About 30 members of the UCLA community discussed misogynistic sentiments that motivated the recent Isla Vista shooting during a panel on Wednesday.
For Ellen DuBois, a history and gender studies professor and one of the panelists of the event, the shooting concerned far more people than the seven lives it claimed.
“It didn’t only affect these killed,” DuBois said to the audience Wednesday. “(The shooter) injected terror into you.”
The Undergraduate Students Associated Council Student Wellness Commission and 7000 in Solidarity, which seeks to educate students about sexual assault, hosted Wednesday’s event. Savannah Badalich, Student Wellness commissioner and the moderator for the discussion, said the purpose of the forum is to discuss what led to the shooting and the cultural underpinnings behind it.
The Isla Vista shooting that happened near UC Santa Barbara late last month left seven dead and several others injured. Elliot Rodger, the alleged shooter, claimed in his YouTube video that he wanted revenge against women who had rejected him sexually.
Panelists and attendees, mostly students, discussed whether the shooting originated from misogynistic sentiments.
DuBois said she could not see how the shooting was not misogynistic, given how Rodger had an intention to harm women.
However, some attendees said they are concerned people may not think the shooting was misogynistic because others may not acknowledge that sexism exists.
Badalich said stepping in to address sexism and gender-based misconduct doesn’t have to mean taking a big step. Taking little steps, such as stopping someone from telling a joke that could perpetuate rape culture, can help address the problem, Badalich said.
Shannon Robinson, a mental health counselor for UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services and one of the panelists, said he thinks men need to take greater steps to address the problem at hand.
“When men realize this issue surrounds us all, changes can actually start,” Robinson said.
DuBois said she hopes the shooting will serve as a catalyst for women’s rights.
“If this is not the catalyst, something else in the future will be,” DuBois said. “There will be another outburst of feminism.”
Whatever happened to news reporting? In real news outlets, opinions are clearly identified as such. But the Daily Bruin (News) is taking the stance that the shooting was caused by misogyny without questioning it? Fact is more men were killed than women in the attacks. But that doesn’t fit the hijacking of this tragedy by feminists trying to make a larger point about society and “rape culture” from the actions of a lunatic: ”
Panel discusses misogyny behind Isla Vista shootings”.