Without even hearing the details of the Parkland, Fla., massacre, we all knew right away that the shooter was a young man.
This latest school shooting has triggered a widespread focus on men as the problem. Though not the first time this gender issue has been identified, it is an insight whose time seems to have arrived in the mainstream media: numerous articles have named toxic masculinity as a key influence on the identity and behavior of mass shooters.
We know our boys are raised in a culture of violence. When hurting, they strike out in anger. That's what our leaders do, what our fathers have done, and what our culture does.
Our boys learn at a young age to shield vulnerability by directing violence at others: pets, playmates, schoolmates, and eventually at intimate partners.