Tag Archives: Misogyny

Misogyny Made Elliot Rodger Do It

You can talk about gun laws and mental health (again and again) but when will the dialog turn to the real motive: Misogyny.

Here’s something I just posted to my FaceBook account (I’ve been trying real hard to bite my tongue…obviously, I caved) –

If society only talks about gun laws, they’re only looking at half the problem. Misogyny fueled the killings. The killer was a Men’s Rights Activist. Had a feminist gone on a killing spree, we’d know it. We wouldn’t read articles that avoided the topic of feminism, we wouldn’t read articles that ended “I didn’t know my behavior could have lead her to do that” and we sure as hell wouldn’t be discussing gun laws. We’d just blame the crazy feminist, who as all people know are “militant,” “lesbian,” and “men haters.” It’s ironic (and mind-numbing) you have to prove you don’t hate men in order to stick up for women’s rights…and most importantly, women’s lives.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) wrote about his misogyny – if they found it, why can’t the major newspapers?

Shooting Suspect Elliot Rodger’s Misogynistic Posts Point to Motive

By Josh Glasstetter on May 24, 2014 – 4:24 pm, Posted in Anti-Woman, Extremist Crime

…Rodger wrote that incels  [involuntary celibate]must go on offense: “If we can’t solve our problems we must DESTROY our problems.” He concluded with a call to arms against women:

One day incels will realize their true strength and numbers, and will overthrow this oppressive feminist system.

Start envisioning a world where WOMEN FEAR YOU.

ABC news

Santa Barbara Killer’s Friend: ‘I Think He’s a Really Lonely Guy’

Really, ABC? You believe loneliness lead him to kill? Great reporting!

…police interviewed Rodger and found him to be “polite and kind.” He did not specify which law enforcement division conducted the interview.

A social worker also contacted police about Rodger last week, said Schifman.

Schifman said Rodger was diagnosed as being a high-functioning patient with Asperger syndrome and had trouble making friends.

 

US Weekly had this headline:

Seth Rogen, Judd Apatow Speak Out Against Ann Hornaday’s Washington Post Op-Ed on

Suspected UCSB Shooter Elliot Rodger

In her Washington Post essay, Hornaday writes, “As important as it is to understand Rodger’s actions within the context of the mental illness he clearly suffered, it’s just as clear that his delusions were inflated, if not created, by the entertainment industry he grew up in.”

“As Rodger bemoaned his life of ‘loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desire’ and arrogantly announced that he would now prove his own status as ‘the true alpha male,’ he unwittingly expressed the toxic double helix of insecurity and entitlement that comprises Hollywood’s DNA,” she wrote. “For generations, mass entertainment has been overwhelmingly controlled by white men, whose escapist fantasies so often revolve around vigilantism and sexual wish-fulfillment (often, if not always, featuring a steady through-line of casual misogyny). Rodger’s rampage may be a function of his own profound distress, but it also shows how a sexist movie monoculture can be toxic for women and men alike.”

PHOTOS: Seth’s weight loss

“How many students watch outsized frat-boy fantasies like Neighbors and feel, as Rodger did, unjustly shut out of college life that should be full of ‘sex and fun and pleasure’?” she continued, referencing Rogen’s new movie. “How many men, raised on a steady diet of Judd Apatow comedies in which the shlubby arrested adolescent always gets the girl, find that those happy endings constantly elude them and conclude, ‘It’s not fair’?”

After being referenced in the piece, Rogen, 32, took to Twitter, “.@AnnHornaday I find your article horribly insulting and misinformed,” he tweeted. “How dare you imply that me getting girls in movies caused a lunatic to go on a rampage.” 

PHOTOS: Seth’s wedding

Apatow, 46, chimed in, “She uses tragedy to promote herself with idiotic thoughts.” He later added, “Most of Earth can’t find a mate– someone to love.  People who commit murder of numerous people have mental health issues of some type.”

Will somebody send him a Women’s Studies book or at least a Media Arts one? I guess you would use childish insults (“idiotic thoughts”) and superficial reasoning (must be “mental health issues of some type”) to debate an op-ed written in the Washington Post. (And would he have said the same to a male writer – that she was tying to “promote herself” by coming up with “idiotic thoughts” and personalizing it to only HIM getting girls in movies rather than, as Hornaday writes, the entertainment industry?)

Maybe Apatow should read ABC’s “insightful” article:

Chan said after they saw the 2012 film “Chronicle,” Rodger said he wanted to “dominate the world.” In the film, three high school students gain superpowers and one character – who’s bullied, shy and lonely – eventually uses them in a robbery and in an attempt to kill his father. He dies at the end of the film, killed by one of the other students.

Misogyny in the Manosphere

Someone recently shared this site (Southern Poverty Law Center) with me – it’s current:

Misogyny: The Sites

The so-called “manosphere” is peopled with hundreds of websites, blogs and forums dedicated to savaging feminists in particular and women, very typically American women, in general. Although some of the sites make an attempt at civility and try to back their arguments with facts, they are almost all thick with misogynistic attacks that can be astounding for the guttural hatred they express. What follows are brief descriptions of a dozen of these sites.

Read more here

Misogyny in the USA, Men bounce back from the “mancession” & Media-driven body dissatisfaction

The following links come from an email alert from The Women’s Media Center.

Misogyny Cuts Across All Cultures: Oppression in the West and Arab World
2/20/2011
Huffington Post:Are women in the Arab world “worse-off” than in the West? An editorial examines the ways in which oppression and misogyny cut across every culture, and how media handles the issue.

Excerpt:

I do not want to live in a country that forces me to smother myself in veils, a country that threatens me with violence for an inch of visible wrist, a country that does not allow me to vote or drive.

For the record, I also do not feel safe in a country with a House of Representatives that is capable of canceling all funding for Planned Parenthood — which happened in the House just a day ago. I do not feel safe knowing that in South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that could make it legal to murder a doctor who provides abortion care to women.

The state legislature of Georgia would like to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking and domestic violence to “accuser” — in effect, denying victims their right to accurate representation by description.

In Congress, Republicans have put forward a bill that would force hospitals to let a woman die rather than perform an abortion that would save her life.

Programs for low-income women and children are being slashed left and right and MoveOn reports that there is a move to eliminate all funding for the only extant federal family planning program — though there is a bill that promotes contraception for wild horses. (For human women, they are neigh-sayers.)

Misogyny keeps this country’s brutality to women — rape, murder and domestic violence — at staggering levels, along with the pitched battle against a woman’s right to control her own body, her right to choose.

That women often do not support each other or offer sympathy for abusive treatment of other women is indeed part of the problem — witness the reaction of some female journalists to the attack on Lara Logan.

Men bounce back faster from recession’s unequal blows
2/21/2011
Miami Herald: After the recession of the late 2000s, the early stages of the economic recovery are benefitting men far more than women. While men have gained438,000 jobs since June 2009, women have lost 366,000 over the same period.

African-American Women Less Vulnerable to Media-Driven Body Dissatisfaction
2/21/2011
University of Florida News: As National Eating Disorders Awareness Week gets underway, a University of Florida researchers emphasizes a 2010 study that shows African-American women are less susceptible to pressure from mainstream media about their body image.

TMZ: The Misogyny Zone

I’ve posted about misogyny on the TMZ television program before, now here’s some “writing” on their Web site I’ve come across:

TMZ

In their article “Mayweather — Cops push for dom. violence charge,” they refer to the mother of his child as the “baby mama:”

The LVMPD claims Mayweather surrendered to authorities earlier this morning in connection with an alleged domestic incident with his baby mama Josie Harris.

Cops tell us Mayweather was booked on one count of felony grand larceny … but the LVMPD claims they have recommended that the Clark County District Attorney’s Office also hit the boxer with “the additional charge of battery domestic violence.”

The cops add that the D.A. will “evaluate the evidence in this case to determine the appropriateness of [the domestic violence] charge.”

Check out the misogynist comments posted on the article:

if he really hit her she wouldnt have a face. She just wants money
Posted at 12:36 PM on Sep 10, 2010 by Ryan Dungey

I am soo sick of these babymama’s pulling the same trick again and again and again in order to twist the law into their favor ending up with more cash… face it.. she’s using the kids as a meal ticket.. it is the common thing these days.. many are in denial about the fact.. its the pro-life doublestandard… just pay her and keep her away from you and your kids.. get the kids full custody.. i do not believe that lady 1 bit.. why not have a truth session ( lie detector)…

 ask the gold digger to take one. i bet she’ll bounce!

Posted at 1:16 PM on Sep 10, 2010 by texasknight1

Now I’m not a floyd fan, but if little mel can hit ox anna in the head and break teeth, shouldn’t this woman be in the morgue because of a caved in head? Just another of a long line of liars who opened their legs to get money. Maybe she can get a job at the bunny ranch. Why should women capitalize because they have a cat between their legs?Posted at 2:15 PM on Sep 10, 2010 by GOLLY

Name it. Change it.

A new campaign called “Name it Change it” is out to stop sexism in its tracks! You too can participate – see the Web site for details:

Name it Change it

Watch the video “”

Here’s a description of the campaign:

Widespread sexism in the media is one of the top problems facing women. A highly toxic media environment persists for women candidates, often negatively affecting their campaigns. The ever-changing media landscape creates an unmonitored echo chamber, often allowing damaging comments to exist without accountability.

We must erase the pervasiveness of sexism against all women candidates — irrespective of political party or level of office — across all media platforms in order to position women to achieve equality in public office. We will not stand by as pundits, radio hosts, bloggers, and journalists damage women’s political futures with misogynistic remarks. When you attack one woman, you attack all women.

Here’s an article in the Washington Post about it: Women’s groups target sexism in campaigns

And here’s a letter to the editor about the article (note the misogynist comments on it):  Group references sometimes overlook the absence of women 

Where is the outrage?

In the “Where is the outrage?” department, we have a story that has received very little attention let alone signs of outrage. A man, intent on killing his wife, also targeted women. He injured three women and killed another three. He also killed his wife and took his own life.

Haven’t heard of this story? I’m not surprised. The question is, Why? If a person specifically targeted 3 Blacks or Hispanics or gay individuals, this would have made national news and we’d be having debates in all kinds of media about racism in America. Kill 4 women? Heck, that’s not so interesting, is it? Amazing… 

Silent screams

Remember the dream you had when you wanted to let out a scream and not a sound was heard?

Well, that’s how I often feel when women talk about violence – as if we’re talking over and over again and nobody is listening – as if no words were even coming out of our mouths.

Please read this interview with Shira Tarrant called Six questions on men and feminism.

Here’s an excerpt referring to the recent Bob Herbert article on Women at risk:

There was a lot of discussion in the feminist blogosphere about Herbert’s piece. The conversations I read were by female feminists. On the one hand, there was a sense that women had been calling out misogyny for years, decades, centuries. And then along comes a man who has column space and huge visibility through the New York Times. Some women were pissed, because it seemed that the media listened more when a man talked about issues that women have been vocalizing for so long.

I’ve said exactly what Herbert wrote in his column—that if any other single group of people were being systematically assaulted there would be mass public outrage. The problem is that violence against women is so often invisible. Or it happens so often it just seems normal. Violence against women is even fodder for entertainment. The story plots of entire TV shows and films revolve around violence against women. Can you imagine seeing similar story lines—on a regular basis—that revolved around systematic violence or sexual assault against another single group of people? People would be speaking out, boycotting, demanding change.

 

TMZ: The Misogynist Zone

Like usual, I had the TV on in the background as I sat at my desk today. TMZ, an entertainment news program, came on. Like other misogynist shows (Jerry Springer comes to mind), I really don’t know how they survive. Is sexism a big sell? Or has misogyny become so normal we zone out when women are called bitches, skanks and hos? I’ve heard all of them on TMZ, The Misogynist Zone, as I call it. Today they referred to Joan Cusack as a bitch.

And have you watched a soap opera lately? Having been unemployed for several months this past winter, I was startled to find soaps referring to women (aren’t they the main viewers?!) as sluts – over and over again.

If is beyond me why TV resorts to calling women derogatory terms and, furthermore, why we (men and women both) put up with it. Who would settle for this kind of treatment?