Time to Pay the Piper - Again

It’s not only terrible, disturbing, and sad, it’s also really pathetic. Suicide missions like the one in Glasgow and the many other ones committed elsewhere around the world are a symptom of a problem we refuse to acknowledge: Whether it’s a suicide attack, a mass shooting, genocide, or some other form of violent destruction or otherwise blatant disrespect of life, 99% of it is committed by men.

To keep the hate mail, verbal abuses, and death threats to a manageable bit size, however, I will proffer some atonement by clarifying that, of course, not all men are murderers. That being said, however, it is amazing, don’t you think, how many men can become murderers given the ‘right’ circumstances. Just check out accounts of war crimes, torture, and death camp atrocities committed by ‘normal’ blokes.

If one has the courage and is willing to face the sad and disturbing reality of humanity there is one blatant fact screaming at us loudly: MEN CAN BE A THREAT TO LIFE.

But that fact is never stated. Maybe it’s a given but I wonder if it is such a well-known problem, why is it not being solved. After all we are tackling problems such as nuclear proliferation, climate change, and the odds of quantum theory. Why not devote some time to the oddities of the male psyche? It can’t be that difficult to figure out.

I’ll just give it shot: A male child is four times more likely to develop autism than a female child. Autistic children experience social interaction as confusing and as offering little reward. They are usually drawn towards the world of objects or abstract concepts and, generally, manifest an inability of feeling empathy. The symptoms of autism can be more or less severe and sometimes go undiagnosed.

Now let’s take this a step further: In day to day life men manifest low levels of autistic behavior more often than women and if under pressure are capable of extreme acts of anti-social behavior. Mild forms include electric train collectors, car fanatics, computer freaks. The tougher form includes all those daddies who after thinking it over for a while decide that having a family is not that sexy after all. And from here we can just follow the continuum to the guy who thinks that a mini skirt is an invitation for rape.

The potential to objectify human beings is a truly worrisome element of the male psyche that should call a lot more attention than it does. Why, in a world that loves to break with taboos, are we so reluctant about this one: The blank spots of the male psyche. Could it be because men are still the ones who control politics, markets, and public opinion? Just a thought.

However, by thus implicitly condoning male transgressions and putting off needed research, censoring public debate, and failing to propose viable solutions to address this problem, all men become implicated in the crimes committed by a minority of them. All men and those women who think that there is nothing they can do anyway.

We all pay, folks.