragedies as nothing but “senseless” acts. In the past week, this has been all but the dominant theme of news coverage and Twitter commentary on the Lafayette shooting, with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal telling the Today show that “there’s never a reason for these senseless acts of violence.” The “senseless tragedy” meme made its way into coverage on MSNBC, CNN, and the Guardian; even the CEO of Universal Pictures fell back on the phrase in a statement expressing his condolences to the victims and their families.
...
Even more alarming was the way his opinions on women’s rights colored his interactions with the opposite sex, as Houser had a history of domestic violence. In 2008, Houser’s wife and daughter filed restraining orders against him, alleging “extreme erratic behavior” and that he “perpetrated acts of family violence.” His wife was so afraid of him that she had all the guns removed from their home.

While Houser’s reported bipolar disorder should be noted, what’s just as notable here is the crowd he was firing into: a showing for the Amy Schumer movieTrainwreck. Schumer’s very popular viral videos from her TV show have earned her the label of a “feminist icon” and a “full-blown activist for gender equality.” (You may disagree.) What’s then senseless about a man with a record of violence against women and who has publicly espoused misogynistic views—on the radio, no less—who shoots up a movie theater that’s screening a movie starring a feminist icon and written by a feminist icon in an audience that was predominantly women? Nothing.
...
But a lack of initial evidence didn’t stop the Chattanooga shooter, Mohammad Youssuf Abdulazeez, from quickly being labeled a terrorist because of his Muslim heritage, ascribing a clear, fundamentalist motive to his crimes. However, we’re unwilling to make the same leap to suggest that maybe John Russell Houser’s actions weren’t so “senseless” after all.

http://www.salon.com/2015/07/31/americas_white_masculinity_complex_and_the_myth_of_the_senseless_mass_shooting_partner/

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. Posted to for later. n/t

[annabanana]

2. kick . . .n/t

[blackspade]

3. Some very important points.

The M$M coverage gives white men a pass by using words like 'senseless' as a cover.
Minorities, women, and non-Christians are all to varying degrees assigned all kinds of motives that serve as a social narrative of control.

[heaven05]

4. The "free pass" is called

white privilege. Always has been about the privileged getting a pass or reverse victimized like he has "problems', was "driven over the edge" for a myriad of different BS reason when they are just the foot soldiers of the white superiority army. That damn cop that shot Dubose in cinci, OUT ON BAIL, goddammit!!! Sandra Bland, dead. Cinci cop has his cohorts, probably cops and citizen, around the nation paying his bail. Sandra Bland, dead., for a fucking traffic violation no less. It's not all about getting his bail paid, it's about being out on bail, period. Even his superiors and the cinci police said it was a "bad shoot". He's out on bail!!!! That's white privilege and debunks, "senseless act" just by it's commission.

As long as the people who claim to commiserate with POC and the lethal injustices they face don't stand up and say, in numbers that cannot be ignored, no more murder/summary executions in stealth or the open public perpetrated at the hands of the occupation army of the corporate and media billionaires, this activity and the racist culture will always be tacitly encouraged. It has been such for 250 years, how long before people stand up? Keep murdering you racist pigs, just keep it up. You tactic of murder won't sustain you.

Old school saying:what goes around, comes around. To the open racists in the RW media and those they agitate and encourage to stay inside their well insulated bubbles of white privilege....this oppression cannot be sustained...even with all your fire power. All the fire power in the world means nothing if you don't hold the moral high ground....and you don't. You rule by fear, both agitated in your minions as they continue their unreasoned hate of POC and in trying to cower POC "back in their place"....you can't cower everyone into accepting a jackboot on the back of ones neck while shooting a high caliber round into the head of an unarmed human being. I have seen it and accept it as the price people have to pay to be truly free from racist hate, ignorance and just plain stupidity....a train be a-coming. #BlackLivesMatter.

[blackspade]

6. This deserves to be an OP all on it's own.

[AuntPatsy]

5. Kicking

[PATRICK]

7. Maybe it underlyimg prejudice

that angry white guys are too stupid/crazy to take their hate causes seriously. Something a lot more humiliating than the insanity defense, except for the media which doesn't want to tick off crazy white guys or maybe because their owners and bosses are crazy white guys.

Maybe the response by the general non-shooting(so far) ranks of crazy white guys is: "Geez, Joe lost it and went out and shot some (insert various victim slurs). Now they'll want to take our guns". Maybe it isn't whispered among themselves either. The insane defense doesn't work so well if the insane do the defining.