Friday, October 24, 2008

Homework Wk 5

Sexual terrorism definitely impacts me. I do most of the things Ashley wrote about in article#1 to protect myself. In addition, I like to hike and I am afraid to go alone which definitely restricts me. Jesse's rebuttal of Ashely was harsh but there is a point to what he/she says. The multitude of ways women arrange their lives to avoid violence is "common sense". Yes, it is "common sense" for people in war zones to run for cover when they hear air raid sirens, for kids who are bullied and picked on by older kids when they are walking home to take alternate routes, and for all kinds of other VICTIMS to take measures to protect themselves. Because women use "comom sense" to protect themselves does NOT mean that we should excuse the perpetrators of violence. The key issue is an ABUSE of POWER. Men in our patriarchal society have been given more than their fair share of power and it is the ABUSE of this power that has caused women to live in fear. In the case of kids, older kids have more power because of their size, experience, and abilities. Does this mean it is not important how they USE that power? Of course it is! Military units have more power than the civilians around them and they are RESPONSIBLE for how they use that power! Sara hit the nail on the head when she said we need to educate womean AND men about violence against women, including sexual terrorism, in order to effect change in the societal and cultural norms that create this inequl distribution of power and, therefore, it's abuses. Changing what doesn't work - now that's the best common sense I've hear so far!
Sandi

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