#yesallwomen

The Santa Barbara shootings

Just last month a British born man Elliot Rodger's stabbed his 3 people, 2 ex flatmates  and their friend. He then shot and killed 3 people who he targeted at random and injured 7 more people in Santa Barbara USA. The tragedy was a result of months of planning on Rodgers' part and multiple failures by the US authorities to prevent a man whom they knew to be mentally unstable and dangerous from committing such a henious crime. Elliot had created nemerous YouTube videos whereby he expressed anger and despair and being rejected by multiple women. He then went on to post an online misogynistic manifesto of over 140 pages in which he explained that women were evil and sorority girls should be killed because they rejected him. ABC News reported that at the time Rogers' was being treated by a number of different therapists who knew he was mentally unstable. Yet despite this as the shootings took place Rodgers' parents were out frantically trying to find their son who they had warned authorities could be dangerous. This lead to a Twitter trend known as #yesallwomen where women around the globe posted examples of misogynist behaviour that they had suffered from beatings and rapes down to everyday sexist remarks.

Moral panic fuelled by the media 

Although #yesallwomen is a great movement and worthy of note the Rodger case is far more complex than the media has made out. Yes, Rodger was a misogynist but the media has tried to create a moral panic whereby all sexist behaviour is deemed to be dangerous to a grave degree. Of course in 2014 women should be seen as equal to men but the reality is they are not. This does not mean however that all men who hold misogynist views are dangerous. Rodger's case was the exception not the rule! For Rodger, mental instability, failure by the state to help him, the opportunity to commit a crime and the availability of a gun and vehicle to commit the crimes meant that his misogyny resulted in the deaths of himself and 6 innocent victims and the injury of 7 other innocents.

State failure
What we should be looking at is the state's failure to protect innocent victims from a man they knew could be dangerous. The focus should be on holding the relevent people to account and getting justice for the victims and their families not creating moral panic whereby women in particular are lead to believe that all misogynists are like Rodger. That is not to say that there is not an issue. I was horrified to read of women who walk home with their keys between their fingers in case a man attacks them in the street. This simply should not be happening in 2014. Whilst the Roger case is a good spring board to launch the problem of misogyny back into the public interest we should not lose perspective. If the young children of today are to grow up in a safer world yes we need to teach girls how to protect themselves and raise boys to respect girls and each other, however we must also fight for justice and the right to hold the public authorities who could have stopped Rodger to account.

Rodger is still getting what he wants even from beyond the grave

Whilst the public have a right to know about the case at hand it is also worth noting that Rodger should not be getting this much press. From his manifesto, videos and actions it is clear that he wanted to be famous, perhaps even more so he wanted to be infamous. He certainly has achieved this objective. I have mentioned his name in order to inform you not to from now on. This is because unfortunately in this world we live in for every 1000 people that are disgusted by Rodger's actions one person may hold him as a misogynist hero and so we should be wary enough of how we talk and write about the case to know that all of this press is not what he deserves. More to the point making Rodger a celebrity rubs salt in the wounds of the innocent victims of the shootings and their families who have to live with the loss of their loved ones and the knowledge that now Rodger is dead too no one is likely to be held to account.

Some lessons?
By all means continue to post and talk about #yesallwomen and ensure that this worthy cause is kept in the spot light. But be careful with what you read don't let the media drag you into a sensationalized sense of panic. See Rodger as the lonely but guilty troubled man he was and not as a hero of misogyny. Finally do not lose faith in humanity, take heart from the millions of people who are brave enough to post their experiences on #yesallwomen and respect and help those who are trying to make a difference. In short remain positive but keep your eyes open to media trickery.