At least seventeen people were killed and 15 injured when 19-year-old ex-student of the school, Nikolas Cruz, opened fire at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida. While he has been arrested, the question still remains – why this violence?

In his recent string of tweets, Comedian Michael Ian Black gives us one plausible answer to the complicated question – the toxic masculinity and how it breeds the gun violence epidemic.

With the rise in the number of mass shootings in the US, one is left to ponder the question of why someone has to kill innocents? And Black’s tweet is the answer.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

Deeper even than the gun problem is this: boys are broken.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

Until we fix men, we need to fix the gun problem.

Today we are fighting for women so that they get to ditch the garb of patriarchy, but the ancient concept of masculinity that men live has never been questioned. A boy is taught from a young age to hide his emotions with emotionless ‘Men don’t cry.’ He is conditioned to suppress his basic feelings, as an expression of emotions by a man seemingly reduces their ‘manhood.’

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

The last 50 years redefined womanhood: women were taught they can be anything. No commensurate movement for men who are still generally locked into the same rigid, outdated model of masculinity and it’s killing us.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

If you want to hurt a man, the first thing you do is attack his masculinity. Men don’t have the language to understand masculinity as anything other than some version of a caveman because no language exists.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

The language of masculinity is hopelessly entwined with sexuality, and the language of sexuality in hopelessly entwined with power, agency, and self-worth.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

So men (and boys before that) don’t have language for modes of expression that don’t readily conform to traditional standards. To step outside those norms is to take a risk most of us are afraid to take. As a result, a lot of guys spend their lives terrified.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

We’re terrified of being viewed as something other than men. We know ourselves to be men, but don’t know how to be our whole selves. A lot of us (me included) either shut off or experience deep shame or rage. Or all three. Again: men are terrified.

Michael Ian Black on Twitter

Even talking about this topic invites ridicule because it’s so scary for most men (and women). Men are adrift and nobody is talking about it and nobody’s doing anything about it and it’s killing us.

Isn’t he right? We need to talk about it and initiate change in our homes.