High -profile school shootings: How violence is hidden in masculinity expectations.
Item
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Title
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High -profile school shootings: How violence is hidden in masculinity expectations.
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Identifier
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AAI3063847
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identifier
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3063847
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Creator
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Klein, Jessica Sharon.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Stanley Aronowitz
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Date
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2002
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, General | Sociology, Criminology and Penology | Sociology, Social Structure and Development
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Abstract
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Between 1996 and 2001, 14 boys from suburban and rural communities killed 39 people and wounded 92 in school shootings across the nation; fatalities included 32 children, 14 boys, and 18 girls. Two patterns emerged among these cases that thus far have been overlooked by the media. These boys responded to one or both of the following behaviors. They targeted other boys they called "preps and jocks" who attacked their masculinity by calling them "gay" and/or they aimed at girls who had rejected them. When these boys stated their motives they said they meant to seek revenge on boys who teased them and girls who refused them: boys who attacked their masculinity and girls who rejected it. They communicated these complaints in manifestos, videos, and school essays, and to friends, parents, and teachers. Yet everything but gender was blamed. The media highlighted the most common explanations: gun control laws, violence in the media, bad parents, evil character, and the belief that there was no explanation at all. The role of gender was almost entirely absent in media analysis of these crimes. The "boys will be boys" explanation made it possible to miss the "warning signs"; their reactive violence and rage were perceived instead as normal aspects of their masculinity. This thesis analyzes media reports of these crimes in order to explore why the role of gender continues to be overlooked even as it emerges consistently as a motivating factor.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
