Marc Lepine and the Montreal Massacre - 1931 Words

On December 6th, 1989, the Ecole Polytechnique engineering school in Montreal would – unbeknownst to everyone in the building – become the backdrop for one of the worst mass murder incidents in Canadian history. 14 women were shot and killed at the hands of a shooter named Marc Lepine, and 13 others were gravely wounded in the process (Maser, 1987). No outright reason was apparent other than the letters left on his suicide note, but it marked a troubled life that began from his troubled childhood. Factors that may have led up to this incident needs to be examined in further detail, using a psychological explanation and a criminological theory. This paper will use the social learning theory to analyze the behaviours that led up to this†¦show more content†¦Eventually, he ended his rampage in a third floor lecture hall where he shot and wounded several more people before ending his own life. Suicide notes found on him revealed that his motives were based on his h atred for feminists, stating that they have â€Å"ruined his life†. It also revealed a hit list containing 15 public figures, probably found through news media sources, but stated that he was unable to act upon it. Instead, all his victims turned out to be strangers that were unfortunate enough to be caught in the killing spree (Maser, 1987). Family Background Details about Marc Lepine and his life began to surface after the initial incident, uncovering an unpleasant childhood and a broken home. Born with the name of Gamil Gharbi, he had an Algerian father and a mother of French descent. The father was a relatively successful businessman that did most of his work overseas; the mother, Monique, was a nurse with a good family background (Weston Aubrey, 1990). The family was well off due to their career success, but what looked like a perfect marriage on paper was horrific for the mother and the children behind closed doors. Described as â€Å"a very brutal man who did not seem to have any control of his emotions† (MacDonell et al., 1989, para. 3), Marc’s father treated his wife like a servant and often physically abused her for the most minor nuances. The kids were subject to similar treatment and the mom was forbidden to comfortShow MoreRelatedMarc Lepine – Psychology Perspective2052 Words   |  9 PagesMARC LEPINE à ¢â‚¬â€œ PSYCHOLOGY PERSPECTIVE ABSTRACT Marc Lepine, a 25 year old boy entered the corridors of Montreals École Polytechnique University and started separating boys and girls. He then opened fire and killed 14 girls (The Montreal Massacre – Gunman massacres 14 women, 1989). Looking into Marc’s case deeply and studying his childhood reveals that his actions can be significantly explained using psychological theories such as Miller and Dollard’s Four Stage theoryRead MoreAmerican Literature And Performance Art1099 Words   |  5 Pagesyoung British Columbian and performance artist attempting to learn french due to a recent relocation to Montreal. Wilma is fascinated by playing with both french and english in her work, using it as a method of communicating the impact of sexism and misogyny on women. The main conflict of the story begins, however, when Wilma must take a french class at l’École Polytechnique recently after the massacre on December 6th, 1989, in which 14 women were killed (Bi ndel, 2012). Understandably, Wilma is afraidRead MoreCanadian Civilian Gun Ownership Regulations1327 Words   |  6 Pagesaftermath of the worst shooting incident in Canadian history: the Montreal Massacre. On December 6, 1989, twenty-five-year-old Marc Là ©pine took a sixty-student engineering classroom hostage at École Polytechnique with a legally obtained Mini-14 hunting rifle. Expressing anti-feminist sentiments, he allowed fifty male students to safely exit the room before turning his gun on the remaining nine women, killing six and wounding three. Là ©pine then continued his carnage in the school’s corridors, cafeteriaRead MoreAnalysis of the Mens Movement in Canada Essay2047 Words   |  9 Pagesan impact on men in Canada, the actual mobilization of mens groups did not occur till much later into the mid 1980s. Some of the first mens groups to emerge where groups as compliments to feminist groups, such as Men Working to End Sexism (Montreal). These provided a n outlet for men to gather and focus not only on womens issues, but also the ability to look at mens issues, such as fatherhood, male role models and sexism towards women and men. These groups were followed by fathers rightsRead MoreThe Death Of A Woman1937 Words   |  8 Pagesagainst feminism, and the case study of Marc Lepine and the Montreal Massacre provides another example of this sexist action. â€Å"Unable to complete an application to the school of engineering, Lepine felt humiliated ( laughed at ) by women he defined as feminists because they had entered traditional male territory. His response to the erosion of white male exclusivity and privilege was lethal,† (Russell 1992:13). Cornering fourteen women in a classroom, Lepine killed them all, injuring nine more