We've all heard too much about Boston this week, and not in the way that was expected - and yet we haven't heard nearly enough, right? We can't understand what drives young men to commit such cowardly, devastating acts of violence against people they don't even know, people in their community; their fellow citizens. It's simply inconceivable - it is surreal and horrific.
For decades, feminist academics have been searching to expose the roots of masculine violence, and to understand what factors contribute to creating and sustaining structures of patriarchal power and marginalization of women and other minorities.
Many theories exist, and they all offer some truth, but none satisfy the entire question - we find ourselves asking "why, why, why"? We understand the validity of gender role theory - how our boys are taught that masculine equals aggression, and that women are inferior objects of sexual desire. Statistics seem to show that children who are exposed to violence and aggression in the home (social learning theory) normalize these behaviours and see them as appropriate responses in daily life. We know that colonialism not only is the root of racism, but that its structures continue to thrive in government and business, and these structures support and breed racist, sexist and classist agendas.
But when immigrants seek asylum, benefit from Western education and freedoms and then attack the very hands that preserved their lives, that is hard to understand. Western ideology is all about the individual, autonomy and independence - we see ourselves and our children as successful when they are able to "make it" on their own. Eastern ideology is very different - the value is on community, and the ties to community and one's responsibility to it are culturally entrenched for generations, hundreds of years. We see the East as blind, lemming-like creatures who are incapable of independent thought and action - they see us as selfish, immoral, self-absorbed monsters. Both are grossly ignorant, over-simplified generalizations within the complex fabric of global humanity.
To me, the underlying message is simple - we need to instill tolerance and understanding in our children. Allowing other perspectives does not obliterate one's identity or culture, it is simply an acceptance of human diversity of thought and approach - instead of right/wrong or either/or, we can move toward a both/and way of thinking and analysis. And where does violence - terrorist violence, like the Boston Marathon bombing - fit into this puzzle? We see two types of terrorist violence in North America - the guilty Westerner who becomes convinced that his nation is evil and must pay the human price, and the devoted Easterner who sees Western ideology as a global threat to humanity. Both sides see their ideal masculinity as aggressive, dominant power - if I can destroy more, take more, create more fear, then I have power. Power is everything, and any physical or psychological means will be used to obtain it and hold it. Indoctrination versus personal critical thought is at play in either case. And what of accountability - whether personal or community-focused, what culture would condone mass murder and maiming of innocents?
The kicker for me with the whole horrible Boston incident was some of the American women who posted on my Twitter feed - I was appalled by their remarks. They were actually crooning and fawning over the second suspect who was captured alive - "so glad that boy is alive," "oh he looks so young and thin," "he reminds me of my boy" etc. (WTF???) Patty Hearst syndrome seems to be alive and well and with a much shorter incubation period, thanks to rapid fire social media - even the news of the capture was seen first on Twitter versus the national news networks! First of all, the criminal suspect is a nineteen-year-old man - in Canada and many other nations, he would be old enough to vote, to fight for his country, and so on. I was just mortified by public ignorance about criminal violence - for these women, it was all about the suspect's appearance. Because he looked attractive, young and vulnerable, their heteronormative Mommy programming kicked in - 170 injured, 3 murdered (blown to bits) - including a child, and they are fawning over a "caught on tape" terrorist.
In closing, I am a mother of three, Canadian, Liberal, and a patriot with many friends and relatives in America - and even with my liberalist, tolerant views, I am as appalled by these inane home-grown reactions to terrorist violence as I am by the heinous acts themselves! Think about it folks, and please challenge your friends and neighbours to understand all sides of the issues!
