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kpete

(71,901 posts)
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 05:41 PM Oct 2015

America loves its firearms—but they're just the tip of the dysfunctional iceberg

SALON:
It’s not just about guns:
What the gun control debate exposes — and threatens — in our toxic white male culture of violence




.............

So America loves its guns.

The essence of the political fight is not ignorant rednecks vs. liberal elites, the mentally ill vs. calm rationalists, misunderstood males vs. feminazis or foreigners or terrorists or what have you, but the definition of what it means to be an American. If there is anything left of the American dream to be salvaged, it is the “united” part of the United States that needs to be regained. Because it isn’t them. It’s us. We are the problem.

..............

Which brings us to American individualism. The studies noted above have remarked that school shootings have quite a bit in common, as they tend to take place in suburban or rural areas where violent crime is relatively rare, and the young men are white and middle class. The overwhelming white maleness of these school shooters is not inconsequential, because it means they fall into the statistically defined parameters of the typical American gun owner who, according to data collected by social scientist Katarzyna Celinska, is Protestant, white, and male, and holds conservative political views. Crucially, the focus of her study was not guns per se. Instead, she sought to better define the ethos of utilitarian individualism–this ethos arguably being what is “American” about American culture–by looking at guns as a cultural axis.



more & TONS of links:
http://www.salon.com/2015/10/05/its_not_just_about_guns_what_the_gun_control_debate_exposes_and_threatens_in_our_toxic_white_male_culture_of_violence/
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America loves its firearms—but they're just the tip of the dysfunctional iceberg (Original Post) kpete Oct 2015 OP
Lot to read and absorb, bookmarking for later. HooptieWagon Oct 2015 #1
I heard there are geniuses in carolina moving barricades and driving into water pools lindysalsagal Oct 2015 #2
I know exactly what you mean. I'm going to open up the flood doors of flame by saying this: BlueJazz Oct 2015 #3
A trillion dollar a year military throwing it's muscle around at will effects national conscience. Fred Sanders Oct 2015 #12
That's a good point. Even the ads in broadcasting, in Australia, seem less "In your face" and.. BlueJazz Oct 2015 #14
Yeah, it's not like any Democratic candidate has advocated a "more muscular" foreign policy Fumesucker Oct 2015 #18
Spree killers are not "overwhelmingly white males" Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2015 #4
61 percent sounds overwhelmg to me. bumprstickr Oct 2015 #5
It's proportionate to their percentage of the overall population. Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2015 #6
aren't most serial killers also white male? bumprstickr Oct 2015 #8
What percentage of serial killers are white? Nuclear Unicorn Oct 2015 #10
I agree with uni...proportionate.... pipoman Oct 2015 #9
Salon destroys any chance of making a valid point with their blatant race-baiting titles davidn3600 Oct 2015 #7
How is the article race-baiting? How many mass murderers in America have been not white? Fred Sanders Oct 2015 #13
Vester Flanagan, Seung-Hui Cho davidn3600 Oct 2015 #17
There are toxic and violent sub- cultures of every race hack89 Oct 2015 #11
2300 + shooting victims in Chicago 2015 and the year isn't over Person 2713 Oct 2015 #15
They don't count. n/t oneshooter Oct 2015 #16

lindysalsagal

(20,444 posts)
2. I heard there are geniuses in carolina moving barricades and driving into water pools
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 05:53 PM
Oct 2015

So, yeah. Lots of stupid to go around.

 

BlueJazz

(25,348 posts)
3. I know exactly what you mean. I'm going to open up the flood doors of flame by saying this:
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 05:57 PM
Oct 2015

One of the biggest difference I've seen here in the states regarding citizens here and citizens in Australia..(I'm a citizen of both)..IS..
Men and women are certainly proud of their country in Australia but don't make that big a deal of it. Men here (40% of Men) seem to
have an attitude of..thinking..ah...being somewhat belligerent about their country/manhood. I get the feeling, a lot of times that they're lookin' for a fight, which confuses me. Part of it may be that I live in the south.

No, I didn't say all, just a decent share of the population. The men I've had dealings with here that are more like myself, are almost always Liberals. Flame away.

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
12. A trillion dollar a year military throwing it's muscle around at will effects national conscience.
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 07:26 PM
Oct 2015

And how violent is American popular media compared to other nations? I would say other nations media is fractionally as ripe with violent imagery.

 

BlueJazz

(25,348 posts)
14. That's a good point. Even the ads in broadcasting, in Australia, seem less "In your face" and..
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 07:37 PM
Oct 2015

...of course, being political scene is a lot shorter there, you don't have as much cutting and demeaning other candidates.
I might add that everybody is not like Shirley Temple either.
I don't have all the answers and worse, I don't even know what questions to ask.

Nuclear Unicorn

(19,497 posts)
4. Spree killers are not "overwhelmingly white males"
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 06:01 PM
Oct 2015
US mass shootings Table 1Weapon categories
Asian 6
Black 11
Latino 4
Native American 3
Other 2
Unknown 1
White 44

This is a good data base to look at which has other tables to look at

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/mass-shootings-mother-jones-full-data


44 out of 71 is 61.9%. US white population is roughly 60%.
 

pipoman

(16,038 posts)
9. I agree with uni...proportionate....
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 06:34 PM
Oct 2015

Majority or even overwhelming majority may be accurate but may lead one to believe it is disproportionate....

 

davidn3600

(6,342 posts)
7. Salon destroys any chance of making a valid point with their blatant race-baiting titles
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 06:14 PM
Oct 2015

That site isn't what it used to be.

 

davidn3600

(6,342 posts)
17. Vester Flanagan, Seung-Hui Cho
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 08:23 PM
Oct 2015

This kid in Oregon is mixed racial.

Sure the vast majority are white. Whites make up the majority of the population. What do you expect?

When you read this article, they make it about race. Dylann Roof's killings were racial, clearly. But you can't prove any of these other killings had anything to do with racism. Not every single crime in America is racially-motivated. Sorry to break that reality to you.

Yeah, there are a lot of psycho white people out there with guns! Guess what...there are a bunch of psycho black people out there with guns too. Go to Baltimore or Chicago and you'll see it for yourself.

Sorry but I prefer to concentrate on serious social psychology articles, discussions, and papers concerning these important topics. Not focus on buzz words and shock headlines that push everything into a debate about racism so it drives up their click counts.

hack89

(39,171 posts)
11. There are toxic and violent sub- cultures of every race
Tue Oct 6, 2015, 06:41 PM
Oct 2015

The focus on just mass shooters ignores the daily carnage in urban communities across the country.

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