Elliot Rodger’s misogynistic ‘retribution’ claim overpowered by #YesAllWomen movement

When 22-year-old Elliot Rodger left a six-minute diatribe blaming women who wouldn't sleep with him for his decision to go on a murder spree targeting a University of California sorority house, he surely believed he would be leaving behind a strong, powerful declaration about the failings of women and their role in society.

Instead, Rodger’s misogynistic views prompted a forceful and inspiring response from women, and men, around the world who have spoken out against the misogyny and sexism that women are forced to endure on a daily basis.

What began as a brutal and fatal attempt to blame the victims of an alleged madman’s violence has instead turned the spotlight on the everyday behaviour of men, many of whom surely think their comments and actions are entirely innocent.

The hashtag #YesAllWomen began appearing in the wake of the May 23 spree in Santa Barbara, during which Rodger allegedly killed his two roommates and another person before shooting two women outside a sorority house and another person, before leading police on a chase and ending up dead himself.

Details streaming out since his death paint Rodger as a distressed young man who was obsessed with status and prestige, and also generally furious at women for not having sex with him.

In a diatribe posted to YouTube the day of the attack, the 22-year-old self-described virgin said he was going to punish women for the crime of not liking him.

“You girls have never been attracted to me. I don’t know why you girls aren’t attracted to me, but I will punish you all for it,” he said in the video, which has since been removed.

While Santa Barbara has been left scarred in the wake of Rodger's "retribution," women have taken to Twitter en mass to unite, and share their stories about the casual sexism and dangerous confrontations they face every day.

According to Mashable, the hashtag began being used the day after the attack and has since been tagged in more than 1.2 million tweets. The antithesis to the #YesAllWomen hashtag is the #NotAllMen movement, which sought to declare that not all men treat women poorly or promote inequality. But it just helped emphasize the problem. All women have, in one instance or another, felt threatened or victimized. Not all men have any idea what that’s like. Though many joined the online movement in an attempt to understand.

Still don't think it's an issue? According to Think Progress, another California man fired his gun at three women on Saturday after they allegedly refused to sleep with him and his friends.

That was only one day after Rodger's day of retribution. And on Monday, a website that teaches men how to pick up women claimed that “six lives would have been saved” if society had only taught the killer how to convince women to sleep with him.

The fact that such a comment seemed like a reasonable reaction in the face of such tragedy says pretty much everything you need to know about the mindset of some men.

It’s not all men, but it is increasingly clear that all women are, indeed, affected. And that is something all men should realize, and learn to empathize with.