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1. I definitely think that there is an over-emphasis on violent video games and whatnot in the media when most of these claims are unfounded or isolated incidents that have many other contributing factors. While I don't think a single reason different adolescents "snap" can be identified, I definitely see bullying, being baited, and general threats to their masculinity or place in the system as being much larger aspects of the issue. In going with your quote, I actually think that it would be beneficial if researched did look into the culture surrounding suburban middle class adolescents; while certainly different from African Americans in the city, it does shed a window into the different types of pressures and bullying that these individuals face.

2. Do you think mental illness plays a role in any of these cases?
In some, yes, but not in all. While I do think that in some cases mental illness did play a role, it bothers me that so many a quick to jump to the insanity plea just to get a lighter sentence in court. Some do suffer from the illnesses, but I think the insanity plea has been used as a scapegoat to get out of responsibility--this is really a shame because it endangers and can invalidate those who really are that but, like the boy who cried wolf, are not believed and are punished because of it.

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1. I agree with many of the points Kimmel's makes in this chapter. I have seen statistics to support the idea that men create far more acts of violence than women do and it has a lot to do with masculinity. Our society has had a strong shift towards exposing adolescents with much more "manly" violence in all aspects of their lives wether it is video games, movies, television, or other advertisements. Many of these adolescents are learning from these examples that they witness on a daily basis and when something or someone pushes them over the edge they are far more likely to have violent outbursts when their masculinity is called into  question.

2. I also believe that mental illness usually does have a large influence in these cases. Not all cases involve mental illness but the vast majority does. Some of these mental illnesses may not be as apparent as others but they could lead to adolescents to becoming more predisposed to a violent act that would be deemed to be only committed by someone with a mental illness.

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I too agree and disagree. More men than women engage in violent criminal activity. It may be that violence is being used to establish and express masculinity. However, I don't think school violence is caused by any one particular trigger, but is instead a result of a combination of factors. I believe it is fair to say that masculinity plays a role, but so too can poverty, violence at home, school bullying and mental illness. Each individual has their own driving forces.  School violence is  a multifaceted  problem and therefore requires a range of solutions. I do believe that masculinity is culturally driven.  Young boys are encouraged to be rough, tough and engage in typical boy activities throughout childhood and adolescence to demonstrate their masculinity. A certain level of roughness is accepted by boys that is not accepted of girls. I have often heard, "Oh, they are just being boys." But when girls engage in similar physical behavior, often described as rough-housing for boys, the girls are told, "Stop. That is not how a lady should act." Watching a movie or playing video games alone may not be the root cause of violence, but I do believe it may inspire violence when other underlying problems exist.  A young man that is depressed, experiencing violence at home or has other problems may by incited to violence after watching violent films or playing violent games. Our teens are spending more and more time socializing through the internet and less time socializing in person with peers or adult male role models.

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1. I agree with Kimmel's thoughts to some degree. I do agree that most children would not act upon and recreate the violence that they see on television. Although, there are some adolescents that would be influenced by the violence that they see on tv. Students may not go to the lengths of shooting up their school but they may pick up on more "subtle" forms of violence.
2. I definitely believe that mental illness plays a role in these cases. I in no way think that every student with a mental illness acts to these extremes. If an adolescent has a mental illness and is not properly treated then they may be more likely to act out in hopes to recieve help. I believe that when a student acts so violently they are doing so in hopes of receiving the help that they need in order to combat their illness.

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1.) I think this cultural narrative that is somehow trying to malign white males as inherently violent. That violence is used as method of justice for alienated white students. I think this is largely a red herring. What caused the mental illness? What caused the lack of moral character that the student resorted to violence? I can tell that most of our problems in American culture don't come from something innately evil within  Europeans. It comes from the deconstruction of the family, the absence of the father in the home, and a neglect of the child's inner life by the mother. That is where the story lies. The deconstruction of traditional marriage and family concepts by the left has created men without identities and a society that has told them their inner lives are worthless. Fatherlessness more than anything else is to blame. I do not agree with the author in his diagnosis of the problem.

2. I do think mental illness plays a factor it may be a necessary but not sufficient cause for mass shootings. The mental illness cannot be separated from context of the event (the bullying, lack of intervention for the victim, questioning of masculinity etc.). Perhaps we are being unrealistic in trying to find a rationality for an inherently irrational and evil act.

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1) I would have to say that I agree with Kimmel's points that he has made. I do not think that a child will go to school and shoot kids because of some crazy movie he has seen on TV. However, I do think that a child's masculinity and kids being bullied is one of the main causes that a child may commit violent acts to his classmates. I also believe that having mental healthy issues plays a huge roll and when added being mad fun of and called "gay" or a "fag" all the time just makes the situation worse.
2) Like I wa saying, I believe that mental illness probably plays the biggest roll in a child shooting his classmates. A healthier child for lack of better words would probably just be upset and cry an d go home, but a child with mental health issues would not be able think rationally and may end up doing something terrible. I do also think that the amount a child is bullied about their masculinity can just make the situation even worse.

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1. I agree with some aspects of Kimmel's theory and disagree with others. It is interesting to look at school shootings as a product of needing to show masculinity.  If these boys are told they aren't masculine enough that it gets to a point they need to prove it, shooting someone could seem like a good option.  I think it is very possible this is one reason. However, where do young people get their opinions of what is masculine?  Why are shooting and killing included in their view of masculinity?  Could it be the media influence that Kimmel completely discounts? There are plenty of video games, movies, and TV shows that revolve around male characters that shoot and kill people for many reasons. Many adolescents are accustomed to seeing characters killed in video games only to "respawn" or bring the game, not the life of the player, to an end. Could it be that these influences and their young age prevents them from realizing the severity of their actions and the finality of death?  Without researching this myself, these seem like plausible questions to ask.  Maybe masculinity is the overriding factor but we need to take into account why this type of thing is seen as the ultimate act of masculinity, and it seems possible media could heavily influence that.

2. I certainly think that mental illness can play a role in some cases. There are many mental illnesses out there and several could contribute to someone taking this course of action. When something takes over your mind you can loose your ability to reason and rationalize and your judgement can easily be impaired. Because these diseases are so complex and there are so many it is hard to tell what they could cause someone to do but it is certainly a possibility.

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I both agree and disagree with Kimmel's theory. I agree because certainly within the white, male community maintaining masculinity is important. I think that when Kimmel puzzles over why African males do not repeat mass shooting in the same way we must look at culture. Is there an anticipated amount of teasing that may irritate a person but inevitably the blow it off? In other words, are they secure enough that the same homophobic insults do not other them the same way? My disagreement is in that I believe it is several concerns contributing to an adolescent young man snapping and shooting up a school. Yes, if they go into a school and kill people there is more than likely some kind of mental illness. Without a doubt, the relentless teasing will cause major distress, and there may even be a correlation to the media that person is exposed to. If not through a video game or movie how would teens so young know how to obtain, load, fire, and have knowledge of the damage that the weapons do? Sure maybe a few had parents that were involved in firearms. But I bet shooter games are more of the tutorial for these young men.

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Chapter 6 discusses masculinity and how masculinity leads to violence in schools. Michael S. Kimmel talks about how the majority of people think that the media, television, music, movies, video games, etc. are the reason that kids go to school and commit violent acts. However, he does not agree that what kids watch on television has an impact on them going to school and shooting it up. He states that there is no evidence or research that links school shootings to violent movies, television shows, or video games. Kimmel argues that masculinity is the cause for all the school shootings that we see happening today. He argues that because this kids were bullied, tortured mercilessly,  and "gay-baited" that they eventually broke down and snapped. That their masculinity was taken away and in today's society that is the worst thing that could happen to a male.

Some interesting quotes from the chapter. "As the shooters have become White and suburban middle-class boys, the public has shifted the blame away from group characteristics to individual psychological problems, assuming...that their behavior was explainable by some psychopathological factor." "If all the shooters had been poor African American boys in inner-city schools, it is much less likely that their acts would have been seen as deviant or pathological. Instead, discussions would have centered on the effects of the culture of poverty or the "normativity" of violence among inner-city youth."

Questions:

1. Do you agree or disagree with Kimmel and the points that he made?

2. Do you think mental illness plays a role in any of these cases?