‘I’m not sure a more disturbing term exists than “family annihilator.” Every five days, according to an analysis by the Indianapolis Star, a person murders his family.
94 percent of the time, the killer is a man.
86 percent of the time, he uses a gun.
84 percent of the time, his victim is a woman.
And, notably, these killings happen largely in the South and the Midwest: the conservative swaths of the U.S. where guns are broadly accessible, and where gender roles are more traditional. The question of why men kill their families isn’t all that complicated. These men are often deep narcissists who demand subservience and control. But that sense of entitlement is not inborn; it’s cultural, and it comes from a society, and particular communities, that tell men it is their birthright to lead, to be in charge, to provide, and to enjoy the respect of women, children, and broader society.
This kind of entitlement is supercharged in conservative communities that enforce traditional gender roles, and the sense of humiliation that comes with perceived “emasculation” can be supercharged in return. Communities in which traditional marriage remains a chief aspiration may also see more women tying themselves to less-than-ideal men, and more men believing that marriage imbues them with vast rights over their wife’s agency, her body and her future. And then there are the guns. The very presence of a handgun in the house makes a person seven times more likely to be killed. And men who are insecure about their masculinity, and men with more sexist beliefs, are more likely to be gun proponents and gun owners. No wonder we see these killings so much more often in conservative states, where guns are easy to get and there’s a higher concentration of sexist, insecure men who expect their wives to behave.’
The problem is conservativism, not guns.
Conservativism is the bane of the American nation.
94 percent of the time, the killer is a man.
86 percent of the time, he uses a gun.
84 percent of the time, his victim is a woman.
And, notably, these killings happen largely in the South and the Midwest: the conservative swaths of the U.S. where guns are broadly accessible, and where gender roles are more traditional. The question of why men kill their families isn’t all that complicated. These men are often deep narcissists who demand subservience and control. But that sense of entitlement is not inborn; it’s cultural, and it comes from a society, and particular communities, that tell men it is their birthright to lead, to be in charge, to provide, and to enjoy the respect of women, children, and broader society.
This kind of entitlement is supercharged in conservative communities that enforce traditional gender roles, and the sense of humiliation that comes with perceived “emasculation” can be supercharged in return. Communities in which traditional marriage remains a chief aspiration may also see more women tying themselves to less-than-ideal men, and more men believing that marriage imbues them with vast rights over their wife’s agency, her body and her future. And then there are the guns. The very presence of a handgun in the house makes a person seven times more likely to be killed. And men who are insecure about their masculinity, and men with more sexist beliefs, are more likely to be gun proponents and gun owners. No wonder we see these killings so much more often in conservative states, where guns are easy to get and there’s a higher concentration of sexist, insecure men who expect their wives to behave.’
'Family Annihilators': When Conservative America’s Fetish for Guns and Patriarchy Turns Deadly - Ms. Magazine
Every five days, a person murders his family. We see these killings more in conservative states, with more guns and more sexist men.
msmagazine.com
The problem is conservativism, not guns.
Conservativism is the bane of the American nation.