Masculinity through the barrel of a gun

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You could always ask your Sociology teacher how they feel being a teacher of a pseudo science.

That one really pisses social science majors off, because psychology and sociology don't match up in the slightest half the time.

But back on topic, no, I don't carry because I'm "compensating." I carry because I want to defend myself and my friends and family. Simple as that.

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Having taught at a college for 5 years myself, I made up a saying:
College is where you exchange intelligence for knowledge.
Ask your Sosc instructor what he/she thinks of that.
Unfortunately, colleges have become bastions of liberal thought, and the chief ill of the college instructor is to think all knowledge is owned by those "smart" enough to teach.
The ability to think, reason, and learn, which should be the first skill promoted at college, is actually frowned upon in most circles there, and should someone be so bold as to challenge the "vast pool" of liberal thought, they will shortly be eschewed.
The ridiculous thought that OC by armed citizens, male or not, should be equated with the machismo of a thug, is so completely outside any reason or probability, that I wouldn't even bother to argue with someone so bigoted as to promote such an idea.

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Here is a story for you to pass on to your ivory tower professor about why this man carries a gun everywhere.

On 31 March 2007 a former friend of mine came to where I went to college and shot one of his acquaintances from high school. Three days later he did the same thing 300 miles to the south. He was captured in Nevada in the stolen car of his second victim. Earlier in that month he tried to kill another acquaintance in Tucson, AZ. I went to church with the shooter for a number of years and knew him fairly well, I even saw him regularly in college as he lived on the floor below me until he was kicked out of school in 2005. He was a bit different and never really got along with anyone. He knew where I lived and had my phone number from previous contacts.

The Sunday after the first killing in Moscow, ID I got a phone call at 0430hrs. According to the police I am damned lucky I didn't answer as that call was mentioned in the shooter's interrogations. Simply put, he was looking for me. Following the first shooting the news mentioned that my former friend was a suspect and I spent 3 days in my fraternity with my 870 before I left for a ROTC conference in Florida, during which he was arrested. I didn't walk around my house with an 870 to compensate, I did it because I was honestly scared for my life.

The shooter has been thrown off campus for documented violent incidents, stalking and other strange behavior. He was later determined to be paranoid schizophrenic. He claimed that the motive for his shooting was to take out those who were trying to steal his "power or aura" and that he had no control over his body. The shooter was in State of Idaho custody until he was declared mentally competent to stand trial. In ID we have no insanity defense.

Less than one month later, on 16 April 2007, the Virginia Tech Massacre took place. On 17 April 2007 I took my XD45 with me to my college classes for the first time and for the first time began taking responsibility for my personal safety.

My name has been on more than one "hit list" in high school when I was a football player. I never missed school because of it.

When your professor has his life threatened personally, only then is he qualified to speak as to whether or not people are compensating for something by carrying a gun.

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Sylvia Plath wrote:

According to my Sociology instructor there is no difference between a man exercising his right to carry and self-defense and a thug on the street who carries for street credit.

I am no man but found this subject struck a nerve with me. Most firearm owning men that I have met are very respectful and down to earth.

Of course I threw my hand into the air, declared that I am pro-2nd Amendment and pro-self-defense. I also declared to all of the class that I believe every man and woman should be armed because an armed society is a polite society.

I suppose the intent of this post is to ask you guys (who make up most of this chat) how it feels to have your exercising your right to carry and self-defense equated with being nothing more than an expression of machoness? While us women are not subject to that accusation or critique. That is not to say women aren't critiqued, just in a different way.

Iwill see how my open declaration regardingthe 2nd Amendmment and my stance plays out in my grades :banghead:I need to keep my mouth shut sometimes.

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Probably the simplest thing is to force him to justify his conclusion. Ask questions, as compared with countering with facts.

He is a sociology professor, for crying out loud.

"Professor, thank you for your position on men carrying arms. A very interesting idea. I admire your intellect. How on earth did you confirm that your speculation/hypothesis was the correct one out of the many possible?

Men might be carrying guns in order to take advantage of opportunity to do violence to an innocent. Or, to commit armed robbery if they discover a till open with no other customers about. Or, being delusional, to defend themselves against imaginary dangers?

I'm just awed at how you sorted all that out. Your method in achieving this brilliant analytic success is far more valuable than the conclusion itself. Won't you pass along to your students your method? I for one want to be able to tell people, 'I was a student of the brilliant Professor Blather.' "

Of course, you don't say it with a sarcastic tone. You use a totally innocent tone.

Of course, you could always just ask him if he was just mad because his gun was too small to have street cred in the faculty lounge.

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You could also ask your Soc professor to perform a quantitative survey on gun owners and ask if they are "compensating."

When the majority say no...

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I'm just proud to be who I am. To have done what I have done, and to believe in what I do.
Dave

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Dave, love your ink! Go Air Force!

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69Charger wrote:

I'm just proud to be who I am. To have done what I have done, and to believe in what I do.
Dave

[image removed but look up there ^^^]

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I know why you carry a gun!

Your sweet tattoo can't shoot.

Oorah.

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deanf wrote:

While a very cute and trite retort, it really does nothing to advance our cause.

I'm not aware of any evidence that a polite society follows widespread gun possession. It's just a marketing term made up long ago that I wish we would stop using.

Suppose an armed society made for an impolite society. Would we "turn them all in"? Of course not.

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Actually the quote is from a 1948 science fiction novel by "Anson McDonald" (Robert Anson Heinlein), Beyond this Horizon.

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Stand up.

"Sir?" "Have you been the victim of a violent crime?"

(Roll up my sleave and show the scar)

"Well I have, but I will never be a victim again."

Sit down.

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Ah, Sylvia, your comments probably will affect your grade in the class.

Having gone back to college (grad school) while I was in the military, I became constantly irritated by the ridiculous anti-gun psycho-babble ofcertain liberal profs and other instructors ... finding myself unable to keep my big mouth shut, I ended up receiving Bs in a couple classes in which I knowI did "A" work ...

My dad was a college professor at a large state university (same one I attended); I know the mentality, and I know that one singlestudent will never be able to make a dent in how any college'sfaculty thinks about guns -- and 2nd Amendment issues.

Just gotta work on the other students.

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Indeed, I would argue not to convice the professor, for he already is so far gone he is unreachable, but for your fellow students in the class.

Be the shining light of reason in a sea of postmodernism mush, and guide a few of your classmates into the light.

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HankT wrote:

I've been meaning to read this book but just can't find the time.

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Don't be silly, I read it in maybe 4 hours. It's quite short.

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Citizen wrote:

Probably the simplest thing is to force him to justify his conclusion.  Ask questions, as compared with countering with facts.

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I seem to recall that poster Sylvia Plath is a woman both in true name and in internet pseudonym. I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure she has said as much.

If this is so, it would seem her very presence in the class provides exceptionally strong evidence that his conclusion is incorrect.

Surely, women have no need for machismo and street cred? That some of them choose to carry anyway suggests that it's perfectly possibly for men to elect to for the same mysterious reasons that those women choose to carry.

Can't we get over these absurd male stereotypes, anyway? I've never been one to deny differences between the sexes, but I really don't give a crap about machismo. It's not my style. But I'm a man! Is that really what's expected of me? :quirky

Of course, you could always just ask him if he was just mad because his gun was too small to have street cred in the faculty lounge. 

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:lol:

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marshaul wrote:

HankT wrote:

I've been meaning to read this book but just can't find the time.

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Don't be silly, I read it in maybe 4 hours. It's quite short.

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Man, you just don't know the stacks that come before any fiction....

Since you've read it, marshaul, what do you think about the use of the An armed society is a polite society line by pro-gunners? Does it make sense to you? Does it make rhetorical sense to use as some kind of pro-gun principle?

How often does the phrase appear in the book?

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killchain wrote:

You could also ask your Soc professor to perform a quantitative survey on gun owners and ask if they are "compensating."

When the majority say no...

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"Compensating"? Of course I'm "compensating." I'm compensating for the fact that I can't accurately throw a rock at a thousand feet per second.

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John Hardin wrote:

killchain wrote:

You could also ask your Soc professor to perform a quantitative survey on gun owners and ask if they are "compensating."

When the majority say no...

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"Compensating"? Of course I'm "compensating." I'm compensating for the fact that I can't accurately throw a rock at a thousand feet per second.

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You can't? Man what a skill that would be! Yeah the skill to disarm someone with sheer brain power would help too. Try talking someone down who has a shotgun pointed at you. Thats pretty risky.

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Glock17 wrote:

John Hardin wrote:

killchain wrote:

You could also ask your Soc professor to perform a quantitative survey on gun owners and ask if they are "compensating."

When the majority say no...

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"Compensating"? Of course I'm "compensating." I'm compensating for the fact that I can't accurately throw a rock at a thousand feet per second.

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You can't? Man what a skill that would be! Yeah the skill to disarm someone with sheer brain power would help too. Try talking someone down who has a shotgun pointed at you. Thats pretty risky.

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"Men WHo Stare At Goat" is a good movie to hone your skills with.

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And those who refuse to protect themselves what are they projecting? Feminism/ the lack of testicules/weakness? His argument/thinking is very silly. Glad you are there to help point these things out too many people take everything too literal that they "learn" at school.

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Sylvia Plath wrote:

According to my Sociology instructor there is no difference between a man exercising his right to carry and self-defense and a thug on the street who carries for street credit.

I am no man but found this subject struck a nerve with me. Most firearm owning men that I have met are very respectful and down to earth.

Of course I threw my hand into the air, declared that I am pro-2nd Amendment and pro-self-defense. I also declared to all of the class that I believe every man and woman should be armed because an armed society is a polite society.

I suppose the intent of this post is to ask you guys (who make up most of this chat) how it feels to have your exercising your right to carry and self-defense equated with being nothing more than an expression of machoness? While us women are not subject to that accusation or critique. That is not to say women aren't critiqued, just in a different way.

Iwill see how my open declaration regardingthe 2nd Amendmment and my stance plays out in my grades :banghead:

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Sylvia:

It kind of feels like you're making this a gender issue and maybe hunting for something.

The fact is men and women are very opposite, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Therefore my question to you is ………..

Can you just honor the differences ?