Awareness | Posted by Julie Z on 08/8/2009
The Sodini Killings
George Sodini
You probably have already heard about the kilings that took place by the hand of George Sodini in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania on Tuesday night.
Sodini, a 48-year-old man entered an LA Fitness center at 7:45 pm, turned off the lights in an aerobics classroom, and opened fire on a class of 20 women, killing 3 and injuring 9 before killing himself.
One of the most disturbing parts of this attack was the fact that Sodini had a blog, where he wrote in detail about his misogynistic musings, sexual frustrations and even his plans to kill.
Gawker analyzes Sodini as just another killer seeking attention. As an internet developer by profession, Sodini knew that people would google his name after the killings, and knew where to lead them and how to control their perceptions of him. At the bottom of the blog, Sodini wrote:
“This should not be taken off the web. It is obviously my view and opinion.
Reproduce this as you wish, in its entirity.
**Copy this to usenet/newsgroups where my voice will speak forever!**
Don’t modify it, you can correct my spelling errors, I used WordPad.
Unless the names are required legally to be blotted out, then fine. Thanks.”
The fact that this guy had a blog is obviously disturbing on so many levels. The casual tone of the blog, for one. The extreme hatred of women expressed through it. And even the underlying thought of, “This guy’s thoughts were public information since November 5, 2008…could we have stopped this?”
But it’s even more than that. Bob Herbert summed up my thoughts pretty well:
“We have become so accustomed to living in a society saturated with misogyny that the barbaric treatment of women and girls has come to be more or less expected. We profess to being shocked at one or another of these outlandish crimes, but the shock wears off quickly in an environment in which the rape, murder and humiliation of females is not only a staple of the news, but an important cornerstone of the nation’s entertainment…One of the striking things about mass killings in the U.S. is how consistently we find that the killers were riddled with shame and sexual humiliation, which they inevitably blamed on women and girls. The answer to their feelings of inadequacy was to get their hands on a gun (or guns) and begin blowing people away.”
George Sodini’s actions were beyond horrible. But to me it feels like America is collectively shrugging and sighing and saying, “Well, it’s not like it’s the first time.”
And that’s exactly the point.
We are so used to violence against women that this killing has just been added to a list. We just think that this is the way it is. And then people still have the nerve to say that we don’t need feminism and that sexism is over. We solved that problem back in the 1960′s and ’70′s.
Really? REALLY? We’ve solved it? So why were three women killed and nine women injured this week for no other reason than that they were women?
How many more innocent lives are we going to lose before people realize that sexism and misogyny are not only REAL in our society, but are KILLING people?
(7 votes, average: 4.29 out of 5)
Loading ...
Read other posts about: Bob Herbert, George Sodini
Post Your Comment
Elisabeth Kramer @ at 5:47 pm, August 8th, 2009
I read Mr. Bob Herbert’s article earlier today and he brought up an example I believe very telling: the shooting in an Amish schoolhouse fall 2006.
At the time, Mr. Herbert wrote “there would have been thunderous outrage if someone had separated potential victims by race or religion and then shot, say, only the blacks, or only the whites, or only the Jews. But if you shoot only the girls or only the women — not so much of an uproar.”
He’s so right. That article and this piece have really made me think about this issue of violence and espeically violence against women. Thank you for your reflection.
K8 AH @ at 7:14 pm, August 8th, 2009
You are completely correct. This should bee seen as a “Hate Crime.”
Samantha @ at 10:35 pm, August 8th, 2009
I am in love with this site, I found this on Tumblr. As a teenage feminist, it’s hard to find self proclaimed feminists of my age group I’m glad I found this site.
Anyway, many don’t want to acknowledge the BLATANT sexist offences in our country, they’d rather shrug it off. Neither do they want to acknowledge the offences in other countries around the world, which is frightfully depressing. This was a targeted offence against women due to the perpetrator’s lack of sexual maturity.
JC/DC @ at 11:42 pm, August 10th, 2009
I am a man of 45 years and i agree the idiot was immature in more ways than sex . He fixated on sex and women far beyond what he should have . Virtues / morals /
convictions to religion .
Humans are sexual and find joy
and acceptance through sex .
In reality a $50.00 ‘date’ with a
woman ,no-one worse for ware .
Brit @ at 3:33 am, August 19th, 2009
I don’t see how we show hate of women in our culture. If anything we show how much we hate men. I mean I’ve seen commercials where men are pigs, horses asses, donkeys and shoved into trash cans. In contrast to the authors comment you quoted, it is violence against men that is entertainment in our culture.
In fact we say routinely that men are dogs, pigs, jerks so much that we believe that men are not as good or valuable as women. We don’t believe ANYTHING bad about women. Even if a woman commits murder or domestic violence we excuse it and say “he had it coming” or he must have done something to deserve it.
I don’t think men deserve anything like this and I don’t understand why men don’t have domestic violence services to help them or why little boys are not allowed to enter a “woman’s shelter” I don’t understand why they put up that picture of that poor little boy on the side of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit buses saying “When I grow up I will beat my wife”
I mean come on we obviously hate men and see men as bad and deserving of violence more than we see women as deserving of it.
Brit @ at 3:39 am, August 19th, 2009
I also remember when that women cut off that mans penis and everyone thought it was funny. We see women as angels. About 1 million men and 1.4 million women are victims of intimate partner violence in this country and all we seem to talk about is the women that are victims..
My friends uncle told us that his friends wife broke plates, slapped and hit him and then he was beaten over the head with one of those old style rotary telephones and when the police came they took him to jail with blood coming out of his head. I think she was the one who called them but I’m not sure. This goes to show you how women are not even accountable for violence. We just ignore it and make excuses and think men deserve it.
CC @ at 10:02 am, August 20th, 2009
have anyone here ever been so isolated, so alone, felt so unnerved and despite your best efforts you recieved not help. If you really read his diary and online history, he tried, very hard to try to find or fix, and maybe he could not, what was wrong with him. He could not and it drove him insane. I just read out of to PA tribune news how he just should have turned the gun on himself. Duh, he did prior to the rants. They should have said, to bad no one was able to help him. His stupid ass church turned him away. No mention of any counseling they offered him. Sounds like a made up crappy church to me. A pastor who only studies and the members are priest themselves. That teaches them they are above the rest of us. No one has mentioned anywhere that someone offered him help. A person here who worked with at the library saw him as creepy. That could have been his face. some people look that way but it belies thier real issues underneath and then no one helps them. We all ignore these people,mock them and make fun of them and then they turn on us. Shame on us all.
CC @ at 10:38 am, August 20th, 2009
I will add this, I was a victim of crime from a man with a gun and you know what, many of them are in dire need of help and everyone men and women, are turning a selfish blind eye. I am middle aged and I can tell you this, crime against women is down, way down from when I was a child. It is more widely reported and accurate data kept now and with instant media you see it quickly. I would rather be a women in this time than 60 years ago. Women used to be property of a man and even when I was a kid you could not do what you are doing on this site now. thank god times have changed and evolved.
Toongrrl @ at 11:29 am, September 17th, 2009
God help the victims
Mickey Altstatt @ at 2:13 pm, April 23rd, 2010
Great website, I just came across it and I’m already a fan. I just reduced my weight 30 pounds in 30 days, and I want to share my weight loss success with as many people as possible. If I can lose weight then any one can. Whatever you do, never quit and you WILL accomplish all your weight loss goals!
Ileana Saborio @ at 11:05 am, March 31st, 2011
Hey, this is an intresting subject . I guess using Bing has been a great help
Keep it up!