Excerpt: "The video was the most recent evidence that Rodger had become involved with various deeply misogynistic groups on the internet. He was an active member of PUA Hate, a group supposedly against pick up artists who promise to teach men how to have sex with any woman they want but who repeat many of the same degrading ideas about women."
A woman looks at bullet holes on the window of IV Deli Mark, where Friday’s shooting took place. (photo: AP/Jae C. Hong)
26 May 14
n Friday night, Elliot Rodger allegedly killed six people and wounded 13 others near a Santa Barbara, California university campus. The rampage came after Rodger posted a YouTube video in which he said it was “an injustice, a crime” that women have never been attracted to him and that he was going to “punish you all for it” and “slaughter every single blonde slut I see.”
The video was the most recent evidence that Rodger had become involved with various deeply misogynistic groups on the internet. He was an active member of PUA Hate, a group supposedly against pick up artists who promise to teach men how to have sex with any woman they want but who repeat many of the same degrading ideas about women. He was also reportedly active on forums and subscribed to YouTube channels from the men’s rights movement, a community that is being tracked by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
While the debate in the aftermath of the shooting will likely focus on gun legislation — lawmakers are already calling for a renewed focus on background checks and other measures — and mental health resources, it is also becoming a discussion about widespread misogyny. The hashtag #YesAllWomen became a venue on Twitter for women to share personal stories and experiences. As the country tries to reckon with the tragedy, it will have to grapple with a climate in which men perpetrate violence against womenon a daily basis, violence that is deeply embedded within our society.
