>>>As a young teen, some classmates called me over to one of their houses. I went because I hoped to befriend them. When I poked my head in the door way, a 12 gauge shotgun blast blew a hole in the front door. I had nothing they wanted or needed. The authorities wondered what I did to deserve this. They then treated it as a case of boys being boys. The big hole in the door was my evidence. Women don't normally have such evidence, right? Unlike me, women have something desirable. The school, the town, the news and the police covered it up. We were advised to move out of town. Canada is such a friendly place. This is exactly what women experience? In fact, the vice principal met me in Toronto at a FoxPro conference. I think Mike Feltman heard this story from him.
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>>>This was in Alberta. I know for a fact my being from Montreal was part of their reason. It was a lynching, mob justice that failed. Thank God they did not know I am 25% Black and my biological grandmother was Jewish.
>>>
>>>This is human behavior.
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>>No, this, too, is toxic masculinity. Those boys should have been prosecuted and punished. The people who gave them access to a shotgun should have been punished, too.
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>>Way too often, boys are not punished because it will ruin their futures. In the meantime, the people they harm aren't given the same consideration.
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>>Tamar
>
>It could have been done with anything, a baseball bat, or a rope. So banning guns isn't the answer. All masculinity is perceived as toxic, but no femininity is considered toxic. Had I a gun there would have been one less ass around, toxic or not. I would call it self defense even if he had no bullets. We walk around wishing to be free, but we are all caged by "humanity".

Mike, I say this in all sincerity. It is clear from this discussion that you have real scars from things that have happened to you. I urge you to find a therapist and work through that pain.

Tamar