Here is a blog post in which I bemoan violence against women.
A 15 old girl was gang raped by at least seven males after a Homecoming dance last weekend. She was waiting for a ride, from her parents I think. The gang rape last 2-1/2 hours. Did I mention that about a dozen people passed by and did absolutely nothing? Some laughed. I didn't know that rape was a laughing matter. Some took pictures. I didn't know that rape was a photo opportunity.
Contrary to popular belief, rape isn't about sex. It's about violence against women. It's about patriarchy. It's about power and control. Men don't rape because they can't get laid. They don't rape because they have uncontrollable sexual urges. Men don't rape because a pretty woman walks by and they can't control themselves. Rape has nothing to do with sex. Today, a 47 year old man plead guilty to raping and murdering a 93 year old woman. I told you rape wasn't about sex. Rape is about male dominance. It's about men who think that it is their god-given right to exert power and authority over women.
I don't know why it is difficult for society to acknowledge violence against women. I also don't know why it is difficult to recognize that violence is rooted in patriarchy and the social construction of masculinity. When are we going to learn that it is problematic to equate masculinity with power, control, and violence? When are we going to learn that these qualities do not make a man?
The other day, I read an article about campus violence. The columnist was referring to a recent stabbing of a UCLA student. As usual, he cited mental health issues. Why is it that every time there is an incident of campus violence, we turn straight to mental health and point our finger? It is as if we believe that if only the perpetrator had sought help for his mental health issues, none of this would have happened. If only a professor had intervened and noticed when a student was down in the dumps. If only. Fuck you, that's what I say to mental health issues. Not because they aren't real, and not because they don't matter. But because mental health isn't to blame.
When I tick off incidents of campus violence, Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Northern Illinois come to mind. And UCI. About a month ago, a graduate student was charged with shooting his ex-wife. It was over a custody dispute. He shot her in front of their son. She died. When this information spread, naturally people wondered about this student's mental health status. Yes, grad school is stressful. Yes, it's tiring and students work a lot. Yes, grad school is isolating and there may be higher rates of depression among grad students than among the general population. But most grad students do not shoot and kill other people, let alone former spouses.
If you think about campus violence, there is a pattern. Those wielding the guns or the knives are men. All men. Show me some incidents involving women, and maybe I'll give mental health explanations some credence. But until then, I'm going to continue to blame society and patriarchy. I'm going to continue to blame our construction of masculinity and how boys are socialized to be men.
By the way, here's the latest on Roman Polanski. The 13 year old victim's testimony unequivocally shows that Polanski committed rape. He was 43. He used his power and authority as a director, a man, and as an adult to take advantage of the girl, drug her, and rape her.
Now that I have sufficiently depressed you, I'm not even going to try to make it better.
A 15 old girl was gang raped by at least seven males after a Homecoming dance last weekend. She was waiting for a ride, from her parents I think. The gang rape last 2-1/2 hours. Did I mention that about a dozen people passed by and did absolutely nothing? Some laughed. I didn't know that rape was a laughing matter. Some took pictures. I didn't know that rape was a photo opportunity.
Contrary to popular belief, rape isn't about sex. It's about violence against women. It's about patriarchy. It's about power and control. Men don't rape because they can't get laid. They don't rape because they have uncontrollable sexual urges. Men don't rape because a pretty woman walks by and they can't control themselves. Rape has nothing to do with sex. Today, a 47 year old man plead guilty to raping and murdering a 93 year old woman. I told you rape wasn't about sex. Rape is about male dominance. It's about men who think that it is their god-given right to exert power and authority over women.
I don't know why it is difficult for society to acknowledge violence against women. I also don't know why it is difficult to recognize that violence is rooted in patriarchy and the social construction of masculinity. When are we going to learn that it is problematic to equate masculinity with power, control, and violence? When are we going to learn that these qualities do not make a man?
The other day, I read an article about campus violence. The columnist was referring to a recent stabbing of a UCLA student. As usual, he cited mental health issues. Why is it that every time there is an incident of campus violence, we turn straight to mental health and point our finger? It is as if we believe that if only the perpetrator had sought help for his mental health issues, none of this would have happened. If only a professor had intervened and noticed when a student was down in the dumps. If only. Fuck you, that's what I say to mental health issues. Not because they aren't real, and not because they don't matter. But because mental health isn't to blame.
When I tick off incidents of campus violence, Virginia Tech, Columbine, and Northern Illinois come to mind. And UCI. About a month ago, a graduate student was charged with shooting his ex-wife. It was over a custody dispute. He shot her in front of their son. She died. When this information spread, naturally people wondered about this student's mental health status. Yes, grad school is stressful. Yes, it's tiring and students work a lot. Yes, grad school is isolating and there may be higher rates of depression among grad students than among the general population. But most grad students do not shoot and kill other people, let alone former spouses.
If you think about campus violence, there is a pattern. Those wielding the guns or the knives are men. All men. Show me some incidents involving women, and maybe I'll give mental health explanations some credence. But until then, I'm going to continue to blame society and patriarchy. I'm going to continue to blame our construction of masculinity and how boys are socialized to be men.
By the way, here's the latest on Roman Polanski. The 13 year old victim's testimony unequivocally shows that Polanski committed rape. He was 43. He used his power and authority as a director, a man, and as an adult to take advantage of the girl, drug her, and rape her.
Now that I have sufficiently depressed you, I'm not even going to try to make it better.
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