After the senseless murders of 12 people in a Colorado movie theater Friday, many commentators pointed at gun control (or the lack thereof) and violence in the media as explanations for this tragic event.

Gun control and media violence are relevant to understanding our violence-ridden culture, but an important variable is missing, which is the apparently not-so-obvious observation that in the majority of these violent acts, the perpetrators are male.

In the United States, more than 90 percent of violence against males and females is committed by males. Males and females have equal access to firearms, but a Gallup Poll in 2005 reported that 47 percent of men own a firearm while only 13 percent of females do. Females, who are quite likely to be victims of violence, are significantly less likely to own a firearm, even for protection.

That males are significantly more likely to commit acts of violence is not mentioned in discussion of this phenomenon. Consider acts of violence or aggression committed by women, whether in film or in reality. Questions typically asked by those seeking answers to such occurrences are "What is going on in the lives of girls that is leading them to act out in a violent manner?" Why is gender always in question when females commit crimes but never in question when males do?

Indeed, when the perpetrator of violence is male, gender is not discussed, blinding us to the larger cultural and institutional forces which shape individuals. Masculinity has become so intertwined with violence that it becomes invisible. Despite the fact that violence is an overwhelmingly male phenomenon, gender is not considered a factor in the causes of violence when it is probably the most salient issue.

So what is happening in the socialization process that encourages boys in our culture to turn to violence? According to Jackson Katz, author of "The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help," the issue is "not just violence in the media but the construction of violent masculinity as a cultural norm." Suggesting that our culture "promotes characteristics such as dominance, power, and control as means of establishing or maintaining manhood." Katz says that masculine identity is equal to power and the ability to "instill fear."

Parents, with implicit and explicit encouragement from the culture, raise boys to be strong, tough, invulnerable and emotionally inexpressive. Anger is the only emotion boys are allowed to feel. Other feelings must be stifled lest a boy be seen as a "sissy" or a "girl." Katz reports that sometimes when boys are victimized by the dominant system of masculinity, they use the too-easily-accessible "great equalizer," a weapon, to exact their revenge. How our culture defines "manhood" plays an important role in the prevalence of male violence in our world.

Our culture needs to examine the role of socialization to more completely understand violent masculinity. Parents and teachers play an important role. Parents, especially fathers, need to explore their assumptions about gender in their child rearing, to be willing to support their sons' full emotional lives, their vulnerability, sensitivity and compassion, and to be aware of the culture's attempts to shame boys into a gender straitjacket. In addition, parents and teachers must encourage boys to challenge stereotypical media images of masculinity.

Organizations and individuals need to work systematically to confront cultures that embrace gender violence, in particular the sports, video game, entertainment and pornography industries. Conversations about sexism, masculinity, and men's violence against women and other men are important throughout life, beginning in childhood. The shootings in Colorado cannot be addressed with just gun control legislation but instead must be examined in light of the more complex and broad cultural institutions that shape our humanity. Enlisting men in the cause is critical.

Linda Ann Scacco of West Hartford is licensed clinical psychologist and an adjunct faculty member in the Psychology Department at the University of Hartford. Molly Turro of West Hartford is a senior majoring in psychology at Smith College.

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