Yahoo Lifestyle Why You Should Read #YesAllWomen
The hastag #YesAllWomen has gone viral on Twitter after a number of women were gunned down over the weekend by 22-year old Elliott Rodger, who claimed he was gaining retribution for women who had “starved [him] of sex.”
Rodger reportedly emailed a 141-page document explaining his motives to a few dozen people on Saturday, including his father, Peter Rodger, assistant director on The Hunger Games trilogy.
“For the last eight years of my life, since I hit puberty, I’ve been forced to endure an existence of loneliness, rejection and unfulfilled desires, all because girls have never been attracted to me," Rodger said. "Girls gave their affection and sex and love to other men, never to me.”
Rodger then warned he would execute a “Day of Retribution,” when he would torture and kill “good looking people” before launching a “War on Women” to punish girls and women who he said had “starved [him] of sex.” His Youtube page, which has since been removed, also detailed his plans.
The shocking spate of violence has since sparked a conversation about rape, harassment and women’s safety, with the hasttag #YesAllWomen dominating the list of trending topics.
The outpouring of grief for the victims and outrage that such an attack had even occurred was evident over the weekend, as women came forward with their own stories and pledged support for victims of violence across the world.
Here are a couple that stood out to us, but you should definitely log on to Twitter and see the response for yourself:
Aimee Mann @aimeemann The cops who asked me "Well, what were you wearing?" when I reported an attack and attempted rape. #YesAllWomen
Zerlina Maxwell @ZerlinaMaxwell Yo, while we are at it, telling women they are "whining" when they R tweeting with the #YesAllWomen is sexist. Stop.
nessa @twitcampayno because when a girl says no, she's "just playing hard-to-get", and when a guy says no, you're a "stalker" if you call him again #YesAllWomen
JA Konrath @jakonrath Just spent an hour reading & discussing #YesAllWomen with my 16yo son. Do the same with your kids; they are never too young or too old.
Santa Barbara residents attended a candlelight vigil for the victims on Saturday night.
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