Fighting Social Blinders When Understanding Violence

  While reading the Hatty article, I was disturbed by the apparent result of some of our social conditioning. Especially when reading about the murder of Leigh Leigh, readers could see the results of masculine competition mixed with the psychological occurrence of groupthink and the desire for power. It reminded me of a murder committed in my hometown, which centered around a group of mentally-deficient people (both male and female) who tortured, raped, and killed a woman with the mental capacity of a 12 year old. The details are absolutely horrendous and I don't feel much like describing them for anyone, but suffice to say that many issues, some related to gender, were all at play and, for me, speaks of the importance of avoiding preconceptions and taking into account that gender issues were not the sole reason of the murder. If we pigeonhole ourselves into creating the "sex monster" that Hatty describes, we will never be able to change our current practices in order to avoid future tragedies. The definition used in Hatty was extremely effective. It read, "The monster is the bodily incarnation of difference from the basic human norm; it is a deviant, and a-nomaly; it is abnormal." Viewed in this way, bystanders have little agency in preventing such a monster. While some citizens are certainly biologically predisposed to these kinds of heinous crimes, that by all means does not mean that everyone else is helpless. Culture is so focused on demonizing the male form and their endless supply of libido, or the idea of 'the outsider' with little interest in mainstream society, that they do not comprehend that these single narratives are in no way absolute.
    Take, for instance, the case of Phoebe Price, who ended her own life after being harassed and bullied by her peers. The media instantly demonized the girls who were accused, choosing to adopt the stereotypical narrative of the physically attractive girls terrorizing someone lower than themselves on the social totem pole. However, it was later discovered that in her home country, there were several account that found that Phoebe was often the one perpetrating this violence on others. What everyone failed to realize is that the two are not mutually exclusive. Neither side is 'evil' and Phoebe Prince was not able to receive the help that she so desperately needed because school officials believed that intervention was not needed. As is often the case, Phoebe was accused of being a "whore" and a "slut," adding another gendered layer to such an unfortunate case. I have included two links below further elaborating on the issues I was discussing. I could type for days and still not be able to break the surface on how or why these events occurred. All I can hope for is that more people understand that there are socio-economic, political, and social changes that can be made to prevent such tragedies from happening again.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6202062-504083.html
http://jezebel.com/5616690/phoebe-prices-past-adds-another-layer-to-the-story