thoughts and a question

[gulenay_barb]

We went to the big IMAX theater at Bridgeport last night to see Watchmen. I think it may take a while to digest. The movie was less about the special effects than I thought is was going to be. Very Very dark, with some not very pleasant truths about human nature and a great deal of symbolism incorporated in the story line. Which is I suppose a

Comments

Re: WatchMan

[gulenay_barb]

Thanks for weighing in on this Zsu, You have a personal perspective that I don't, and certainly don't want anyone to ever have.
In the movie, Silk Siren defends herself against an "older guy" who definitely did not have the chivalric "don't hit women" wiring in place. I think that while the average man of that era did have that decent wiring, there were plenty who did not, though the stigma against reporting abuse was higher then than it is now, so we don't have acurate data to compare.
It also did not turn out well for the heroine in the movie either, she defended herself, got beat up pretty badly and was rescued by a bigger guy. Her own self defense was not effective in that situation.
I think it's less having the hard wire agaisnt hitting women and more what we teach our children. I was taught not to hit, ( and never to hit first if a fight can't be avoided) and I taught my son to always defend women in general and never to hit a woman. As far as I know the only bar fight he's been in happened when he stepped in to stop a guy beating up his girlfriend. (the other guy's girl, not Bryces- and a stranger to him). He also picked up some common sense along the way so when the other guy picked up a tire iron and came after Bryce he hit the road in a hurry. Part of teaching my son to be a good man, for me, included teaching him that it is never ok to hit a woman. Ever. If a woman should attack him I told him it was only ok to use what he needed to get safely away from the crazy lady and that's it.
I'm not questioning if I was right to teach him this, I think I was. I'm just questioning my own system of beleifs a little.

[p1kap1ka]

Now, see.. I was also taught never to hit... but that if a fight REALLY can't be avoided, to be the one who escalates fastest, first. Because that also ENDS the fight fastest. Especially since, while technically "equal" in all the ways that matter, I am never going to be as strong as some people - men or women.

The ground rule for me is that you should never hit someone weaker than you, and if someone stronger than you is going to hit you, as a certainty, hit them first, and preferably with an equalizing weapon. (incidentally, it's Silk Spectre, not Siren).

So to answer the actual posted question: I don't think anyone has a right to be protected/defended because of their sex. I think they do have a right to be protected/defended when they are physically or mentally weaker. Which yes, often means women, either as a result of biology or training, but is not necessarily limited to that.

[gulenay_barb]

Thanks for the correction. And the opinion. I like that frame for the concept. Certainly today's news articles about the African wars near Darfur using rape as a weapon to control and demoralize the population and economy (subsistence farming and gathering, run mostly by women) One idea that stuck in my head was that in a war where the soldiers cannot afford bullets or bombs, rape and sexual abuse is an effective means of demoralizing the enemy. Civilization anyone?

[hrothgar1]

While it is true that violence is often male against female, for many reasons (biological size being a prime one), it is important to realize that women can be abusers as well. Men can abuse men, and do, lesbian couples can experience domestic violence. Sometimes it is not even physical size, but economic or psychological power that enables one human to violently dominate another. (I once escaped a Doberman gang in Pittsburgh because I made friends with the dogs...) I will admit, I was raised on Mars- in my life most of the violence I have encountered has been perpetrated by women, but I agree with those who say it is more a size/power thing than a gender thing. Rape is not sex, it is violence, and comes in any form humans can imagine. I would say that as a human, we all deserve to be protected from violence. I am no more deserving of protection than, for instance, a gay man in Texas. Unfortunatly, most mammals seem to have quite a violent streak. Even Dolphins have rape. hmpgh. Maybe I'll come back as a fruit fly next time!

[gulenay_barb]

Thanks. "as a human, we all deserve to be protected from violence"
This does sum up rather nicely how I feel about it. That and the earlier concept of the stronger person in any given situation is responsible to protect the weaker.

My movie watching and paper reading this weekend just seemed to throw the violence against women by various means in various times into sharp focus. Friday we watched "The Duchess" and that didn't make being a woman all too atractive either!

[shamantha]

Hehe and here I was going to make exactly this point "we're all entitled to a life free of violence by the very nature of being human" and you're already there :-)

Gooood thinkie stuff!

[shaiagipsie]

It seems all has been said on the main topic, but, yeah... Duchess while admittedly VERY difficult to watch at various times was a fantastic movie.