- Massacre in Nova Scotia linked to domestic violence Archived Message
Posted by Jackie
on April 26, 2020, 3:30 pm
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From the last update by the police - The first woman who was assaulted but survived [by managing to escape and hide in the forest all night] was in a [long term common law] relationship with the gunman. [The police spokesperson] says her escape 'could very well have been the catalyst to start the chain of events.' Not only did he attack his partner, he executed several strangers but also many people against whom he held grudges. As I said before, this is an extreme and blatant example of a phenomenon that endangers everyone. I have a sick joke that comes to mind whenever I hear of a man attacking his former partner - Why would she ever leave a nice guy like that? A few years ago in this province, a Canadian veteran of Afghanistan who was suffering from PTSD and did not get the care he needed killed his mother, his wife (who was in the process of leaving him), and his 10 yr old daughter. Another extreme example of incidents that happen way, way too often. And it has to be asked, why do they go after women? I don't hate the perpetrators of this violence. My heart breaks for what they are missing by being so alienated from what makes life beautiful. Society needs to wrap loving arms around boys and men when they start to go off the rails, and get them the help they need to deal with their uncontrollable and destructive tendencies. Excerpts below are from this article: https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/featured/male-violence-a-pandemic-in-its-own-right/ ... [Part of a statement from the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia]: We must not dilute this problem by speaking of a single act of rage but rather recognize that male violence is part of a bigger social problem of entitlement and toxic masculinity. We need to recognize the underlying attitudes and beliefs that tolerate and normalize smaller acts of violence against women and perpetuate an environment that leads to deadly outcomes. We must not dismiss the root causes of this horrific problem if we wish to prevent future tragedies like this. The male violence inflicted upon women and their children every day is a pandemic in its own right. The violence is not exclusive to the woman: it can include threats against children, the woman’s extended family, friends, neighbours, pets and often last for years, even after the relationship has ended. Violence against women takes place in quiet rural communities as well as large cities. It does not respect age, wealth or occupation. ... Ross says we all need to look at the social conditions and the culture in which people are raised and how we are building peaceful relationships in our society. “This calls for a reflection on what kind of culture we’ve created and what do we do to support boys and men in ways that are non-violent,” Ross says. “Most of the messaging we get is violent.” |