I mean, I'm mid 30s, and it took me a long time to internalize "he, she, they" rather than "he, she, it". It's just how they were used when I was growing up. Fortunately, I've had the opportunity to learn and grow. At the end of the day, just speak with respect and make sure you listen as much as, or more than, speak.
No evidence for my claim, however I think a lot of the not noticing bikes while driving is just an expectations thing. People expect large metal boxes with 4+ wheels barreling down the place. They don't expect something smaller, with fewer wheels, and in some cases completely silent. Because they don't expect it, they don't process it.
What's this mean? Well, for one it means we don't simply "ignore" people on bikes. That's a facet of our limited attention and expectations. It also means this trend can be changed. If we condition people to expect and look out for bikes/motorcycles, people will probably be FAR less likely to not see them.
I get that, and I don't disagree, but my point is that the venn diagram of "shoots up schools" and "shoots up political targets" don't really overlap. Kids don't kill people for political reasons, they kill because they're in pain. Yes, they have a "better" target but that target isn't causing them active daily suffering.
Assuming it's school attendants themselves, then they probably don't have a direct reason to shoot up anywhere but their school. Maybe their home. Their school is probably the thing that's causing them direct issues in their life, it's where their anger is aimed, and people don't often consider better options when they're that level of angry. I just don't really see these two things having enough overlap for that to be a thing.
Obviously, it's a very different scenario when it's not someone who's enrolled at the school. That's a level of dysfunction that I can't even begin to look at the world through the lens of. I don't think that kind of dysfunction is the one to take suggestions of better places to shoot up, though.
To be fair, aren't almost all school shootings done by attendants of the school? At least all the ones that have stuck in my brain are ones committed by current or previous students of the school they shot. And I can't think of how to verify that either way this morning. In those cases, though, it's probably not entirely political, but personal.
Counterpoint. Yes, it's anecdotal, but the biggest success my mother has had in kicking her cigarette habit has been identifying herself as a non-smoker. She did that before cutting back at all, and now she's from 35/day to 6. Every other attempt, she's identified as a smoker trying to quit, and it's failed.
Same theory - let them identify as what they want to be. Once they identify as such, the behavior will follow easier than if they're saying "I'm trying to be an ally".
And your denying them any openness and acceptance as someone actively trying to become better, even in the smallest of steps, is denying said people reason to grow. Shit doesn't happen overnight.
Part of it may be identifying as an ally as a first step. If you internaliz "I am an ally" your future actions will probably more align with that identity. People like to be true to themselves, let them identify as good things without gatekeeping it.
I mean, I'm mid 30s, and it took me a long time to internalize "he, she, they" rather than "he, she, it". It's just how they were used when I was growing up. Fortunately, I've had the opportunity to learn and grow. At the end of the day, just speak with respect and make sure you listen as much as, or more than, speak.