Current Events

[alleyalligator]

It took a while for Becker to come to.  The last thing he remembered was dinner.  Since asking for a divorce, he’d preferred to eat alone, the strained atmosphere that accompanied every meal causing him to lose his appetite.  It was hard having to live with his wife until they’d made alternative arrangements, but at least they’d managed to remain

Comments

[notodette]

It's never okay to condone this kind of violence, and in my opinion, she should, after being tried by court, face the appropriate consequences of such a crime.

That being said, there's no need, I think, to call for the end of advocating for children's and women's rights. The reason these calls to action are there are not to oppress men, but to free victims.

They are not privileged to receive these offers of help. They are in need of them.

We do not need to take from one to give to another. Equality, safety and sanity for all.

[alleyalligator]

You know, I'd agree with you if it wasn't for the fact that it DOES take from one to give to another. When have you ever seen a campaign to end violence against men? Or simply ending violence?

The point is that there should be no need to advocate for anyone's rights - in an ideal world, we should all be equal and protected. But we don't live in an ideal world and while we draw distinctions between sets of victims, instead of looking to protect ALL victims, we continue to perpetuate the cycles.

I'm not saying we should stop protecting women and children, just that we should throw men into the equation as well. Let's help everyone who needs it, regardless of gender.

[alephz]

Why does it take from one to give to the other?

To create those kinds of safe spaces for men, we wouldn't have to take anything away from shelters catering to abused women or abused children; we'd only have to make it a cultural priority to cast off the absurdly messed up ideas we have about gender and then set up those spaces.

Of course, first we'd have to admit that we've socialized men and women in different and really messed-up ways and then build safety nets and safe places which reflected that; 'cause while we are eager to believe that a woman is weak, we seem to shame men when they are perceived to be so, which prevents men from reaching out to get the kinds of help they need.

So while I agree that there SHOULD be no need to advocate for any one group's rights, there nonetheless IS such a need in many instances.

As an aside, you're totally correct in your entry that only a complete asshat would laugh at a woman if something similar at happened to her and no mistake.

[alleyalligator]

That's exactly my point. It shouldn't take from anyone to target help, but that's what's happened. A slogan stating "Stop Violence Against Women" implies that if it's against men, then that's OK. We don't need to stop that. Only women need protecting and that patently isn't true.

[pixiebelle]

That happened in my neck of the woods. Though I hadn't heard about people fighting for her release. I'm with you on this for sure.

[alleyalligator]

I was pretty stunned when I found the FB group. There's always going to be those who see the other side, but that's victim blaming taken to an extreme.

[similiesslip]

You make some good points.

I agree that if something is wrong it should be seen as wrong no matter the gender of the people involved. I enjoy laughing as much as anyone else but I really get tired of jokes that are full of stereotypes.

I know they are just jokes but ultimately, one should think, "Does this situation bring people together, bring out the good in people or give people an excuse to not try to get along?"

I think we often (me included) think only about the moment, not the implications of a joke, an article, a book, etc.

Caring should be caring for everyone, no matter their gender, race or religion.

[alleyalligator]

I've never found gender based humour funny. To be honest, I've never assumed that I would feel solidarity with someone just because we happen to be both female - I don't tend to think about gender much at all and I think that the longer we continue to emphasise the differences negatively, the longer it will take to create a truly equal society.

[copyright1983]

Is ANYONE in this situation sane? At all? I fear for our society.

Well written, although I might have nightmares now. :o

[alleyalligator]

That's exactly my concern - what kind of society are we building? It is truly the stuff of nightmares.

[roina_arwen]

Good lord, that woman is nuts.

[alleyalligator]

The scary thing is that she's probably technically sane.