(Untitled)

[bloodedblossom]

My next assignment for WGS is interactive. I have to share several rape/sexual violence statistics with family and friends--both male and female--and find out if they have any ideas about them: the prevalence of these crimes; if they accept the statistics as accurate; and if, in any cases, the acts are justified and/or the victim is to blame

Comments

[redqueenmeg]

This isn't lengthy and probably not much help but I don't find any of it surprising, and I find all of it absolutely infuriating. There is no excuse for violence of this kind and little excuse for any kind of violence at any time anyway. I am sick of people telling me life isn't fair. Well, it ought to be, and we should try to make it that way.

In conclusion, I hate people.

:)

[thryn]

IAWTC ....

and I realize you might need more feedback to count it, but it's after 6 a.m. and OH SHIT there is daylight outside and I absolutely have to go to bed.

[iskender]

So long as sex is seen as a commodity and not a relationship, it's going to be hard to keep people from simply taking it from others--or pushing it on others, whichever expression is more apt. It's not enough for this to be wrong--and it is wrong, let me be clear, in so many ways objectionable and unfair. It has to be fought, sure, but it has to be replaced too. If this is not what sex is supposed to be, then I wonder what we can and need to say that sex is, what it is supposed to be

[coeur_de_lhiver]

I'm going to agree with most of what was said here. I knew about 80% of what was posted here in some form or fashion (slightly diff numbers from diff sources, etc

[iskender]

I want to be clear that women and children are indeed disproportionately targeted across societies, and I think this is because of not only their weaker position, but cultural conditioning of both victim and attacker. It's a big problem, and I don't claim to know it, but I do appreciate the special degradation that is inflicted on women, and on children.

That said, men are routinely raped, too. Not as much as women, but certainly more than is admitted. That they are, by and large, socially enfranchised and empowered does not negate my central argument that we have a generalized tendency to dehumanize and objectify others. I do not mean to equate men's and women's suffering of this, by any means. I merely mean to point out the general phenomenon which I feel exists and is supplemented by misogyny and other bigotries and power differentials.

[coeur_de_lhiver]

I basically hold the same stance. If I wasn't clear, I was agreeing with you. I simply wanted to give further reason's / explanations and all of this is in light of the question that was asked specifically about violence against women.

I actually have an ex who was an abuse victim (domestic violence)... female perpetrated on male domestic violence and I am extremely aware of the fact that men are victims also.

It was one of the main arguments I had in my WGS courses with teachers when they wanted to argue for stricter Domestic violence regulations but worded them in ways that were only protective of women. I thought this to be a bit ridiculous and biased and overlooked the fact that just because violence against women is the rule (when speaking about domestic violence and rape) that that doesn't mean there aren't exceptions that should also be covered by the law..