-
CHAPTER 1 Female Lives, Feminist Deaths: The Relationship of the Montreal Massacre to Dissociation, Incest, and Violence against Women
- NYU Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
C H A P T E R 1 Female Lives, Feminist Death s The Relationship of the Montreal Massacre to Dissociation, Incest, and Violence against Women J U L I E B R I C K M A N On Wednesday, Decembe r 6 , 198 9 a young man , 2 5 years old , produc t of a violen t home , faile d militar y candidat e an d love r o f wa r films , entered th e University o f Montreal's Schoo l of Engineering building . H e was no t a student , althoug h h e ha d onc e studie d fo r admissio n t o th e school. H e wa s carryin g a .22 3 calibr e semi-automati c rifle. 1 I t wa s a little after 5:0 0 p.m . Walking int o a classroom , h e shoute d " I wan t th e women " (Kuiten brouwer , Scott , Lame y & Heinrich , 1989) . He separate d th e me n fro m the women , ordere d th e me n t o leav e th e classroom , an d line d th e women u p along one wall. "Yo u ar e all feminists!" h e yelled an d bega n shooting to kill (Kuitenbrouwer et al., 1989). According to the professor , all nin e wome n i n hi s clas s wer e eithe r kille d o r wounde d (Shepherd , 1989). Ther e wer e approximatel y 4 8 me n i n th e classroo m (Came , Burke, Ferzoco , O'Farrel l & Wallace , 1989 ; "Th e gunman' s trail, " 1989). The youn g ma n continue d hi s hunt , stalkin g hi s victim s withou t ob struction . H e had alread y murdered on e woman nea r th e copying roo m prior t o enterin g tha t firs t classroom . H e kille d si x mor e i n th e class room , left , walke d throug h th e corridor s firin g randomly , entere d th e cafeteria, kille d three mor e women, the n wen t int o a second classroom , where h e murdered fou r mor e wome n an d kille d himself. By the end o f Reprinted b y permission o f the Canadian Psychologica l Association , copyright © 199 2 b y the Canadian Psychologica l Association . 1 5 l 6 J U L I E B R I C K M A N his spree, he had murdere d fourtee n wome n an d injure d thirtee n others : nine women an d four men . According t o Elliot t Leyton , anthropologis t an d autho r o f Hunting Humans: The Rise of the Modern Multiple Murderer (1986) , this pattern is characteristic o f multipl e killers . Their murder s ar e thei r socia l state ments , an d thei r socia l statement s embod y centra l theme s an d tension s of th e civilizatio n i n which the y live . Typically, the y ar e me n wh o vie w themselves a s failure s an d blam e thei r lac k o f succes s an d statu s o n a target group. Marc Lepine targeted women: successful wome n an d feminist women . For him , th e tw o categorie s wer e th e same . Hi s explanator y lette r con tained a tirad e agains t wome n a s wel l a s a lis t o f ninetee n prominen t women, whom he particularly despised . What, then , wa s Lepine' s socia l statement ? Ho w doe s i t embod y tensions centra l t o ou r age ? Ther e seeme d t o b e a t leas t thre e implie d statements concerning women : 1. Wome n ar e responsible for th e failures o f men ; 2. An y woman wh o stand s in the way of a man's succes s deserves to b e punished; 3. Successfu l wome n have abdicated their right to protection b y individual me n (throug h heroi c actions ) o r collectiv e mankin d (throug h theory, social policy and law). Feminism, a label earned by scholarship, political action and/or particular theoretica l understanding s o f th...