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Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014) was a British and American mass murderer who is known for killing six people and injuring fourteen others during the 2014 Isla Vista killings. The murders he committed, his suicide and his manifesto have been cited as an early influence on the incel and manosphere subculture.
Born in London, England, Rodger relocated to California with his family as a child. Son of British filmmaker Peter Rodger, he grew up in a privileged household. Rodger struggled with social isolation, mental health issues, and rejection. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with pervasive develop
Elliot Oliver Robertson Rodger (July 24, 1991 – May 23, 2014) was a British and American mass murderer who is known for killing six people and injuring fourteen others during the 2014 Isla Vista killings. The murders he committed, his suicide and his manifesto have been cited as an early influence on the incel and manosphere subculture.
Born in London, England, Rodger relocated to California with his family as a child. Son of British filmmaker Peter Rodger, he grew up in a privileged household. Rodger struggled with social isolation, mental health issues, and rejection. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), later redefined as a form of autism. He started treatment and received special education resources and therapy for most of his life. He endured bullying during his time in middle and high school. Several incidents of Rodger's strange behavior during his time in Isla Vista, California, along with videos and other writings that mentioned violent intentions, worried his family and acquaintances. Before starting his planned shooting rampage, Rodger uploaded to YouTube a video announcing his intention to “punish” women—as well as the men to whom they were attracted—for their lack of interest in him. He also e-mailed a 137-page manifesto—in which he described his major life events, personal struggles, and frustrations at having remained a lifelong virgin—to several of his family members, acquaintances, and therapists.
On May 23, 2014, Rodger murdered six people and injured fourteen others using knives, semi-automatic pistols, and his car as a weapon in Isla Vista near the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Rodger first killed his two roommates and their friend in the apartment they shared, ambushing and stabbing them one at a time as they arrived. Hours later, he drove to the Alpha Phi sorority house, where he intended to murder its occupants, but was unable to enter the premises. Rodger instead shot at three women from the Delta Delta Delta sorority who were walking near the Alpha Phi sorority house, killing two of them while critically injuring the third. He later drove by a nearby delicatessen, shooting and killing a man inside. Afterward, Rodger drove around Isla Vista, indiscriminately shooting and ramming into pedestrians with his vehicle. He exchanged gunfire with sheriff's deputies twice, getting shot in his hip. Shortly after, he crashed his vehicle into a parked car. As police examined the vehicle, they found Rodger dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
In the years following his death, Rodger's attacks became a topic of conversations about mental health, online radicalization, and misogyny. He is cited as an early figure of the incel and manosphere subculture, being referred to as a “hero” and “saint” in internet forums. Rodger's attacks have often been praised by incels around the world. He has both influenced and been referenced by perpetrators of other mass killings, with some referring to their actions as “going E.R.”, including those who perpetrated the 2015 Umpqua Community College shooting and the 2018 Toronto van attack. Rodger's killings have sparked social media campaigns like #NotAllMen and #YesAllWomen and have contributed to ongoing debates about toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, and the influence of internet forums in radicalizing young men who intend to commit copy-cat crimes.
Middle years:
Rodger's mother met Steven Spielberg and George Lucas during her work as a nurse, dating the latter for a short period during the late 1990s, leading to her and Rodger being invited to several red-carpet premieres, including one for “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace” (1999). Rodger's enjoyment of movies began to wane due to his discomfort with the presence of couples at movie theaters. During this period, his stepmother became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Rodger's younger half-brother. Rodger's social activity decreased during middle school, and he immersed himself in popular video games such as Halo and World of Warcraft at his parents' houses and cybercafés, primarily socializing with others via online chatrooms. When he was aged 11, a fellow AOL chatroom user shared sexually explicit images with Rodger, leading to overwhelming feelings of shock and emotion. Upon reaching puberty, Rodger developed a high sex drive but began to believe he would never have sexual relationships with women. He became known as a “quiet” and “weird kid” who intentionally annoyed classmates, leading to bullying by other students. One of his bullies was a blonde girl, which Rodger claimed contributed to the development of his misogynistic attitudes.
After finishing middle school, Rodger enrolled in Crespi Carmelite High School (Crespi), an all-boys Catholic school in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. Rodger was initially eager to distance himself from female peers but observing the older, taller students at Crespi caused Rodger to have an anxiety attack during his first day of attendance. Rodger reported being severely bullied by seniors at Crespi, which included having his head taped to his desk when he fell asleep, being pushed into lockers, and suffering homophobic abuse due to his refusal to associate with girls. Rodger was overwhelmed by the bullying, and he withdrew socially, neglected his homework and spent hours playing video games. On the last day of Rodger's freshman year, a classmate spoke about having sex with his girlfriend. Rodger did not believe him, causing the classmate to play a voice recording of himself and his girlfriend having sex. Following Rodger's subsequent outburst, his mother picked him up in the school's main office; it was the last time he would leave Crespi.
Rodger's parents enrolled him in William Howard Taft Charter High School (Taft), the transition to which intensified Rodger's fears due to its large student body. Rodger again experienced severe bullying, often by male students and in the presence of female students. One afternoon, while leaving the premises, Rodger suffered an anxiety attack, causing school staff to contact his mother, and he was withdrawn from Taft after only a week of attendance. His parents then enrolled him at Independence Continuation High School, a school of roughly 100 students that offered three-to-four hours of daily instruction, believing it to be a safer environment for Rodger.
In 2007, Rodger was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), a condition on the autism spectrum (AS) that leads to problems in social development. While Rodger did not meet the criteria to be diagnosed with autism, his PDD-NOS diagnosis helped him receive special education resources. At age 15, Rodger was prescribed Xanax and Prozac, but he stopped taking both medications after a year. He later began taking Paxil, but reported that it left him feeling excessively drowsy and fatigued. Rodger claimed he had to “rely entirely” on his “mind and positive thinking” to manage his social anxiety.
At the age of 17, Rodger reacted to the suggestion of visiting his stepmother's home country, Morocco, with a temper tantrum. He went with his stepmother and half-brother but remained discontent and continuously emailed his mother until she allowed him to return to her home. His father's filmmaking career severely declined during the 2000s, culminating in the documentary film Oh My God (2009), which bombed at the box office. The film's failure drove Rodger's father into debt and forced him to pause his child support payments.
Rodger's stepmother became concerned with his unwillingness to socialize and made him stop playing his video games, causing tensions between the two to escalate. These tensions escalated and Rodger was ejected from his father's house. Rodger soon harbored a fixation on becoming rich, believing it to be the key to gaining attention from women. He urged his mother to marry a wealthy man, but she refused to remarry, and Rodger took up screenwriting and inventing, which he believed would be shortcuts to success, but he quickly gave up when he felt challenged. Disliking high school and determined to graduate early, Rodger attended classes more regularly and earned top grades, graduating from Independence Continuation High School in 2010.
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Tags: Youtube (1), Incelosphere (1), Isla Vista (1), Involuntary Celibate (1), Violent Criminal (1), Incel (1), Internet Meme (1), Vlogger (1), Privileged (1), Born In London (1), Youtuber (1), Narcissist (1), Born 1991 (1), Autist (1), Hated (1), London (1), Meme (1), Mentally Ill (1), Murderer (1), Autistic (1)
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