Article Analysis of Suicide by Mass Murder Essay Example

The article, “Suicide by Mass Murder: Masculinity, Aggrieved Entitlement, and Rampage School Shootings” written by Rachel Kalish and Michael Kimmel (2010) examines hegemonic masculine culture in relation to suicide by mass shootings. The article examines the creation of hegemonic masculinity which has created “aggrieved entitlement” (Kalish & Kimmel, 2010, p.452). Kalish and Kimmel (2010) states, “We do so to elucidate how the culture of hegemonic masculinity available to young American men encourages the use of violence to avenge a perceived challenge to their masculine identity” (p.452). In the author’s view is that to humiliate someone is to take away their “manhood”. When there are attacks on one’s “manhood” suicide by mass murder can regain one's “power” back.  The article identifies the gender gap in suicide in which women are more likely to commit suicide, yet men have a higher death rate from suicide. One of the reasons behind this is the choice of method used in the attempt to commit suicide. A theorist the article draws from is Emile Durkheim and his work on suicide. Durkheim focuses on individual behavior indicating mental illness regarding to suicide. It was believed in Durkheim’s view that there are external social facts such as egoistic that contributed to that individual performing the act of suicide. The article identifies patterns that confirm this observation. Kalish and Kimmel identify external factors such as humiliation to be strongly associated with teenage boys having “aggrieved entitlement”. This “aggrieved entitlement” caused by harassment and bullying leads to these teenage boys in the article feeling to need to regain their power by mass murder.

The authors Kalish and Kimmel expand on the work of theorists such as Émile Durkheim by identifying that suicide is individual behavior that has external social factors associated with it, but it takes a deeper examination on the hegemonic masculinity culture. The authors identify that this Hegemonic masculinity culture has fostered an attitude of entitlement amongst teen boys, also referred to as aggrieved entitlement. The research is done to substantiate the author's arguments are through qualitative case studies. The Authors identify 30 mass school shootings over the last 30 years, but the article specifically focuses on three cases that were located in Columbine high school, Virginia Tech, and Northern Illinois. Kalish and Kimmel used media coverage to support their findings. These findings were gathered from three major newspapers, and 3 major magazine outlets. The weakness found in this article is that there were only 3 cases that were studied in-depth on the topic in this article. 

Reading this article contributes to our gender and masculinity classes because it reinforces that behaviors such as suicide “are also seen through a gendered lens and this affects how the actors are viewed” (Kalish & Kimmel, 2010, p.456).  When women commit suicide it is associated with depression yet when men commit suicide it is associated with violent behaviors. For a guy to have suicidal thoughts is deemed as weak and arguably overcorrection is murder. “Murder is not weak and slow-witted, distancing himself from feminized impotence or weakness; ‘Murder is gutsy and daring’, showing that he feels more power from his murderous acts” (as cited in Kalish & Kimmel, p. 459).

The social Phenomenon that is consistently presented in this article is the feeling of victimization and resentment felt by men leading to aggrieved entitlement. Today’s culture has created a society of pressured gender norms and normalized bullying. (Kalish & Kimmel, 2010).