gun control masculinity
© Tithi Luadthong
Whenever a story about male violence dominates the news, it sets off the same range of discussions about how masculinity may be destroying our society. The aftermath of February's horrific mass shooting in Parkland, Florida has been no different. Now the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012, Parkland has rightfully reawakened contentious debates around gun control and what we need to do as a nation to prevent more tragedies involving gun violence.

But at the same time, an onslaught of think pieces have fingered "toxic masculinity," as the culprit behind America's gun violence epidemic, with some propagating the idea that "the patriarchy" and "white male privilege" promote homicidal behavior. In fact, toxic masculinity has become the scapegoat for just about everything undesirable under the sun, from gun violence to sexual assault to shorter lifespans. But placing overwhelming blame on one sex is precarious territory.

Proponents of toxic masculinity claim the term is being used to criticize the male gender role, which in their minds is socially constructed and learned behavior. In fact, what they are actually doing is castigating men as a whole.

There's been a similar push to claim that gun violence isn't the result of mental illness, but of being male. When news of the Florida shooting broke, President Donald Trump referred to the shooter as a "sicko," setting off both a knee-jerk reaction to oppose whatever comes out of his mouth and the need to combat the myth that people who suffer from mental health conditions, like psychosis and bipolar disorder, are more prone to violence. Although de-stigmatizing mental illness is undoubtedly necessary, obscuring the truth for this purpose is not. On top of it, some of advocates believe that toxic masculinity should be considered a mental illness in its own right. But does it really make sense to write off half of the population so broadly? Do all men truly have the potential to take the lives of innocent people?

As someone who has worked clinically with mentally disordered offenders, including men who have committed violent crimes like assault and murder, I can say that being masculine is not an inherently pathological trait. Extreme instances of aggression that transgress social boundaries and harm other people, in the case of domestic violence and mass murders, are not the male norm and shouldn't be misrepresented as such. Instead, they are a sign that something has gone terribly wrong in an individual, and in the vast majority of cases, antisocial personality disorder - otherwise known as a pervasive disregard for the wellbeing of others - is the culprit.

When we turn to research that has been done on this topic, a recent meta-analysis of 74 studies suggests that conforming to masculine norms has a greater influence on whether someone seeks help for their psychological issues, as opposed to their mental health, per se. So, it's not correct to assume that men, simply by virtue of being masculine, are at a greater risk of having mental problems.

A slew of pseudo-academic papers would have you believe otherwise, however. Consider "Refusing To Be a Man," a paper published more than 30 years ago in Women's Studies International Forum, that somehow still qualifies as academic scholarship. The author, who I presume considers himself to be a male feminist, laments about being "genitally male" and writes about his wish to rid his life of "male sexual behavior programming," as well as "masculinist lies" (presumably, the 1984 version of "toxic masculinity") and "phallic imperialism."

But masculinity isn't simply taught through cultural norms or the media. It's the result of testosterone's influence both before and after birth. The hormone is associated with dominance, aggression and risk-seeking behaviors. Because males are exposed to higher levels of testosterone, we see greater instances of rough-and-tumble play in young boys, and this is why these characteristics, especially in their extreme forms, are seen as predominantly in men. We don't see the same prevalence of violent crime or gun violence among women, not because women have been socialized to be less violent, but because they are typically exposed to lower levels of testosterone.

As of late, there has been a growing trend of trying to corral and assimilate the sexes in the name of gender equality (or its more woke incarnation, "gender parity"). I've written before about the pressure for girls to behave more like boys and how female-typical interests and activities, including occupations in non-STEM disciplines, are under-valued. Of course, I don't think there's anything wrong with boys behaving in a feminine way, and I do believe removing barriers for men so that they feel comfortable talking about their emotions and seeking support can be beneficial. But encouraging these changes in an effort to "cure" toxic masculinity isn't going to solve the problem of gun violence. A more proper solution would involve identifying at-risk youth before they begin acting out violently.

Men don't need to behave like women in order to be healthier, more lawful or altogether better citizens. The mainstream discourse, however, suggests otherwise, and is rapidly reaching a point of absurdity. Take a gander at a few recent headlines: "The Patriarchal Race to Colonize Mars Is Just Another Example of Male Entitlement," "Beware the Man with No Female Friends" and "Emma Stone Delivered The Perfect Burn To The Oscars' Male-Dominated Director Category."

Shaming and humiliating men for being male-typical is counterproductive and only lends to further polarization between the sexes. We can condemn malignant behavior without de-humanizing masculinity. Personally, I hope to see the words "toxic masculinity" disappear from the vernacular before it has any lasting implications on public policy and the shaping of young boys' developmental trajectories. Looking at serious societal issues through the same fantastical lens is not only skewed and tedious, but ineffective.

Debra W. Soh holds a PhD in sexual neuroscience research from York University and writes about the science and politics of sex. Her writing has appeared in Harper's, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Globe and Mail and many others. Follow her and her writing: @DrDebraSoh.