Elliot Rodger hated women. A lot. That fact isn’t really up for debate. He told us that he hated women on his video. He wrote about it. He hated them so much that he decided to kill some. Another fact that isn’t really up for debate.
What is up for debate, apparently, is whether or not Elliot was a sad kid with a mental illness or he was representative of ALL men. Some are arguing that misogyny is widespread and that violence is brewing under the surface of every guy.
The truth is that there is no such thing as a lone misogynist – they are created by our culture, and by communities that tells them that their hatred is both commonplace and justified.
So when we say that these things are unstoppable, what we are really saying is that we’re unwilling to do the work to stop them. Violence against women does not have to be inevitable, but it is almost always foreseeable: what matters is what we do about it.
Check out the #YesAllWomen hashtag. Commentary here and here. Then read the #NotAllMen hashtag.
The “all” in this debate rubs me the wrong way. But I guess that’s what happens when debates are confined to 140 characters.
Apt. 11d 