--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Peter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Jesus, somebody's on the rag or needs to get laid! >
Does Peter beat his wife? No? Well, you could have fooled me. "In a patriarchal society, the notion that certain groups are entitled to dominate other groups is normalized," he says. "We hold women responsible for the problem and the solution. Men are socialized to control and dominate, and to stop violence against women men have to look at themselves. We must create safe spaces for women, listen to them and open our eyes." Silent No More by Alegre 10/15/08 http://tinyurl.com/5kfzz9 <http://tinyurl.com/5kfzz9> October is domestic violence awareness month. I'm probably not the only feminist who is only now hearing about this. It's not like the MSM or the press are shouting about this from the rafters or anything. After all, they've got bigger fish to fry - like whether Jesse Jackson really meant what he said about BHO's views re the Middle East conflict, and if BHO successfully stuffed that cat back into the bag. Think about it... one in four women here in the US will fall victim to male violence <http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/global_campaign/\ en/chap4.pdf> at some point in her life. One in four - that means there's a damn good chance you or someone you know will be or has been victimized. How many girls and women do you know? Worldwide the figure is one in three <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2005/pr62/en/index.html> . And with the worsening economy and an increase in unemployment, the number of women and kids falling victim to domestic violence will only increase. In fact, we're already seeing a disturbing rise in those numbers in states all around the country. Well Heidi Schnakenberg posted an article today on the Women's e-News site, and it's an important read you guys. She asks why more men aren't outraged at the violence inflicted on women by their fellow men, and calls on them to step up to the plate to help put a stop to this violence once and for all. Check it out... Dear Guys: Tough Times Call for More Safety Help <http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3778> The focus is usually on women not doing enough to protect themselves or their children, while far less attention is paid to the perpetrators. Why aren't more men outraged at their fellow males' actions and motivated to end it, once and for all? Why are women left to pick up the pieces? Isn't this a man's problem? ... Across the country, reports of violence against women are on the rise. The souring economy has been blamed for dramatic spikes in domestic violence in recent headlines in California, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Rhode Island and West Virginia. Pennsylvania has had a devastating increase in domestic violence fatalities. Thankfully, men are starting to wake up to the need for their increased involvement in fighting to stop this widespread violence. Joe Biden's out on the campaign trail and talking up his authorship of the Violence Against Women Act, and groups of men are actually starting to see this violence as something they need to actively work to combat. I'd like to hand a megaphone to Patrick Partida, outgoing president of the University of Texas organization Men Against Violence, which treats violence against women as a male problem. "The problem is not women not protecting themselves but men attacking women," says Partida. "The blame must be put in the correct place. If all men dedicated themselves to stopping men's violence against women, then complete eradication can become a reality." Partida says men are taught from a young age to be anti-female in their thoughts and actions. "They learn this behavior from the media, peers, parents and even teachers. Many men find methods of fulfilling their perceived need for power through external means, which often include being violent and instilling fear in women." He adds that men suffer a great amount of fear, especially of each other and of not living up to the image of masculinity in our culture. "The greatest thing for men to do now is to question their own beliefs, those of their male friends and family." Dick Bathrick, co-founder of Men Stopping Violence, agrees. "In a patriarchal society, the notion that certain groups are entitled to dominate other groups is normalized," he says. "We hold women responsible for the problem and the solution. Men are socialized to control and dominate, and to stop violence against women men have to look at themselves. We must create safe spaces for women, listen to them and open our eyes." I love the way she closes this article, by noting that the idea of men working to stop male violence against women is gaining traction. Take the White Ribbon Campaign for example... this group started as a show of support for the 14 women engineering students who were gunned down by an anti-feminist psycho up in Montreal, and it's grown over the years. Other groups like this are coming together too and the more we talk about it, the more we can combat this problem and save lives. Todd Minerson, executive director of the White Ribbon Campaign, based in Montreal, Canada, says the cause is gaining ground. Sixteen years ago White Ribbon started with three men in Montreal and now has active campaign groups, organizers and advocates in 57 countries. Todd says the campaign asks men not to remain silent. "Most men and boys actually do sympathize with women. But they are afraid of what other men or their peers will say and don't have the power of analysis to address the issue." We're counting on you guys. Talk about this issue and destroy the anti-macho stigma that's associated with standing up for women's rights and the safety of the women and girls in your life. Refuse to remain silent when some @sshole calls a woman a c*nt, or makes a sick "joke" about violence or rape against women (ha-feckin'-ha). Stand up for all of us as you would ask other men to stand up for your wife, daughter, sister or mother. Make it known that you don't condone, nor will you remain silent in the face of hate or ignorance. Talk about it. Get involved. Do whatever you can in your corner of the world to bring an end to this violence. FOR MORE INFORMATION, you can visit these websites... National Coalition Against Domestic Violence <http://www.ncadv.org/> Men Against Violence <http://menagainstviolence.net/> Men Stopping Violence <http://www.menstoppingviolence.org/index.php> White Ribbon Campaign <http://www.whiteribbon.ca/>
