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comment by JamesTiberiusKirk
JamesTiberiusKirk  ·  3616 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.





user-inactivated  ·  3615 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Are you telling me it's possible to discuss this tragic UCSB Shooting without wholesale blaming feminists, red pillers, women, or men?

But how else will I grind this massive axe?????

I mean, this tragedy proved that I was right about [insert bias] all along!

havires  ·  3591 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Some of the sarcasm ITT is just great.

mknod  ·  3614 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    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.

Now I partially agree with this, but if he were part of a racist group, or posted his thoughts on stormfront, would this change your opinion? What about if he was part of a militia? What if he was part of a church? A cult? A group that advocated for the violent overthrow of the United States government?

From what I've seen online, these "Pickup artist" groups are bad, and they advocate a lot of bad behavior. They perpetrate this weird mythology that women are simply video games, if you push the right buttons you will get access to their vagina.

I am not saying that the groups caused him to go over the edge (because it's complex, you can't pin an illness like that) but what I am saying is that it is relevant that he was part of this culture and it helped reinforce (directly or indirectly) his views about women.

user-inactivated  ·  3615 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Your comment is on point. To me, it seemed that she was making conjectures about a group of people on the basis of a few individuals, in a somewhat populistic way.