Broken boys

“All but one of the 62 mass killings in the past 30 years was committed by boys or men. We respond by blaming guns, our inattentiveness to mental health, violence in the media or video games, or family values. Yes, all are players, but our daughters are able to find the same guns in the same homes, are about as likely to be mentally ill, have the same family values and are exposed to the same violence in the media. Our daughters, however, do not kill. It is our sons.” –Warren Farrell, USA Today

We, the editorial board of the Spartan Shield, are comprised of both males and females. We are both proud of and empowered by the experiences we’ve had within the Pleasant Valley School District. Our teachers and administrators encourage us, aid in our growth and support our endeavors—regardless of our gender.

In a society where hate and violence seemingly cannot cease to exist, we feel the students of PV generally exhibit characteristics that would make a parent proud. With confidence, we believe the serious issues our cover story explores are not serious issues in our district—but that doesn’t mean they do not exist within PV’s walls.

These issues are certainly present in our society, in our local community and even in our high school. Ignoring them will not solve the problem. The purpose of this cover story is not to shame an entire gender. It is to educate and inform. We hope to bring awareness to an issue that is poisoning youth—namely, boys—and show how society can strive for improvement.

Toxic masculinity is not the same thing as masculinity. As defined by political writer Amanda Marcotte, “Toxic masculinity is a specific model of manhood, geared toward dominance and control. It’s a manhood that views women as inferior…and valorizes violence as the way to prove one’s self to the world.”

The number of boys who become violent and/or misogynistic is alarmingly high, and the many statistics in the articles that follow will show those numbers are only growing. When piecing together the major problems young boys are facing today, the resulting epidemic isn’t shocking.

Consider the following details that, when put together, have caused the perfect storm: More and more boys are being raised without a father figure. Society expects boys to be devoid of all emotion except anger. Video games are more realistically violent than ever. Pop culture is filling the minds of youth with hateful words and images of powerful men who act badly, especially towards women. The age and method of young boys learning about sex is frighteningly unhealthy.

Toxic masculinity is wrong, and we can do better. Until boys stop shooting their classmates, until rape never occurs, and until we stop uttering phrases like “real men don’t cry,” we are not done with the issue of toxic masculinity.

We need boys to understand that emotions are healthy. Our society must model respect toward women. We need to stop stereotyping. We need to encourage positivity over negativity. We need to work together to ensure the next step we take is not a step back.