The Washington Post published an OpEd a couple of days ago (today in hard copy), “White men have much to discuss about mass shootings,” that is so silly it’s offensive. Or so offensive it’s silly.
Its argument, in (by?) a nutshell, is that since most mass murders are conducted by white men, why should we listen to solutions offered by white men.
Imagine if African American men and boys were committing mass shootings month after month, year after year. Articles and interviews would flood the media, and we’d have political debates demanding that African Americans be “held accountable.” Then, if an atrocity such as the Newtown, Conn., shootings took place and African American male leaders held a news conference to offer solutions, their credibility would be questionable. The public would tell these leaders that they need to focus on problems in their own culture and communities.
But when the criminals and leaders are white men, race and gender become the elephant in the room.
Nearly all of the mass shootings in this country in recent years — not just Newtown, Aurora, Fort Hood, Tucson and Columbine — have been committed by white men and boys. Yet when the National Rifle Association (NRA), led by white men, held a news conference after the Newtown massacre to advise Americans on how to reduce gun violence, its leaders’ opinions were widely discussed.
Perhaps this approach should not be dismissed out of hand. One of its virtues is that it encourages us to dismiss the palaver of all Democrats who are white men.
But even if it should not be dismissed out of hand, it should be dismissed. It takes a peculiar mind set, for example, to describe Major Nidal Malik Hassan, the Fort Hood murderer, as a “white man.” He is a Muslim terrorist who went on a rampage out of anger at the U.S. for committing war crimes.
Roger Clegg has more to say, from an email he has given me permission to quote:
Two thoughts: (a) The first paragraph is a real head-scratcher/knee-slapper, and certainly false. A better first paragraph would be, “If the Washington Post received an op-ed from two white males talking about how a hugely disproportinate number of street crimes and murders were committed by black males and how blacks needed to be held accountable for this, would it print it?” (b) I hadn’t realized that the Va Tech shooter and the Washington, DC snipers were all white males, as well as that black guy on the NY subway and the gang that killed Michelle Obama’s new BFF (and others?) in Chicago a few weeks ago, etc. Given the relatively small number of mass shooters, I wonder if white males really are overrepresented.
