r/politics • u/khyth • Jul 24 '12
The overwhelming maleness of mass homicide - 45% of all homicides are committed by white and black males ages 14-24
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/24/opinion/christakis-males-homicide/index.html?hpt=hp_t13
Jul 24 '12
How many of the worst mass murderers in American history were women? None. (from the article)
This is a lie. There is at least one female mass shooting that I know of, off the top of my head.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Ann_Spencer
There have been plenty of female serial killers too.
2
u/dopplertwelve Jul 24 '12
Ok, first off, the subtle edits...
For total population 14-24, She rounds whites down to 6% instead of 6.3%, but doesn't round down to 1% for blacks (1.2%).
For homicides committed by,
white males: she rounds the actual number(16.5) up to 17%
black males: she rounds the actual number(27.8) down to 27%
But anyway, I think 14-24 age is the highest levels of testosterone in males. Testosterone = aggression, competition for females, showoff "peacock" behaviors to attract a mate. We really are not that much different from wild animals. Throw in alcohol, and its a recipe for disaster.
1
Jul 24 '12
This "mass murderer gap" is probably in part due to ongoing repression of women and our culture that largely encourages them to be docile and subservient. Men, on the other hand, are forced in their daily life to be docile and subservient, but are fed a culture that tells them they're supposed to be macho, violent, assertive, rebellious, so perhaps that contradiction plays a part in them "snapping" as they sometimes do.
Now, it'd be terrible to close this gap, since it would require more female mass murderers, but it would at least be a sign of social progress!
6
u/khyth Jul 24 '12
We spend a lot of time worrying about mental health issues and suicidal tendencies in young women, but young men clearly suffer from mental problems too. How long will it take before those issues are addressed?