Fighting Feminism…?

I have heard of the Ecole Polytechnique Massacre (A.K.A. the Montreal Massacre) before, but never have I actually read about it in detail. My initial thoughts after reading: What the hell is wrong with this guy…? Before I thought it was simply a psychopath on a killing spree for no apparent reason.

On December 6, 1989, twenty-five-year-old Marc Lepine, armed with a rifle and hunting knife, shot twenty-eight people before killing himself at the Ecole Polytechnique. He claimedto be “fighting feminism…”

What the hell… What was going through this man’s mind? Did he really believe that women were stealing away his rights? How does this man define the word “rational?” How can you go around killing women, blaming how they ruined your life, when your MOTHER, a WOMAN, GAVE you life?! There is no way I will ever be able to understand the thinking process he went through to come to his “rational” conclusion.

Of course this event is incredibly significant in Canadian history, as it lead to many social changes afterwards such as increased gun control laws. Furthermore, this date is now remembered as the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. And although initially an extremely dark and sad incident, I believe some positive changes have arisen from the massacre.

Today, the view on gender equality has become less of an issue. Obviously not all sex discrimination has been erased, (nor will it ever become completely non-existent,) but the world has taken significant strides in the past years. My generation of children and teenagers are more open minded now than they ever had been in history. The thought of killing innocent people just because they are women is something incomprehensible to most. I personally feel anger and confusion when reading about this story. Why did it happen? What could have been done to prevent this? In the end, whats happened has happened, and we can only move forward. It’s awesome that the date has been remembered for so long, and the world has made vast improvements in response to the massacre.

I am utterly speechless after reading upon such a dreadful event, but I am glad to know that it is not only me that thinks this way. All my friends and peers will agree with me on the notion that this man, was indeed insane. It is reassuring to know that the youth in today’s society does not discriminate (as much as people in the past did) on people of different on gender or even skin colour or cultural backgrounds.

After reading on such a dark event in our country’s history, it really sparked my interest. How does the rest of the world view gender equality? Am I not the only one who thinks how I think? I cannot help but look forward to next semester.