On Wednesday December 6, 1989 Marc Lepine walked into an engineering class at Montreal’s Ecole Polytechnique with a loaded rifle. He then separated the men from the women and shot the women. He calmly left the classroom and walked around the building shooting any women he saw. He then committed suicide. This report will analyze the event from a psychological, sociological and anthropological perspective. It will conclude that the psychological perspective is the most important in this case.
Anthropology is the study of human species and its various cultures. In our culture the media regularly portrays women as objects instead of people. Women are often used as sex objects in order to sell beer, cars and many other goods. This can be seen…show more content… This relates to the case since Lepine was a loner with few close friends, which fits the profile of most mass killers. Isolated people such as Marc Lepine often build up aggression towards the society they feel disconnected from over time. Lepine was also known to have a fascination with guns. But even if a person is attracted to the use of violence, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will become violent. Professor Karen Sternheimer, who is a professor in the sociology department at the University of Southern California, points out in her research that violence is learned through social situations, and personal life experiences. People often learn from the imitation of others. Lepine and his mother were both regularly beaten by his father. This showed Lepine at a young age that it was okay to resort to violence when dealing with women and he then went on to do just that. Lepine had difficulty establishing close friendships with females, he was domineering with women which drove them away. This reflects what Lepine thought of…show more content… This relates to the case since Lepine was clearly a tormented man. Most males who treat women like Lepine did have been sexually or physically abused as children. Lepine and his mother were both regularly beaten by his father. When growing up in household with a certain belief it’s very easy to develop that kind of mentality. Lepine’s father continually expressed his belief that women are inferior to men. Many men who commit violent crimes against women blame others for their lack of respect, freedom and companionship. Lepine was unemployed and rejected when he tried to join the Canadian Armed Forces. Before he began shooting the women he claimed they were the type of people who had ruined his life. Lepine showed a tendency towards violent behaviour and used weapons as an outlet for his problems, which is exactly what he did at Ecole