“Not talking about the pink elephant in the living room doesn’t mean it’s not there and doesn’t stop it from doing horrendous damage.” ~Lisa Merlo-Booth
On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, another angry young male carried out yet another mass shooting. This young male shooter entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, barricaded himself inside a classroom, and killed 19 10-year-old children and two teachers. Before killing the children, he shot his grandmother. This mass shooting took place just 10 days after another mass shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., that took the lives of 10 people.
Another angry, young male
Another Mass shooting by ANOTHER angry male.
Why are we not talking about the carnage angry males are doing? Why are we not talking about the violence men are inflicting on women, children, and each other? There’s a giant pink elephant tromping around our entire country, and nobody wants to talk about it.
It’s guns
It’s mental illness
It’s Republicans, the NRA, the…
The bottom line is that while it may be all of the above, the reality is that angry males are shooting up the schools, raping women, and killing at an alarming rate. Every time someone says this, though, it’s immediately followed by:
- Men are the victims too.
- Why are we attacking men?
- What are you a “manhater”?
- And, of course, violent threats to those who dare to name this pink elephant. Threats made by—guess who? ANGRY MEN.
The list goes on, but the message is the same—don’t see what you see; don’t acknowledge the pink elephant stomping all across our country; And, for God’s sake—DO NOT call out the angry men.
There’s a problem in our country today that goes beyond guns and mental illness. Until we acknowledge this problem and try to solve it, no amount of gun control, counseling, or voting will stop another angry male from wreaking havoc in the lives of countless innocent victims—many of whom will be his loved ones. And regarding guns—of course, we need to create better, safer gun laws. Frankly, the fact that this is even a question is mind-blowing. Why do we need gun laws? Because we have angry young men who can’t wait to turn 18 to buy their first AR-15 rifle and wreak havoc on the humanity that raised them to be so damn angry.
I’m enraged, heartbroken, and at a loss that, on this Memorial Day, more families are reeling from the incomprehensible violence of two additional mass shootings that took the lives of their loved ones. My heart goes out to all of those families. I hope that radically more people find the courage to step up in new ways to change the discourse, actions, and horrific frequency of mass shootings in our country today.
Challenge: Do something different. Choose to make a difference. Have the hard conversations. Dare to see the pink elephant in your living room and in our world. Stop placating angry men. We need level-headed, healthy, mature men and women joining together to stand up against patriarchy, hate, racism, and the entire aggressive, power-over paradigm of power. Stop encouraging toxic masculinity and raising boys to be emotionally shut down, angry men. STOP. JUST STOP.