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JamesTiberiusKirk  ·  3620 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Let's call the Isla Vista killings what they were: misogynist extremism

I think it's a huge mistake to approach this as if the shooter was a normal human being and construct an argument/social critique around that assumption. Can anyone watch his videos or read his "manifesto" and actually convince themselves that this is what a "normal" person behaves like?

So, are the killings misogynist extremism? Or were they the effect of a mentally ill individual who just so happened to perseverate on and be disturbed by his inability to relate to women? When I read about this story, I don't see a normal man attempting to exercise some kind of "misogynist extremism." I think that's an intellectually lazy argument to make that's made strictly to score some political points. Instead, I see a poor kid that should've been getting some help, didn't, and ultimately cracked.

While it's tempting to go for the easy explanation here, I'm not convinced it's the right one. Jenny doesn't make a particularly convincing argument - she comes across as a political opportunist looking to move forward a cause she identifies with and finds importance in.