Terrorism And Violence: The Products Of Toxic Masculinity

When shedding light on recent and historical terrorist attacks, Janey Stephenson points towards the common denominator in all of the attacks: men. She believes that men are continuing to commit these violent acts not just because they are men but because they are subject to “toxic masculinity.” She believes this toxicity stems from the beliefs that men feel the need to exert their strength over others in order to incite fear through violent acts which in turn heightens their power. Stephenson furthers this point by stating that toxic masculinity “promotes the absence of empathy altogether” and “the dismissal of anything deemed feminine, and the hatred of anything that contradicts heteronormative ideals around what it means to be a “man”. So anything that does not live up to society’s idea of a man must be done away with by any means, namely violence. Stephenson believes that the only difference between a man that commits a terrorist attack versus a man that engages in domestic violence is that they want to incite fear among a larger audience. These violent acts happen every day and everywhere, but until we bring light to all acts of violence instead of just the major attacks will change occur.

Stephenson also argues that to stop these terrorist attacks and various acts of violence, we must recognize that the root cause lies in the fact that these men are products of their environment. They thrive off the control they obtain over others by committing these violent acts and the inequality toxic masculinity creates. This toxic masculinity takes on many forms including, “white supremacy”, “sexism”, “rape culture”, and “patriarchy”, institutions that are based in inequality. Stephenson believes that the only way to stop the products of toxic masculinity is to “dismantle societal structures that entitle, enable and empower men to use violence in all its forms to exert power and control”. To put an end to toxic masculinity and terrorist attacks society has to stop allowing this ingrained system and mindset to manifest.

Like Stephenson, Deutsch points towards a systematic male salience in society that breeds a variety of behaviors and perceptions. Stephenson terms this male salience as “toxic masculinity” while Deutsch terms it “male privilege.” Although Stephenson discusses the darker side of male salience, both writers believe that men have a lot of power in society which can sometimes result in violence or default advantages. Stephenson believes that our society breeds toxic masculinity, causing men to crave control resulting in terrorists’ attacks, other acts of violence or inequality among inferior groups. Deutsch mentions that male privilege allows men to cruise through life in a way women can’t by being allowed to “be aggressive”, being perceived as more competent, and not being criticized for every action or decision they make. Both writers seem to believe that male salience is everywhere mainly because society perpetuates its existence.