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Recent events remind us that political violence rarely ends with one act—it sparks more violence. Politicians then exploit that violence to score ideological points or to win votes. But too often, the spotlight skips over the men who actually commit these acts. On this episode of Revealing Men, host Randy Flood takes on a question he’s been wrestling with for decades: what causes manhood to turn deadly?
Flood challenges the idea that political ideology or heated rhetoric alone can explain America’s staggering number of mass shootings and recent ones categorized as political violence. After all, as he notes, plenty of women get angry and frustrated, even with the state of our nation and its players, yet nearly all mass shooters and assassins are men. Why?
With honesty and urgency, Flood turns the conversation toward what really drives men—especially young, white men—to enact their rage through violence. This episode invites listeners to look beyond partisan blame and grapple with deeper, more all-encompassing issues that plague men: the unhealthy and potentially dangerous way masculinity is narrowly defined and lived out in America today. Flood argues that rather than teaching males to talk it out, society tells men to either suck it up or act out feelings they dare not admit to themselves or others. This, Flood argues, causes problems for many men, and for a minority of men, it leads to lethal acts of violence.
Imagine a Different Way
Flood closes the podcast with these words:
“Friends, these are anxious times. Violence … feels close, but the way forward is not to build bigger walls or trade blame boxes; it’s to name the truth. A narrow, dominance-driven definition of masculinity, one that prizes conquests and power at the expense of others, is a root problem. …. If we can change what we mean by being a man, if we can build deeper connection, honest accountability, and courageous compassion, then we can protect our communities from both the sudden violence of a planning mind, a retribution mind, and the slow violence of institutional power that erodes communities. That’s what I believe, and that’s what we must work for.”
Listen and Learn More
Listen to this Revealing Men segment on the podcast platform of your choice. And for more conversations on the challenges men face, you can revisit the following podcasts and articles on this site:
Contact the Men’s Resource Center
The Men’s Resource Center provides in-person and online counseling, therapy, and coaching. Men can participate in men’s support groups as well as in individual sessions. For more information about these and other services, visit the “services” page on this site, call us at (616) 456-1178, or contact us online.
