MODERN IFIGENIA

There was always an internal confidence my dad had that made me proud of him and jealous that I didn't carry. That confidence was borne from him being a man, not any man, but A MAN-a fully grown adult who didn't depend on anyone to meet his needs. Americans only conceptualize of machismo from an American masculinity lens, but machismo is a bit more complex than simply a more extreme version of American masculinity, while machismo does demand that the woman in the household cook the meals, it also demands that if the woman is sick, is not around, or just walked away, a macho can cook a meal and feed himself and his family-a macho doesn't need ANYONE. If clothes aren't laundered a macho would show up to work in clothes he washed and pressed himself, because, again, he doesn't NEED ANYONE, having a wife to do all of the household chores is just a "perk" of being a man. I am not glamorizing this outlook as it is highly toxic and problematic; just as in the U.S...

So there has been another mass shooting, and the pro-gun-control folks are already talking gun-control measures and the anti-gun control folks are talking mental health, defense of self, family and country. I am tired of this conversation. In light of what happened in Charlottesville earlier this year, and to Philando Castile last year, I know that these are just delusions of grandeur chatter from the pro-gun group. Chat of primarily weak men relying on guns to help them feel masculine, a masculinity that is lazy, toxic and wouldn't be masculine in any other part of the world. I am not a violent person, have shot a rifle once in my lifetime, have no need to have a gun, but it would be nice to know that these gun-rights people, when debating policies that affect the common good,  would actually be sincere and walk their talk when they have to. But they are fundamentally weak people, with their guns serving as a mask of masculinity they are trying desperately to belong to. I ca...