If a mass killing perpetrated by a deeply disturbed misogynist does not make us look at how our society promotes and perpetuates violence against women, I am not sure what will.
Just what I keep thinking, as it becomes clearer and clearer that a mass killing perpetrated by a deeply disturbed misogynist will on the contrary make a lot of us bristle with outrage at the very mention of misogyny in connection with Elliot Rodger’s adventure. It appears that nothing will make us look at how our society promotes and perpetuates violence against women.
It does not take any sort of genius to draw a line in between the weekend’s shooting, the torments faced by Marissa Alexander or other women who defend themselves, and the fact that the quickest way to invite a barrage of social media hate is to say something as simple as, “I don’t think rape jokes are funny.” These dots connect to create a gun pointed at the ability of women to possess the most elemental human right in what is supposed to be a free society: the right to be left alone.
It doesn’t take a genius, but it does take someone who thinks women shouldn’t be treated like shit.
Well, if Sandy Hook didn’t get us to look at our gun culture and regulation, then I don’t see why we would change now.
We are truly fucked.
(And I say that in my full straight, white, male, cis privilege. I’m not so fucked as many others. But I promise to be a vocal ally in this war … as futile as it seems sometimes.)
This has made it clear to me that one thing is true: lots of people hate feminism more than they hate murder and murderers.
idahogie @1,
As is so often the case, The Onion is right on point.
Just how many massacres will it take … until the Anti-American Femisocialist Gun-Haters Conspiracy realizes the futility of all these false-flag ops?
Or, of course, “Guys, don’t do that.”