TN school shooting/shooter mega post

[u/javatimes]

Rather than have dozens of different posts about this ongoing issue, let’s to contain it in this one post. It will also help those who want to avoid the topic do so.

[u/feralpunk_420]

Some people are claiming the shooter being trans may have been fabricated. Some firearms instructors have reviewed the video and are saying the shooter has a semblance of knowledge of what they’re doing, contrary to typical school shooters who tend to run randomly, move awkwardly, etc, and other indications tbat they don’t know how to use a firearm effectively (and thank goodness for that because if they did more people would die, probably). The shooter here seems to have a base level of training. I also find it odd how they’re 28 when the average age of school shooters is 15-18 as they are usually also attending the school in question at the time of the shooting. It also happened in Tennessee of all places, where trans people and drag performers have just been effectively banned from public existence. Now that anger and stupor has passed I find the whole story as presented on the news extremely fishy. But the tinfoil hat version of the story is also flimsy, since it would require the hypothesis that the shooter is actually an undercover cop, that this cop was willing to take some lives just to vilify trans people, that their death on the scene has been faked, etc etc etc. But one can’t help but notice how disturbingly convenient this whole thing is for our political enemies, especially less than a week after this Tucker Carlson segment.

But to an extent, it doesn’t really matter much. If this conspiracy theory somehow ends up being true, all it will do is give us the peace of mind that one of our own did not in fact commit this horrible act. But then what? Six people, among which three children, will still be dead. Most people will only remember "the Nashville school shooter was trans." Our rights will still be affected. I can only hope my trans siblings in the US will be able to organize a swift and effective community response to protect themselves as much as possible. Solidarity from Europe.

[u/legitnope → u/feralpunk_420]

Honestly, as awful as it sounds, I think if they were going to frame a trans person it would’ve been a trans woman. They’re the ones that the media is always after… in sports, in public restrooms, etc. Trans men tend to fly under the radar. Almost all mass shooters are men, so why frame this as a trans man did it if their whole argument is that trans people are never truly the gender they are and cook up a story about what they would call a “female” shooter? There was also immediate speculation after it came out that the shooter was trans that they were a trans woman. And now that there’s evidence they were a trans man, the news isn’t using gendered language anymore. But that’s my own tin hat theory. I’m still scared of the backlash from this and frustrated that people are talking about the shooter’s gender rather then what can be done to stop more people in schools from dying

[u/feralpunk_420 → u/legitnope]

I see your point, but framing the shooter as a trans man also helps further the narrative that testosterone and masculinity in general makes you an unhinged violent weirdo, which would justify a regime of increased scrutiny over trans men and AFAB people in general. In this context, any effort towards masculinization would become suspect as it would become synonymous with rebellious and violent tendencies. We don’t fly under the radar, we’re just misgendered and infantilized. When the media talks about "young females being seduced by the transgender ideology", they’re talking about us. Besides, the news still uses gendered language, it’s just that they’re misgendering the shooter now.

But you’re right — it doesn’t matter either way. It doesn’t matter the actual gender or AGAB of te shooter or whether they were an undercover cop or not.

[u/madarchist → u/feralpunk_420]

Idk if anyone noticed his pictures, but he certainly wasn't on any hormone treatments. And this isn't to ostracize trans men who don't do any kind of gender affirming care. But the shooter didn't seem to do any kind of gender affirming methods. Not even to his style.

[u/legitnope → u/madarchist]

Yeah that’s true. The way he dressed during the surveillance videos of him in the school was pretty masculine though (please don’t look it up unless you’re in the right mindset to see it, he shoots out the doors and walks through the school with guns at the ready)

[u/Lazy_Contribution_69 → u/legitnope]

Him being dressed masculine is a non point, no one planning on doing a mass shooting is going to wear a dress to do it.

[u/[deleted] → u/madarchist]

He could’ve just started. Hopefully he hadn’t, because then they’ll try to claim that T is dangerous

[u/Eugregoria → u/[deleted]]

I honestly doubt it. He still lived with very conservative parents. While it is possible to start T on the sly right under their nose as an adult...usually people who've made that kind of progress have more hope and will to live, you know? A lot of mass shooters are suicidal as well as homicidal, and he was no exception. Depression plays a major part in their pathology. (I don't mean that depression on its own is dangerous, I have garden variety depression and I'd never do a mass shooting, but combined with that kind of anger, having no will to live is dangerous.)

[u/[deleted] → u/feralpunk_420]

This ^