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If women as a group were able to escape male violence, we would not be men’s victims. Women as a group have obviously not yet found a way to stop or escape rape, wife abuse, incest, sexual harassment, or other forms of male tyranny. (Dee Graham, in Loving to Survive)
Can Women Escape from Men? | Radfem Hub
Seeded on Fri Jan 6, 2012 5:09 PM EST
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- Public Discussion (55)
A new survey released in the U.S, entitled The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, details the extent and effects of male violence against women. It is a nationally representative survey that assesses experiences of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence among adult women and men in the United States and for each individual state.
The data reiterates the type of findings feminists uncovered during the seventies:
*More than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance
*Across all types of violence, the majority of female victims reported that their perpetrators were male. Male rape victims and male victims of non-contact unwanted sexual experiences reported predominantly male perpetrators. Nearly half of stalking victimizations against males were also perpetrated by males.
* For female rape victims, 98.1% reported only male perpetrators. Additionally, 92.5% of female victims of sexual violence other than rape reported only male perpetrators. For male victims, the sex of the perpetrator varied by the type of sexual violence experienced. The majority of male rape victims (93.3%) reported only male perpetrators.
- 3 votes
#1 - Fri Jan 6, 2012 5:09 PM ESTLoretta, keep it up.
For myself, I feel women feel torn between their nurturing instincts and their instinct to survive. I like most men, most of the time.
I often think of the sperm and the egg. By appearances, the egg is relatively inactive and the sperm must fight to succeed. Yet, as far as I know, it is still part mystery why the egg selects a particular sperm. Anyway, the egg is nutritive towards the growing zygote and has absorbed the sperm. So, I see females as nurturers and males as aggressors and this difference stems from the origin of life.
From my perspective, it seems that males continue to struggle to define themselves as "nonfemale."
I have used the terms male and females because to me that represents our animal side. For me, it is the males who have not become men, who seek to suppress women, females to them, because it is part of their animal nature.
Even some species of insects, ants, for example, keep slaves.
- 1 vote
#2 - Fri Jan 6, 2012 7:14 PM ESTWarning: rant
Of course I don't like this article being a man. But it sure feels like you are bashing 50% of the population. You can either bitch about it or try to make it better. I try to foster strength in my girls. As a father I always get the "you better keep a shotgun around". Truthfully I feel confident because of I have raised them to be strong both physically and mentally -- I feel sorry for many of the men who will chase my girls who have wasted the last 10 years sitting on thier arses in front of the video games. That is probably the escape for women--stop raising them to meet some standard presented by the movie screen or a photoshopped magazine. Raise them to be real and want something more.
I would be 100% supportive of the bashing men in countries where women are still treated like cattle and where the law continuously suppresses them. But women have choices about men and continually make bad ones. I see them all the time--where is their responsibility. They are warned but they still make bad choices.
Men get their due at times and sometimes more.
- 1 vote
#3 - Sat Jan 7, 2012 2:37 AM ESTI can't help but notice you've bashed women for wanting to be free of male violence rather than bashing male violence. Why is that? Why are you trying to define women as the problem when it isn't women committing the vast majority of the violence?
Citing quotes from factual articles about male violence is not male bashing. It's discussing facts. If men don't like those facts, this would apply to them:
You can either bitch about it or try to make it better.
So are you just going to bitch or are you going to try to make it better?
I try to foster strength in my girls
Again, you're placing the responsibility on women. Why not fost strength in men -- the kind of strength that does not include being violent?
Now, don't start whining that I'm saying women should be weak. I'm not weak, and neither are the women I know. None of us are raising girls to be weak.
Because we're strong, we're demanding our male dominated society do something about male violence. As a man, you should want something done too. If you want to know why, read the stats again. Men are harming men too.
Our safety should not depend upon our willingness to become as violent as the criminals among us. That is not a viable argument. If it were, we would not need cops or courts.
Men get their due at times and sometimes more.
Violent men should "get their due" all the time -- long jail sentences. They should also be educated in how to cope without being violent.
- 4 votes
better message would be against violence in general, placing blame on one gender causes more problems by making unfair assumptions.
So if someone were to post an article about murder, you'd say we shouldn't discuss just murder, but all "violence in general"? Really?
But if you really want to discuss all violence, then you still cannot get away from the fact that most violence of all kinds is committed by men.
Of course, by looking at all violence, you can pretend there isn't a patriarchal culture that encourages violence, especially violence against women. Sorry, but your argument is just another way to deflect focus on violence against women.
- 3 votes
Do women face violence from men only? If the answer is yes then my apologizes, if the answer is no, then how exactly can you go around and be against violence caused by men and not just violence against women in general?
what i can tell you is that women can be pretty violent as well.
It's all part of the culture of violence. Since generally women cannot strike back at men, they instead take their stress, caused by this culture, out on other women.
- 3 votes
Infrared, read the stats. The vast majority of violence against women is committed by men.
You keep trying to change the topic to suit your criteria. This seed is about violence against women by men. If you wish to discuss other forms of violence, you are free to do so on you column. Please stay on topic here.
- 4 votes
It's all part of the culture of violence. Since generally women cannot strike back at men, they instead take their stress, caused by this culture, out on other women.
are you seriously blaming women on women violence on men?
Infrared, read the stats. The vast majority of violence against women is committed by men.
i am reading the stats from the seeded article's source:
• More than half (51.1%) of female
victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance; for male
victims, more than
The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey | 2010 Summary Report | Executive Summary
1
half (52.4%) reported being
raped by an acquaintance
and 15.1% by a stranger.An estimated 10.7% of women • and 2.1% of men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime.
Nearly half of all women and • men in the United States have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetime (48.4% and 48.8%, respectively).
nothing specifying which gender is the attacker.
but let's agree for arguments sake. let's say f
80% of the violence against women is caused by men and 20% is caused by women. if you are against violence against women you would not selectively attribute the violence to be caused by men cause that falsely assumes 100% is caused by men. if you are only interested in violence against women caused by men then the question are you against violence against women or are you just against men. if 100% of the violence against women was caused by men you'd be right if it isn't you aren't fair.
are you seriously blaming women on women violence on men?
Yes I am, this is classic human behavior. When I was young and my sister was a toddler, when she was angry with our parents, she would pull my hair. Why? because there was no way she could punish them but she needed the ability to punish someone, so I was her only available target.
Infrared, the stats concerning male violence are in the first post. Any more attempts at derailing will be deleted.
- 3 votes
The tone of the article is "men are dangerous" -- "Can Women Escape From Men". Where does that place the responsibility -- on men. I don't see it exactly that way. People are dangerous. Are men more dangerous than women -- probably but it is a matter of perspective. We all own the problem. We raise children and we cultivate the values and attitudes in them so we are all responsible. Any kind of violence should not be tolerated; it shouldn't be just about men.
You may not be weak and a lot of women I know are not either. I am certainly not bashing women. But I don't like some of the attitudes I see that are cultivated for women either such as celebrity worship and the photoshopped models that I see on the cover of magazines. I don't feel that these are very good role models for women. I know that some parents raise their kids without much intervention to sort out sibling rivalries. "Boys will be boys" -- but I don't see how they ever really learn the difference between right and wrong if parents don't intervene at times. I have always taught my kids that violence is wrong. Both of my girls are tough girls but I do not teach them to retaliate; I teach them to go get an adult. I have one son -- he is a special case because he has cerebral palsy. Having said that being a parent is not easy and it is hard to know what the right thing to do is all the time.
In terms of strength for my girls I mean I am confident that 1) they will make better decisions and be less likely to put themselves in a bad situation, 2) if they do happen to encounter a dangerous situation they are physically more likely to be able to escape. Also perpetrators target weaker victims so I think that helps them. And I have responsibility here.
Societies that oppress women oppress everone so yes I am for everyone taking responsibility.
I would like to mention the statistics later.
Thanks
- 1 vote
Where does that place the responsibility -- on men.
Why shouldn't the responsiblity be on men to stop being violent?
As to men being dangerous, they are. Read the stats. It's about time that men face the fact that patriarchal culture promotes and encourages violence, especially violence against women.
Without violence against women, patriarchy cannot survive. Women don't volunteer to be treated as second class citizens. It is forced upon them all over the world -- via violence and laws aimed at enforcing their second class status.
You might try reading beyond the headline on the article and try to understand what the author is saying. Just because you are uncomfortable with the headline does not mean what she says is not worth hearing. Women are fed up with the violence committed against them and the excuses that help it to continue. They are especially fed up with being told they are the problem and they somehow cause male violence.
- 4 votes
I agree with most of your points but I think that the article is devisive.
I did read the article several times. I might have overeacted a little at first but the tone and article are what the are.It is true that men are dangerous just as much as it is true that men are not dangerous.
If I hit someone when I was 15 do automatically qualify for the abusive bucket.
I can think of a number of situations that men find themselves in that maybe go across the line to uncomfortable (without being rape) and then are sorry about it later and grow from it. How does that factor into the stats? Once a drill seargeant asked me to drop my pants and bend over (at the time I thought he was joking). Does that make men dangerous to me now?
What about the statement below -- this seems like an over exaggeration. The article is devisive and it is promoting fear.
and men annihilate their families with frightening regularity.
Men do annihilate their families with frightening regularity. Three US women are murdered every single day by their intimate partners. Men bent on suicide quite often murder their families first. Men who murder their families quite often go on to murder others: extended families, friends, co-workers. We see it in the news all the time. Why deny it?
Why do mothers get off scott free -- they raise their boys? They raise boys that are dangerous -- don't they have some responsibility?
Yeah, let's blame the mothers and ignore the patriarchal culture that encourages violence.
You're posting over on the seed about the Christian Tennessee lawmaker who wants to exempt kids in his religion from bullying laws. How surprising. A patriarch of a patriarchal religion wants the kids his religion teaches to hate others to be able to act out on that hate. That's male culture teaching violence.
So is porn which is disgustingly violent, all of it aimed at women. The average age of a child seeing online porn for the first time is eleven. The majority of kids are visting online porn sites by sixteen. That's male culture teaching violence.
Go to any seed on NV about rape, and you'll see people blaming women for being victimized rather than blaming the rapist. They also tell women they need to become more violent to stop rape. That's male culture teaching violence.
Read any news article on athletes and their coaches who have committed violence and see how many people automatically defend them. Listen to the terms used as sports terminology and see how many of them are violent terms. That's male culture teaching violence.
Listen to how men talk to women they do not know and the aggressive, vulgar things they say. Listen to their buddies backslapping them in approval. That's male culture teaching violence.
Look at all the "but look at how she dressed/where she was/what she did" excuses when men commit violence against women. That's male culture teaching violence.
Studies have shown that women who go to their pastors/preachers, etc to seek help with their abusive spouse are most often told that "God" says they have no right to get a divorce and quite often are told it's their fault. That's male culture teaching violence.
When there's violence in the home, the children are learning violence as a way of life. That too is male culture teaching violence.
But let's ignore all that and blame the mothers -- because that's what patriarchy does. It blames women for male violence.
- 6 votes
You can make the statistics sound like a lot but when you actually calculate the percentages we are at a very low percentage of males that murder their intimate partner. While the percentage is lower for women you could still make it look regular (I saw 1 a day in 2005. It is interesting though that the male victims dropped dramatically. I would like to know why that is.) if you were taking the US as a whole. If someone is murdered here its in the news it but it doesn't happen very often. Less than .01 percent of males hardly qualifies as "frightening".
There is big difference between blame and responsibility. I am not blaming mothers I am just saying that they share responsibility especially in our culture where women legally have more rights. In other countries which are more dominated by males I think you do have to put more responsibility on them.
Male violence will never end just as oppression will never end. The struggle for freedom is a constant battle. As soon as you put down your guard someone will be there to take it away.
Listen to how men talk to women they do not know and the aggressive, vulgar things they say. Listen to their buddies backslapping them in approval. That's male culture teaching violence.
I work in a corporate environment that is very sensitive to this and this behaviour is just not tolerated any more. Of course Seattle is a little more progressive than other places.
It may not be tolerated at work, but it is still tolerated in many places, including when men get together recreationally.
I'm not going to argue whether or not male violence inflicted on women exists. It does. The percentages are high. 25% of women report being battered. 25% of women report being raped at least once, some multiple times. 60% of women report being sexually assaulted.
If as much energy and time was spent trying to address the issue as is spent trying to deny or derail the issue, perhaps we could get somewhere.
The idea that male violence will never end is defeatist and ignores the reality that our patriarchal culture encourages it. While it may never be stopped completely, progress could be made by acknowledging that fact.
- 3 votes
one of the reasons that the issue cannot be fully dealt with is that there are certain feminists that do not wish to deal with the entire problem.
Loretta too many men who feel offended by the truth are offended because they don't want to feel responsible to make an effort to change what is happening. They may have exhibited the very same aggressive and negative behaviors discussed in the article. Either way with the way the world is now in a pressure cooker I expect if women are to maintain their dignity they are going to have to fight for it with more than words. It is very sad when women have to be subsumed into the same patriarchal violence in order to survive but there it is. I would say that it may eventually become necessary to separate from men except when procreation or pleasure is desired. There have been feminist writers who have discussed this concept of separatism much to the anger and derision of men. Although it is truly radical by patriarchal standards it is in my opinion still worthy of consideration. Maybe after the patriarchy finally destabilizes the world and populations are severely reduced such considerations will be viable and necessary.
- 2 votes
The voices for separatism are growing louder all over the world. Some countries are responding in limited ways. For instance, both Japan and Mexico have begun providing women-only train and subway cars because of the violence against women on trains and subways.
I'm not a separatist, but I am for abolishing patriarchy in all its forms. The only way male violence against women will be lessened is by abolishing the primary fount that creates it and supports it because it has a need for it. As long as patriarchy exists, male privilege will include the privilege of committing violence upon women with almost total impunity.
- 2 votes
Loretta I did not know about Japan providing separate trains for women. Small ways may be appropriate for now. However as with all strategies of surviving the patriarchy separatism could also be manipulated and become a prison for women. Only if women were in charge of it and those women were fully committed to the emancipation of women would it have any chance of success. Full access to men should be available to all women who wish it. No woman who has a great guy should have to live without him but neither should women have to suffer under the yoke of oppressive behaviors. Think of it as a society where women can work raise children without men harassing or physically abusing them. What a joy that would be.
- 3 votes
Only if women were in charge of it and those women were fully committed to the emancipation of women would it have any chance of success.
I don't know how that can be done unless women are in complete control over separation that includes separate facilities, enclaves or maybe even sovereign female nations? But I don't think enough women would be committed to establishing a greater sense of autonomy and opposing male privilege in this world.
- 3 votes
The majority of women do oppose male privilege. I don't think there is a majority that wants a completely separatist world, but I'd bet there is a majority that would support measures meant to insure women's safety, like the separate cars on a train.
- 3 votes
Yes currently the idea of a female separatism is still mostly a theory and I would agree most females would be unwilling to enter into a separate environment or sovereign country. In my original post I allude to this by stating that after the patriarchy has destabilized the world and populations have been reduced separatism might become necessary if women were to survive and thrive. Young women need to understand and educate themselves to feminist principles and teach their daughters these concepts so that in the event that the world does become destabilized as I believe it will then these ideas or concepts will be known and if necessary employed. Women who are male identified would not put up any resistance but would try to appease their oppressors.
- 1 vote
but I'd bet there is a majority that would support measures meant to insure women's safety, like the separate cars on a train.
I suppose if that works then we will need separate cars based on race? Then religion? Sexual preference? We are going to need a significantly larger infrastructure.
and populations have been reduced separatism might become necessary if women were to survive and thrive.
If that is needed then it will be necessary. The female people would need to establish its own government and laws that would be the foundation of the sovereign female world. I assume the male people will do the same. Maybe both worlds can send ambassadors to the other side for negotiations over resources and trade and to promote peace.
Pretending that people in other categories suffer as much violence as women do at the hands of men doesn't work. You'd have to prove the stats. Do you have such stats?
There are women only spaces established by women all over the Net. There are some in real life too. That trend is growing because women are tired of trying to cope with aggressive men, like those posting here who will not allow an honest on-topic discussion to take place.
All women know the energy and direction of a discussion changes as soon as one man takes part, even if there are quite a few women. That's why women only groups prosper on Facebook, Yahoo and other social networks. Too many men try to dominate the discussion and refuse to listen to what women are trying to discuss. When they do try to listen, they have a hard time relating because their experiences are not even remotely similiar.
So separatism is already happening, even though it is limited. It is happening all over the world. I suspect it will grow as a movement, although it may never come to the point of entire separate countries.
- 3 votes
Pretending that people in other categories suffer as much violence as women do at the hands of men doesn't work.
I am not pretending that. Women suffer the worst but it would be fair to give the same fair treatment to other oppressed groups.
All women know the energy and direction of a discussion changes as soon as one man takes part, even if there are quite a few women. That's why women only groups prosper on Facebook, Yahoo and other social networks. Too many men try to dominate the discussion and refuse to listen to what women are trying to discuss. When they do try to listen, they have a hard time relating because their experiences are not even remotely similiar.
Maybe men don't want to relate to women and that is why this conflict occurs? If there was a way to defeat this attitude of domination then maybe conflict would be lessened?
So separatism is already happening, even though it is limited. It is happening all over the world. I suspect it will grow as a movement, although it may never come to the point of entire separate countries.
Yes, separatism may only be limited to separate infrastructure to protect women from the dangerous gender but if there can be no way to create an understanding of peace between the genders then maybe males and females should live in separate nations if that would be a way to prevent violence. For women, it would be a final and permanent escape from those that would inflict harm on them and a last solution to the problem of male tyranny over the female people.
- 2 votes
it would be fair to give the same fair treatment to other oppressed groups.
The separate cars were not because of oppression but because of the high number of sexual assaults that were being committed on the trains and subways. I don't believe there is any other oppressed group that is suffering from that much danger on public transportation.
At to separetism, perhaps it will come to that: living complete separate. We are already changing to a matrifocal society because of the high number of single families headed by women and the high number of children abandoned by their fathers. Every generation will see the matrifocal elements increase because it is normal to structure your own family in the manner you are raised.
In some matrifocal societies, like the Mosuo, fathers are not recognized as a family member. They don't even record or recognize fathers. The maternal uncles assume the male role in the families. The women own the assets, earn a living, etc. They support the male members of the family.
In some societies, they have marriages but not in the tradition of our marriages. The wife continues to live with her family in the matriarchal tribe. Her husband comes to visit from time to time. This protects her and her children from his violence or shiftlessness. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was the son of this type of marriage.
It will be interesting to see how our society evolves as it moves away from traditional marriage. The reason the patriarchal churches are desperate to stop this shift and force women back into the unwanted role of wife and mother under patriarchal rule is that this family model is what props up the entire system of patriarchy.
- 4 votes
I would like to see a shift towards absolute equality between the genders in regards to the family structure. There would be no "head of the family" under that system. I do not know if that would be good enough.
- 3 votes
There are many egalitarian families. In fact, a study I seeded last year revealed they were much happier, both in their day to day living and also in their sex life.
- 1 vote
To all the men who are offended by the article posted and some of the posters comments. I know that if I read an article that put women in a bad light, I'd say something, too. But, how do we look at statistics realistically?
- 4 votes
#5 - Sat Jan 7, 2012 2:25 PM ESTI am a male and I can tel you why I am more offended by the article. My issue isn't with the statistics. Violence against women is an issue, while men would be the majority of the cause attributing 100% to men is false. that's the issue.
But, how do we look at statistics realistically?
I have one suggestion. Let's take a brief look at one of the most repugnant forms of violence; child molestation.
Here's the first statistic:
i i i i i i i i i i 0 i i i i i i i i i
That's one-in-twenty men who will molest a child (13 yr-old or younger) in their lifetime.
Here's the next statistic:
i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i 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i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i
That's the one-in-three-thousand women who will molest a child in their lifetime.
Anyone offended by that? Good. But rather than piss-and-moan about oh-woe-is-persecuted-me, why not go visit a website dedicated to protecting children, and find out what can be done to help prevent such crimes.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of three million children will be molested this year. In that neighborhood, feelings of gender bias in the face of empirical numbers doesn't register even a twitch on my give-a-@!$%#ometer.
I cannot explain it, and while I may not agree with everything Ms Kemsley has said, the numbers do not lie: Men are far more predisposed to committing violence than women.
One can complain about it , or one can do something about. It is simply a choice.
Regards
- 4 votes
Well said. The visuals work really well too. Let's hope someone is listening.
- 4 votes
Excellent read, voted up!
Thank you for seeding this.
Brightest Blessings, HD :)
- 3 votes
#6 - Sun Jan 8, 2012 7:44 AM ESTThis inspires good thought on the violence done by the male populations against females. The male privilege that continues to exist should be extinguished because it is responsible for many crimes committed against females today. Can women completely escape from men? Yes if women create separate enclaves that only allow female citizenship. Without that, men will be a constant threat to women and that threat must be taken seriously by all citizens of all nations. It is the responsibility of men to change their dangerous and hostile behavior to behavior that respects the sovereignty of women.
- 5 votes
#7 - Sun Jan 8, 2012 2:04 PM ESTyou don't believe women are threatening to each other?
A few women are dangerous to other women but that is not truly relevant to this article. This is about the danger that threatens the security of most women from men. It comes from the privilege that protects this danger. It is not a good thing.
- 3 votes
That's the problem with the article and anyone who feels that they are against violence against women by only focusing on a portion of the problem. You cannot deal with the problem if you don't look at the problem in is entirety. VAWA is around as well i don't think that is a privilege.
if you say violence is the problem that's one thing, if you say men are the problem that's another.
if you say violence is the problem that's one thing, if you say men are the problem that's another.
I thought violence from men was the main topic of this discussion. I would like to discuss all forms of violence but the violence against women from men is one of the most pervasive forms of violence in this world and based on systematic oppression. It is terrible enough for the concept of separation of genders to be a viable option.
- 4 votes
Men are the problem when it comes to male violence against women. I warned you to stop trying to derail the discussion. If you aren't willing to do that, then please go to your column and start your own discussion, or I can set up an "off topic" discussion if you're a member of the off topic group. Take your pick but those are your only two options.
I would have deleted your posts if they didn't already generate replies.
To everyone else, please stop replying to his off topic posts. He's trolling and that isn't fair to others.
- 3 votes
To everyone else, please stop replying to his off topic posts. He's trolling and that isn't fair to others.
I understand. I will cease responding to him.
- 4 votes
Loretta LOL don't you just love those trolls? Back on topic though what do you think about this destabilization will be the logical outcome of patriarchal rule? Also what do you think about women keeping alive the knowledge that becoming a separate group may be a viable option if environmental conditions warrant it?
- 4 votes
The only way patriarchy can produce a stablized society is with violence and oppression. While it explicitly oppresses have the population -- women -- it then uses that same principle to create other oppressed classes of people by race, income, religion, sexuality, etc. In all levels of oppressed classes, women in each class are worse off then the men in the same class but the men are oppressed too.
The only way to maintain oppressed classes is with laws and violence, which means patriarchy needs and encourages violence. The only ways to maintain the laws is by threat of violence when people defy them. This is apparent when people do peaceful protests and the police respond with violence.
The separatist movement started small and fairly quiet. They aren't quiet anymore, They're quite vocal and are attracting more and more adherents. If it grows large enough, it will destabilize society because patriarchy will respond with violence, as they are doing in Darfur where the women are suffering such brutality it is impossible to even catalog it all.
Just like the Christians are suddenly aware of and angry at the size of the alternative religion movement, including Wicca and Goddess worship, the separatist movement will come to the awareness of the patriarchs at some point, and they will react with anger.
There is an old Irish curse that says, "May you live in interesting times."
We're living in interesting times.
- 2 votes
Loretta However it you look at history patriarchy societies do break down into lawlessness and small offshoots are the result. People are then in these small pockets able to conceptualize different societal structures. I do think that destabilization will happen as the result of patriarchy's violence. In effect patriarchy will implode in on itself. I think this will happen because we are in a pressure cooker both environmentally and socially which will I believe will play a large role in the destruction of our current social structures. I believe that brutality will become so bad that it will reduce population as well as famine disease etc. You can not increase population and stress the carrying capacity of environments without nature reasserting balance. It is then that women must have these protective environments in place.
- 3 votes
#8 - Sun Jan 8, 2012 7:09 PM ESTVery true. We are coming to a crisis both over the oppression of people by patriarchs (including all the other oppressions like homosexuality, race, class, etc) plus the patriarchal refusal to take care of the environment, which is just one more form of oppressive action.
There are men who are reacting with extreme violence in Africa where the resources are scarcest and where women are beginning to isolate from male society while simultaneously demanding greater rights. When other regions begin to suffer the same scarcities, they too will react with violence.
- 3 votes
Loretta so would you agree that educating young women is crucial with regards to self defense survival techniques and even separatism if necessary? Given what is happening in our environment it is no longer if but when the crisis breaks down current societal structures. Feminists women need to be ready educated and self sufficient to survive and thrive. One can only hope men will change their perspective on dominance but no woman should bank on it happening.
- 2 votes
Of course. I've advocated women being educated in all aspects for decades, including survival on their own. I seriously doubt they would get surivial or separatist training in our schools, but there is nothing stopping them from obtaining it elsewhere.
- 2 votes
Loretta survival training concepts of separatism and self defense must be put forth by feminists to women. They must put these ideas out there to young women to help them prepare to be prepared for the violence and to teach their children how to thrive in a hostile patriarchal environment. Activism in this country is being suppressed in this country. This is something that will have to be encouraged by women like us. You are helping to educate by your articles and discussions. I recently sent a young voice to you and her name is Heather. Thanks for all you do Your friend FFF
- 2 votes
#9 - Mon Jan 9, 2012 12:07 AM ESTThanks for the compliments. They are appreciated. We do need to educate women -- and men too. That's the best of all possible worlds.
I look forward to seeing Heather here.
- 3 votes
They must put these ideas out there to young women to help them prepare to be prepared for the violence and to teach their children how to thrive in a hostile patriarchal environment.
All women should be able to defend themselves especially from their most potential enemies. I recommend that more women own firearms for self-defense. Firearms are the only way to prepare for an independence movement if it needs to be established.
- 2 votes
Pound for pound, the average man packs more muscle mass than the average woman. This means more physical power.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Most religions, certainly the Judeo-Christian ones, place the authority on the man. This means more religious power which translates into a social heirachy, economic heirachy, political heirachy that gives men more power.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Even the only power a woman has, which is the power to conceive and nurture human life into a full-fledged human being, men also want to take away and control, so that they decide when and how we can exercise this power.
With great power comes great responsibility.
Yet post just one article holding men accountable for how women are poorly treated; say one word to stir up retribution, revolt, resistance to the unfairness and violence and they immediately rush to the defense of the "male image" by shrugging off all responsibility.
Now if we were speaking a limited, isolated, miniscule number of cases of injustice, violence, abuse, exploitation against women, then that response would be justified.
But that is not the case is it? One in three? One woman every minute abused? Not recently but par for the course, since time began. SOMETHING is wrong...admit it! And let's move on from there.
- 4 votes
#10 - Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:32 PM ESTAnother great post. Glad you stopped by and covered all the points.
- 3 votes
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