On May 23, 2014, shots were heard around Isla Vista in California. The shooter, Elliot Rodger, had a target that he detailed in his manifesto and YouTube videos, shoot the prettiest women at his school because they had rejected him and had not engaged in sexual activities with him.
Six people were killed. Thirteen were wounded.
As any horrible tragedy would, this massacre brought up questions about why Rodger did what he did. Most of the news station linked it to mental illnesses such as sociopathology, narcissism, and perhaps schizophrenia. What many news outlets have ignored, however, is this incident’s relation to misogyny.
Misogyny. Noun. Meaning dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. Rodger was a strong misogynist, among other things. He was part of an online community called the Men’s Rights Movement, which is not what it seems, it is a movement determined to keep men above women in society. He has made posts calling feminism “evil” and wrote numerous times in his manifesto that women were evil because he was the perfect “gentleman” and was owed sex by them.
This is unfortunately not the first incident of misogyny leading to murder and abuse of women. The entitlement that some men feel towards women’s bodies has caused them to break out in acts of violence over the years. A South Carolina man hurled a 12 pound bowling ball at a woman’s head because she refused to let him buy her a drink. A British man smashed a glass on a woman’s head because she didn’t want to dance with him. And more recently, in April a girl was stabbed to death for rejection a boy’s offer to go to prom.
Disgusting comments of males in response to Elliot Rodger’s YouTube video detailing how he was going to torture and kill his victims show this as well. Comments such as “Well girls, keep that in mind next time you friendzone somebody!”, “I really feel bad for him, rejection is agony.”, and “I hope you women see this as a lesson to stop being so stuck up and give into that one kid who never gets any.”. It’s blaming women for not giving men access to their bodies if they aren’t interested, its telling women to say yes even when they’re not comfortable or they will die. It’s a terror campaign.
It would be wonderful to say that misogyny only existed in those of ill mindsets. But it wouldn’t be true. It exists all around, in schools, in homes, in friends. It’s a growing problem and something that can be taken from the Isla Vista killings is that it is dangerous. Many don’t realize that they are doing it either. But when a female sleeps with a man, she is labeled as one derogatory term, and if she doesn’t it jumps to another. They can’t win.
It’s true that this does not occur in all men. Hence, why the hashtag was created on twitter #NotAllMen. But this is common knowledge, it’s understood. The important thing is to realize that there is a problem in some and to understand women’s fear. To educate, and to be part of the solution, not to ignore what women are saying.
Thus, the hashtag #YesAllWomen was born in response to the Isla Vista killings and to the not all men hashtag. It was a way for women to show that maybe not all men were misogynists, but all women had come in contact with those who were, those who felt that women’s bodies were something that could be controlled without their consent. The stories were heartbreaking, and eye opening. A powerful tweet from a man named Neil Gaiman said it all, “The #YesAllWomen hashtag is filled with hard, true, sad, and angry things. I can empathize and try to understand, and know I never entirely will.” Instead of complaining about how it’s “not all men”, it’s important to put that aside and prove it by working towards a solution.
Misogyny is real in 2014 and it shouldn’t be. Feminism gets looked down upon a lot but it is still clearly still necessary. It is massively important that if people learn about the manifesto and who Roger was, they learn about it the right way, in a way that condemns everything he stood for and does NOT apologize for him. Too many people that I’ve told about this have called him a ¨poor kid¨ and that is truly terrifying. It’s time to end the hatred, the entitlement, and the shame. No one, under any circumstances, is entitled to anyone’s body. Be part of the solution, and think next time you call out that girl in a short skirt.