Thread by @Norlaine

This is a great tragedy. 1/15

https://twitter.com/cspotweet/status/1371571087721439232

Most people agree on this. Some are concerned that two young lives have been cut short, while others grumble about how the courts will use mental illness or addiction to get the young man a light sentence. 2/15

We don't know anything about these people or their relationship, situations, or state of mind. But here are some facts:

1. Every 2.5 days, a woman or girl is killed in Canada. 3/15
globalnews.ca/news/4904975/a…

2. Every 6 days a woman or girl in Canada is killed by an intimate partner. 4/15
canadianwomen.org/the-facts/gend…

3. In about 80% of intimate partner killings, the victim is a woman and the perpetrator is a man. 5/15
cdhpi.ca/sites/cdhpi.ca…

4. We live in a culture where male violence against women is still tolerated to an extent. Men can joke about killing women, often without fear of consequences. Even elected officials have been accused of threatening women in this way. 6/15
calgary.ctvnews.ca/ndp-attacks-uc…

5. Our culture normalises misogyny. Boys who grow up in homes where their father abuses their mother, learn to abuse women, even if they are horrified by the abuse. 7/15
tribune.com.pk/article/71083/…

6. Children's brains do not finish maturing until about 25. So why do we insist 12 year-olds are criminally responsible, and 18 year-olds are adults? 8/15
npr.org/templates/stor…

7. Mental illness and substance abuse can contribute to erratic or violent behaviour. This does not mean they always do. But in some cases, they can be a factor. 9/15
ontario.cmha.ca/documents/viol…

8. Our justice system is predicated on presumption of innocence. This means that we should not be judging anyone in the court of public opinion, and yes, sometimes factors enter into the case which some people may not feel should be considered. 10/15

9. We need to address the issue of femicide. We need to address toxic masculinity which is so entrenched that it gives men & boys the notion that because they are bigger, stronger, "more important" than women & girls, they should be able to force their will upon women. 11/15

We need to work on underlying causes, because they are real, and they are killing women. Poverty, abusive childhoods, mental health, alienation, and systemic misogyny among them... 12/15

This is going to keep on happening, every 6 days, until we can retool how our society views men and women. There's a joke that going on a blind date, a man worries the woman will be fat. The woman worries the man will kill her. I didn't say it was a funny joke. It's not. 13/15

But it is a reality. Right now, two families are in shock. One is deeply grieving their loss. The other is wondering how this could have happened, what did they do wrong? A community is reeling. Friends are suffering. 14/15

It is not our place to pass judgement on this young man at this time. It is time to extend condolences, and time to consider the many factors that contribute to this sort of thing happening over and over and over. Every 6 days in Canada. 15/15

Epilogue: Don't @ me saying this is not the time to look at root causes. If not now, when? We get a chance every 6 days. Don't @ me saying not to politicize this. Stating facts is not politicizing anything. The crisis is real. We need to look it in the face and deal with it. -30-