San Diego mosque shooters were driven by misogyny as much as racism, but media ignores this pattern
Source: Jill Filipovic. "The San Diego mosque shooters targeted Muslims, Jews, and women.." May 26, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
The author argues that the San Diego mosque shooters were motivated as much by hatred of women as by racism, but the media largely ignored this aspect. She claims that extreme anti-woman views have become so common in conservative politics that we've stopped treating them as newsworthy, even when they drive mass violence.
Conclusion
The misogynistic ideology driving mass violence has become so mainstream on the right that it's no longer being properly recognized or reported as a central motivating factor in attacks like the San Diego mosque shooting
Premises
- The San Diego mosque shooters' manifesto reveals they targeted Jews and women with particular hatred, calling women 'the most evil creature in the world' after Jews
- The shooters blamed women for societal problems and immigration, viewing them as emotionally-driven voters who enable 'brown immigrants' to enter the country
- Mass shooters consistently have histories of domestic violence and woman-hating, showing a clear pattern between misogyny and mass violence
- Extreme misogyny has become mainstream in conservative politics, from Trump administration officials to popular right-wing figures who promote anti-feminist ideologies
- Twelve years ago misogynist mass violence was highly newsworthy, but now it 'merits little more than a nod' despite being equally present
- The media focused primarily on the Islamic and racial hatred while largely ignoring the central role of misogyny in the attackers' ideology
Assumptions
- Media coverage patterns reflect and influence public understanding of threats
- Mainstreaming of extreme ideologies makes them less newsworthy and therefore less scrutinized
- There is a causal relationship between misogynistic ideology and propensity for mass violence
- The normalization of extreme views on the political right has desensitized society to their danger