Racism was a huge factor in the Atlanta killings. Also Misogyny.

[TDale313]

It’s not a one or the other thing. Racism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Transphobia. They are often inextricably linked and exhibited by the same person. Not always, but often.

[soothsayer]

1. And easy access to guns

[leftstreet]

5. It's astounding how the media narrative is ignoring guns

just bizarre given the history of covering shooters

[dalton99a]

2. The two aspects are not mutually exclusive.

[TDale313]

3. Exactly.

[kcr]

4. It seems obvious

But apparently many need a reminder. Some of the responses here today are utterly baffling. I just tried to respond to a post that essentially said the same thing but couldn't because it was removed. So, be careful on DU today.

[TDale313]

6. Yeah, there seems to be a lot of...

“Was it racism? Was it hatred of women?” floating around today. Not just here, but in general. My answer? Um, yes. Both.

[uponit7771]

16. +1

[kcr]

26. Are you sure? nt

[Hugh_Lebowski]

7. Misogyny yes, not sure on the racism ...

Apparently the story of the sex addiction is true, he'd even been to rehab (for sex addiction) and lived in a halfway house for a time. He was apparently also super-religious and apparently did have a great deal of shame over his problem.

I think one has to entertain the possibility at least that he attacked Asian women because the women who were working that day were Asian. It could be that it was incidental, IOW.

Not that any of this is the slightest bit mitigating.

[MaryMagdaline]

9. Racism is a huge part. Many non-Asian men objectify Asian women to the extreme

Hearing so much from Asian women about non-Asian men just assuming that they will be servile and sexually programmed to please.

I don’t buy the religious guilt aspect. Many of these religious types are drawn to the OT because of patriarchal predominance. Men matter, women do not. That fits their worldview, and if anything, there is no shame in sexual exploitation of women.

The fact that so many Asians have been under attack in the last few years makes me see this as a crime of racial hatred. They see it that way, too. I trust the prey to know who their natural enemies are.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

11. I know given the totality of what's been happening to Asian folks in this country lately

It's very logical to assume this attack was racially-motivated.

I'm by no means saying 'it's not', I'm just saying that ... me personally, from what I've seen so far, I do not have enough facts to conclude that it was ... nor that it was not.

Should people who know him say he had animosities, used racial slurs, or FB/Twitter posts of his show he was a racist, etc ... that would convince me.

Not telling anyone else what to think, to be clear.

[uponit7771]

17. Only Asian people have sex? If it was "just" sex addiction why go only after Asian spas? tia

[Hugh_Lebowski]

18. I never said 'just' about sex addiction ...

Sex addiction is absolutely no freaking excuse for this. If he'd been busted in a sting like Robert Kraft was, and his explanation was 'sex addiction', then ... yeah, okay. That explains why you're there. It does NOT explain killing people at the spa. So let be just be clear, I never said 'it was just sex addiction' nor do I think that.

I need more facts before I can conclude this was a racially-motivated attack.

When Dylann Roof (sp?) did what he did, there was NO DOUBT pretty much immediately. He went to a known black church, shot nothing but black people, and then when they looked at his social media, he was a white supremacist. He wanted to kill black folks, because he hated them, so he did so. That is the embodiment of 'racially-motivated crime'.

Unless you've seen proof I haven't, we're really not all that close to having that level of certainty in this case.

For example, to answer your question ... maybe these 3 are literally the places he went to for services. Do we know that, yet? I haven't seen one way or the other, clue me in if that has been answered. But that might be 'why'.

If not, were these places picked at random? And if random, what % of 'spas' in the area he was in employ Asian women? How statistically unlikely is it that if he shot up 3 random spas, that he would hit Asian women at a rate of 75%?

Assuming that obvious evidence of racial animosity doesn't turn up (WHICH IT TOTALLY MIGHT, please don't take me as saying I know either way), these are the questions that will come up when prosecutors look at this case, and decide on hate crime charges.

[uponit7771]

20. We agree you never said it was just about sex addiction but you do claim you don't know that this

... was about race when in supposedly a fit about sex addiction this murderer went after just one race of people when that area is a relatively diverse set of people to kill who have sex.

Also Why go after Asian spas instead of the ones ran by non Asians?

Jus sayin

I can understand the mostly white ran M$M acting like an in group

[Hugh_Lebowski]

23. I already gave possible answers to the question you're posing in the post you're responding to

So I won't repeat myself except to say ... I'm going to wait for more evidence to emerge, which it TOTALLY MAY, I won't be at all surprised.

I'm not convinced that racial ANIMOSITY ... drove his choice in victims.

Yet.

[uponit7771]

24. What else would it take? Facebook post? He went after 2% population in an 87% white area ...

... going to places that are VERY VERY few and far between and specific business that were Asian based.

That in and of itself isn't an accident, it took him a good amount of time to find them that county isn't littered with these Asian Spas

Then claimed it was because of "sex addiction" as if Asian people are the only ones having sex in Cherokee County GA.

The sex trafficking in "too many" (vs illicit) Asian spas shit sounds like a racist assed Trope that I'm going to OP before the weeks over if someone else hasn't done it.

The reason this terrorist stupid assed story is given the benefit of the doubt is cause he's white and people claim he's Christian IMHO.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

25. I could give you logical answers to what you're asking

but there's a chance they won't be well-received, so I won't.

Yes, a facebook post, a tweet, instagram, people who know him saying he disliked Asian people, that sort of thing.

OR ... proof that he KNEW OF places where he could go for sex that were NOT run by Asian people (receipts/charges, visits to the website thereof, etc), perhaps that were even closer to where he started his spree ... but that he chose to avoid that day.

You make good points, but there's still room for 'more conclusive evidence', and prosecutors will be looking at all of it.

You're of course welcome to deduce as you have my friend, and I get why you have

Unless you think *I* am giving him 'benefit of doubt' cause he's white and xtian.

Cause that ain't me, folks.

[MaryMagdaline]

8. Racism and misogyny are closely linked here.

The killer did not view women and Asians as his equal. We’re all put on this planet to serve and please. If we no longer please, we’re dead.

[localroger]

10. There are several things going on here, all independent

1. He could neither control nor tolerate his sexual tension, and when the frustration became unbearable he took it out on the source of the irritation. This is a common pattern among sexually motivated serial killers, and it can be made worse by religion or other forces magnifying the shame of these urges. This is most likely the fundamental reason he killed.

2. He may have particularly fetishized Asian women, or he may have had actual experiences with the predominantly Asian workers at these particular parlors. These would be different motivations but would have the same effect of narrowing his choice of targets after the explosion of #1 started to manifest.

3. He may have disliked Asians in general, but it seems unlikely that this would have sharpened his focus in the context of motivation #1.

None of this is to excuse this guy or downplay the real role of racism in any way. This is a very dangerous person who will probably never be safe for release into general society. However, Asian men probably have no particular reason to worry about him, while non-Asian women have plenty should there be no Asians around when his sexual trigger goes off. And #3 may or may not be true, and whether it is or not probably has little influence over the expression of his murderous impulse. If anything his problem is likely that he likes Asian women a little too much, making them the favored target when he blames them for his own problematic feelings.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

12. That is a trenchant analysis my friend ...

I concur entirely.

[WarGamer]

13. Doesn't appear to be...

Looks like a young and impressionable moron got propagandized by Right Wing Christian zealots who shamed him for wanting to have sex...

He would have been better served by people telling him to get out and sow his wild oats.

Of course, he's 100% responsible... but don't forget the "Church" folks.

Wonder if during the shooting he was yelling "Harlot" and something about smiting??

Propagandized asshole.

[TDale313]

14. Completely disagree that Race wasn't a factor.

It’s not accidental that he targeted not just women, but particularly Asian women. Went to three different locations. Did he view them as harlots? Probably. But it’s not accidental that they were Asian Women he went after. Wait, they’re more likely to be in industries identified with sex work/trafficking? Well, there’s a racism discussion to be had there as well.

[WarGamer]

15. he targeted the PLACES he frequented as a client.

Those were the woman servicing him. He was brainwashed into thinking they were the equivalent of Satan taunting and enticing him.

If it had been strip clubs full of white girls, he'd do the same.

Pin this one on the "Puritans".

[ismnotwasm]

22. There are entire groups of men obsessed with Asian women .

There are plenty of white sex workers. That’s not what he targeted.

[Kingofalldems]

19. We need it to be much harder to buy guns.

One would think the NRA would lead the way on that.

But no.

[ismnotwasm]

21. Yes.

Absolutely