Tuesday, December 2, 2008

homework Wk.10

For this assignment I decided to watch a pornographic film. As I was watching this film it was extremely hard not to notice the different forms of violence that were occurring. There was a lot of slapping, forceful grabbing or squeezing, a lot of profanity in the language. As the film continued there were multiple men involved with the one woman so not only was she taking this slapping, squeezing and hair pulling from one man there were now two. I noticed a lot of the profanity in the language was coming from the woman telling the men to "f" her good. I think a lot of young men who watch pornography get the image and assumes that every woman likes it hard and rough. Because men's strength overpowers that of women's strength men might not think they are pulling or tugging as hard as they really are which in turn can hurt the woman. After watching this pornography it really showed many acts that we consider to be violence against women, and male domination over women. 

Homework Wk.9

I thought that the bring a man to class day went very well. I think that a lot of what we said really made some of the guys think, and I think that if they find them in a situation that they will really evaluate themselves and do what is right. I unfortunately was unable to bring a guy to class due to last minute cancellations but watching the other other guys that were brought it seemed like they were listening and were receptive to what was being said. All in all I think the day went very smoothly and there was something that each of those guys took away from the class.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Week 9 and 10

Week 9

I thought the "Bring a Man to Class Day was quite a success. I think when we broke up into smaller groups I think that it gave the men in my group an opportunity to express themselves in a smaller group and feel comfortable. I think its helpful to have a few guided questions nut also leave some room from the freedom of interpretation of discussion questions. I think my group did a good role in helping the participants elaborate on some concepts we clearly understood well. Overall, I think that the discussion that was introduced to the visitors both men and women were great. I think some key things that they were looking for too was how to approach the subject with friends, peers or even other family and that was something that I had no real premise to go from. We helped them understand what an ally is, but I don't think there is one formula in terms of how to be an ally.

Week 10

I watched the slasher film Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. This film is a prime example of violence against women. Most of us know the story line a woman steals a sum of money and takes off out of town. She has to stop driving for fear of utter exhaustion when she comes upon a small and quaint motel. She decides to stay the night, but senses that she won't get much sleep. Of course she is eventually killed in one of the most gruesome ways in the "Alfred Hitchcock time" films. First, I wanted to examine the forms of violence that were evident on a lower end of the continuum of violence. Clearly as she undresses she is being watched through a peep whole by the motel manager. It is very alarming to the audience, yet I think it desensitizes the audience to the ideas that people actually will peep in on you. On the other hand it makes women fear traveling alone, leaving a domestic violence situation, move to a new city. Though the movies intent is not to reinforce these ever so present visualizations of violence against women it is clear. I watch the 2001 version of Psycho but have seen the 19?? versions as well. I think Jackson Katz pointed the concept of how much more sexualized the woman was viewed in the movie. When she is showering you can almost see her being exposed several times, where as the old version there are hardly any aspects of overt sexual invasion. I remember while watching this movie and other scary movies, constantly repeating to myself, "this is not real" over and over and I'm sure there are plenty of people that do the same. By having a mind frame set around not believing you are less likely to actually be aware that these events occur. Somehow I've chalked it up to cinematic art that only the actresses are attacked, while in reality it's any woman and any young girl that is susceptible to the violence against themselves, family or friends.

Weeks 9 and 10

Bring a man to class day:

It was nice to see such a large turn out last week, even though they all seemed a bit uncomfortable at first. Congrats to Channing for getting his other WS teacher to award extra credit and get a few more guys into the room. It was great to hear what these men had to say during the discussion time, especially after they read the sentences describing how women try to protect themselves throughout the day. A suggestion to those who want to educate more men about VAW, The Vagina Monologues is playing at OSU around Valentine's Day. And if you are interested in performing, auditions should be going on soon! The Monologues are a great way to hear (more of) the voices of women who are fighting against violence.

Watching a porn movie:

I watched a "girls gone wild" style movie where the male filmmakers convinced "real" girls to do crazy sexual things on camera. Most of this involved the intoxicated and already scantily clad girls flashing the camera, making out with and stripping other girls and inserting objects like beer bottles between their legs. All of the girls looked very young and the camera guys were quite a bit older. They were constantly trying to get the girls to drink more and cajoling them into doing things that were even more sexually outrageous. After she was finally bullied into doing the most shocking thing they could dream up, the camera guys would laugh at her and call her degrading names. The same pattern repeated itself over and over again; coercing an impaired woman into doing something that she wouldn't usually do and then ridiculing and insulting her for it. I think this type of porn is a more dangerous learning tool than the overtly violent porns. This kind of sexual degradation and harassment is easy use in any situation and on the surface, no one is getting hurt. Young people these days are learning about sex and relationships from these guidelines. These girls wouldn't necessarily have sex with a man in front of a camera but they don't see the harm in flashing or making out with another girl to get guys attention. I used to be one of these girls. My friends and I knew that we would get attention from guys if we kissed or took our clothes off. I didn't think that anything was wrong with it, I wasn't having sex and everything was consentual. But what I realize now is that while we weren't getting hurt, those guys perception of how women should act at parties and around guys was changing to reflect how we acted. I taught my guy friends to expect girls to just walk around in a bra when they are drunk. I helped them get one step closer to feeling up the girls who passed out half naked. Some of them didn't, but some of them did simply because we had been acting like sexual objects and allowing them to treat us without respect. And I have a hand in the fate of any girl who was later mistreated by my guy friends because I thought it was fun to become the sexual fantasy of high school guys.

Week 10 assignment

I decided to go for the most uncomfortable thing to review... pornography. The first thing that I realized about it was how easy it was to find any kind of porn video on the Internet in an instant. There was no age verification, or blocking of any kind. I tried to watch a few of the videos in the archive that I found, but for all of them I found I could not make it more than a few minutes without turning it off. No matter the "category" of video, each video had some sort of violent act committed, and none of the actors or actresses even flinched. There was a lot of ass slapping, chocking, smacking of various body parts, and violent language. All of these acts were done to the women, even if it were another woman doing it. I was shocked by the amount of violence, and the fact that people are aroused by these acts. Especially after taking this class, it has reached a whole new level of disturbing.

Homework Assignment: Week 9 & 10

I thin Bring A Man To Class day went extremely well. Arnufo, my guest, was extremely interested in the class. He brought up some very good points and discussion topics in our small groups. Unfortunately he had to leave for a class, but when we worked together that night he talked about the class and wanted to know what we talked about after he left. He became more aware of how important it is for men to become more involved in advocating for violence against women and how men need to speak up and work with women to make this a known issue in the world.


For the media assignment, I decided to watch The Lost Boys: The Tribe. I'm not too sure if this would be considered a "slasher" film, but after watching the roughly 45 minutes of it that I did, I think it should definitely be considered one! I actually did not know that it was going to be as horrible as it was, in regards to the content of women and the killings!, but once the movie started and I realized how many more than half clad girls there were and "girl-on-girl" action that was present in just the twenty minutes, I thought I should write about it for this assignment. The women characters in this film spent the majority of it in just their bra and underwear and were consistantly seen as throwing themselves at men and being "drugged" (with the blood of the vampires) and taken advantage of. There was even a scene of a woman who seduced the lead character and when she started getting rough with him, he picked her up and threw her against a wall (she died from the antlers mounted on the wall, weird movie, I know!!). This all happened within the first hour of the film. The movie was so awful, degrading, and hurtful towards women that I could not sit through more than an hour of it and had to stop watching it soon after. I was surprised by the movie, especially since the first Lost Boys was about vampires but it was not as gruesome and hurtful towards women. In this movie the main girl character and the extras were objectified and seen as sex objects and nothing more than a thing to drug and take advantage of.

Week 9 and 10 Assignment

Week 9 

I thought bring a man to class day was a great success. We created a warm and inviting atmosphere where our guests felt comfortable and welcomed. It was nice to see how many men came to show their support and willingness to help. I think showing the Jackson Katz film was a good idea because it is geared towards men, it points out the flaws in society rather than simply blaming all men. I was happy to hear that many of the men had insightful contributions that encouraged conversations. My favorite part was having the men read out loud many of the common fears that women have. I think you should continue to do that activity each year. 

Week 10 
For our week 10 assignment I watched a few short pornographic films, which was a new experience for me. I have never really watched porn before and I found it difficult to to watch an entire video so I watched a few shorter clips instead. I found the films to be very degrading. They are all about focusing on the man's pleasure, even if it is painful for the woman. One film feature a young woman in Spain, who had oral, vaginal, and anal sex with middle aged American man while his friend filmed it. There were several times when it was clear the young woman was in pain and reached to stop him, but each time he would reassure her and continue doing it. After watching a few more short clips there are a few things I concluded about the films i watched. First, the number one concern is the man's pleasure and satisfaction because men are the target audience, but this often means the woman is in pain. One example of this that I saw in all the films was women choking as the man inserted his penis into her mouth. The women would cough and gasp once her pulled out and the man would  simply laugh at her and do it again. A second commonality was this enjoyment that the men got from watching women in pain. The article by Robert Jensen focuses on this point. Women in pornography are not depicted as people and so it is acceptable for them to be mistreated. As Jensen says, "in pornography, women are not really people; they are three holes and two hands." The problem with this portrayal of women is that some men carry these ideas into their everyday lives. 

Week 10 Homework

For this assignment I watch a porno or I technically watched two but I fast forward through a lot of it. I've never really sat down and watched one and to say the least it was disturbing. The first one I watched was called "Horny Beg (yes, they spelled it this way) Butts Move Better" and the other one was called "Tasty Teens #30". The first one just showed several couples and threesomes having sex but there wasn't any story line and every scene ended with a "cum shot" to the woman's face. It was disgusting and the women really acted like they enjoyed that. In the second one, there were story lines but one was really disturbing in which three guys in Italy picked up a hooker then one guy would have sex with her and she would also give a blow job to the second guy and the third guy she would give a hand job to, all at the same time! They took turns with her and in one scene they were trying to have anal sex with her but she obviously never had it before. You could hear her crying in the background while another guy was having sex with her from below. You could also see a producer walk towards her and ask if she was doing ok. It was horrible. It ended with all three guys dick hitting her then coming in her face. I always thought porn was degrading but I feel more educated in talking about it now that I have seen one.  

Week 9 assignment

I think that Bring A Man to Class Day went very well! It seemed that most of the men were very open to what we were trying to tell them. My boyfriend, Dave, reacted very positively. He always had a hard time with me after class because I was always in an odd, emotional place after class. He was able to understand why I need time to decompress after class. He, too, needed time to think it all over after class last week. He also wanted to give me a big hug after class, and he wasn't able to express why he had this urge. He told me that he felt like he was a good boyfriend,and I told him that he is!

I think that it went very well over all, and I think it should be continued in this class!

Bring A Man To Class Day

I really enjoyed last Tuesday when all the guys were able to come and watch the video. My boyfriend really enjoyed it but he thought some of it was common sense to him and I had to explain that it isn't common sense for a lot of people, especially men. I really enjoyed having all the other men there and the group discussion that followed. I thought it would have been neat to hear all the men's reaction to it because the other groups seemed to have some good discussions going. I did notice some of the guys getting a little tired as well and noticed the one that fell asleep too. 

HW Week 10

For this week's homework, I watched an old, "b" horror film called "Don't Look in the Basement," or, "The Forgotten." Not what most would call a "slasher" per se, but it was a gruesome horror flick that had a lot of messages embedded in it about our society, including timeless sexism.

This film was made in 1973. It is set in a mental institution in the middle of nowhere, where the patients roam free, and are encouraged to act out their obsessions in mild ways as part of their treatment. The head doctor is killed by one patient with an ax, and one nurse is killed by another patient. Only one nurse remains, and she struggles to regain order. Then... a new nurse arrives, as planned by the deceased doctor. She tries to find her place in the hospital, as odd happenings and deaths continue.

So, for starters, the new nurse that arrives is of course - a young, attractive blond woman that wears nothing but a short nurse's smock. Also, the film definitely plays on our society's discomfort and fear of the insane, and the elderly. What I found most noticeable, was one character, Jennifer. She is represented as an unloved woman, so traumatized by failed relationships that she will seduce anything that moves, hoping for a connection. This includes scarily forcing a repair man to say he loves her. He dies, but she ends up sleeping with his dead body. The actress is nude in the film occasionally, but I don't think she was ever nude right before or during a killing scene. Other patients refer to her as a whore, and I slut I believe, and slap her.

Horror movies are quite a genre. I have to admit, I enjoy watching old horror movies (pre-80's), and this one was decently well made. Creepy, and unexpected at times. I enjoy dissecting these films, and frequently, laughing at them. But I certainly wouldn't want my kids watching these films.

An interesting last note, this films is being re-made, due out next year some time.

HW Week 9

I thought that Bring A Man To Class day went over swimmingly! There were some great discussions, and more importantly - the pizza was delicious!

Seriously though, I was very impressed with our guests, and their interactions with the material during our small and large discussions. Sadly, I think some of our guests, and some of our classmates, still had a bit of an idea that some of the material was "anti-male," or "blaming." But overall, I think most of our guests took a lot out of it.

My primary guest, Mike, is not one to undergo change lightly. He simply doesn't want to think about or wrestle with these ideas. At most, I will see him catch himself when he says "bitch," but mostly for my sake, I think. If I wasn't there... who knows. Mike has a lot of big life issues he's in the middle of right now though, so hopefully this will eventually be incorporated.

This class has been so cool. What a fun event overall! Excellent.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Week #10 Porn & Slashers

Wow - I really don't like this assignment! I hate slasher movies and porn! I won't give any money to the producers of that stuff so I decided to write from memory. My abusive ex-husband had a porn fetish and I believe it definitely impacted his behavior toward me. I remember a scene from a film he had that had a guy sitting in an old fashioned type carriage like the kind that we see people in the movies riding around Central Park in. Four women clad only in leather harnesses would come and "hitch" themselves up to the front of the carriage and pull it around a courtyard like they were the horses. He had a little leather whip and he would snap it at them. It makes me nauseous just writing about it! I don't know if there are people who watch this kind of stuff and then behave in loving ways in their relationships. I only know that he watched and it definitely affected him. He was sexually abusive and degrading.
My boyfriend now is as disgusted by porn as I am and he is considerate, affectionate, and tender. So - this is my real-life experience. I won't go into the details here but if anyone is feeling degraded in their relationship I am comfortable talking about it and would be happy to chat. Feel free to e-mail me directly. Sandi

Week #9 - Bring a man to class

I really enjoyed bring a man to class day. I was pleasantly surprised that my son was interested in contributing to the discussion after the film. I thought he might be more uncomfortable. He even related some of the material to how watching some of the images he grew up with has affected him. I was surprised that his girlfriend actually felt more defensive about the content than he did. She felt that the movie was "pretty hard" on men. I have to wonder how the abuse that she witnessed in her family growing up has impacted her perception. In our discussion afterward, she seemed to feel that as long as men were not physically assaulting women then they were allowed to whatever other behavior they might engage in. My son and I spoke about this in private and I was really happy that he was not swayed by her. I was afraid that he might jump on this chance to "let himself off the hook" for using his privileged status to work for equal rights. Instead, he said "she's just not there yet mom - she'll get there. She wants to be taken care of because she isn't confident she can do it on her own and so she doesn't want to make waves. I won't do it though - she'll have to learn to be independent before I'll get any further involved. She's really alot stronger than she thinks she is." YAHOO!!! - sorry - a little mom moment! Sandi

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Week 9; Bring a Man to class day

I really enjoyed having as Erin said, a bunch of new faces and minds within our class and wished that we only had more time to process the topic, and give more insight into a role that men can take within society in regards to the prevention and awareness of violence against women. I know that personally the man that I brought to class really felt impacted by the discussion and the video, claiming that he really never thought about why some men are the way they are. This was a really great way to build an even stronger relationship with this person in regards to what he can do to support the ideas of feminism and support those tough conversations that he has with men on a daily basis, conversations that really go unnoticed at times, but really are the root to a lot of the degradation that women received on a daily basis. We processed after the class for a little while as well, and I believe his understanding of the violence that happens to women, and the ground work (violent video games, the media etc...) that has a great part in the formation of the violence acted towards women, has become in the forefront of his mind. I really appreciate all the men that came to class, and even the women/men who brought them there. It is really difficult on both halves to be as vulnerable to receive such knowledge, as to give. This class is amazing !!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Homework week 9 & 10

Bring a man to class day: I believe that bring a man to class when very well. I know that personally it was nice to see new faces and hear new thought about the subject. I feel that the audience was very receptive to what was being presented to them, they didnt seem to be on defense either. I did see some individual get bored with the film, one actually fell asleep. I think that for next year you might think about watching a shorter film or doing more interactive things. Am idea might be to have IN HER SHOES to come in and do the walk through for the men, i know we all enjoyed that.

Media assignment: For this assignment i watch a slasher film. I decided on this not because i didnt want to watch porn but because it was movie night anyways. For this i rented House of Wax which featured Paris Hilton. This movie is about a group of young kids who go on a road trip and happen to run into a wax museum. What they dont realize is that the wax figures are actually really people. What i found interesting about this movie is that unlike psycho the killer didnt just target women, and the women were not an object of sex. Yes the women were dressed sexy at the time of the killing but they were not an object of sexual aggression. Although there were men we were targeted they were usually kill in order to get to the women, and their significance was little compared to that of the women.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Week 8 Homework

There was a statement that stood out to me is that I believe would be good to point out on bring a man to class day. The statement describes rape culture as "how men who rape are not simply a handful of 'sick' or deviant individuals. They are instead the products of a culture that glorifies and sexualizes female subservience and submission" pg. 149.  I think this would be a good statement to discuss because it shows how the popular culture looks at women and how men react to this. Culture and society plays a large role in how men view women and I think we need to point this out to the men in our culture so that they are aware of this. 

Homework 8

pg. 135: "Even though FBI statistics clearly indicate that most men who assault women attach those within their own racial group, a culturally prevalent message to white women says otherwise. white girls learn from an early age that it is not their own white boyfriends and husbands who present the greatest risk to their safety. the real danger lurks with dark-skinned predators." I think this is an important quote because it is VERY true. Being a young white female, I was always taught that the danger lurks out there somewhere with the "other." Growing up in a mostly African American and Hispanic area, I was never allowed outside without an adult, and I was hardly able to drive around alone at night until I was older. It is as very true stereotype, but we need to change it, for the sake of violence against women. the need to know that all men, especially the ones that they date, are the ones that could hurt them the most.

This also having to do with the media image of the "rapist" pg. 149: "...the mythic image of the rapist as a masked man who hides in bushes and waits to leap out and attack women continues to resonate powerfully, because while this image strikes fear in the hearts of millions of women and girls every day-- it is also oddly reassuring for both women and men." When I first read this sentence, I immediately was able to relate to it. All my friends and I are extremely cautious when walking alone, especially at night. We all carry mace and have our keys out just in case someone jumps out and attacks us while walking home from an evening class. We do this because we have been told to. We feel that men have to walk us home, to protect us. How did it get this way? Can we change how we work by changing the face of our attackers?

Monday, November 17, 2008

HW Due Week 8

I don't even know where to begin, there is so much good stuff here! My first choice is a bit long, and maybe not too universal, but it really stood out to me:

I once heard a batterer-intervention counselor explain that you cannot take at face value a man's statement that he "lost control" and struck his wife. You have to probe deeper. The exchange might look something like this: (Dialogue, see page 88. Ends with, "I wouldn't do anything like that in front of the kids.) As this typical interview demonstrates, many men will initially say they acted violently because the could not control their raging emotions, but under questioning will admit that even in their heightened state of anger, they were able to make a series of rational decisions... ETC, we've all read it. Stop at end of paragraph: If they were truly out of control, could they make those distinctions?

My second choice for a passage (I'm really shooting for different, here, if you couldn't tell), is a part of the "Author's Note on the Title." Starting at "2)" on page 4. For space, I won't write it here. I just like that this part goes over pretty explicitly the ironies of what it means to be a "real" or ""macho"" man.

~Channing

Week 8; Reading Analysis

I feel that the whole topic on the "Bystander" would be very influential for the men that come to our class. I know that the individual that I have sought out to join our class period, would greatly benefit from such a topic, for I feel that the "Bystander" is what most to all men play a role as, in some part of their lives. I believe that once we address such a topic and bring an awareness to their roles in society, I feel this will build a better connection to men as a contribution to violence against women, and not just a problem that "we" women, have.

The one issue that I really want to talk about during our class period is on pg. 127;under the "He must be Gay"... "Men who challenge other men's sexism are sure to face questions about their heterosexuality"... I feel that this is a really important subject to bring up, in regards to the fact that I have conversation after conversation in regards to protecting against homosexual remarks against others and in the fight to protect individuals who self-identify within the LGBT community on my floor. I see men constantly in the fight for their masculinity and "man-hood" and more importantly this is at the expense of others, which is the true problem.

Another issue that I think would be important to discuss is a man's role in our sexual society. I feel that men play a key role in how society views sex, and sexuality. I feel that taking about the porn industry, prostitution and the general view of women as sex objects, would be a very interesting topic to discuss. "The idea that consumers of porn can masturbate and have orgasms to that kind of treatment of women and not have it affect their attutudes toward the women and girls in their lives is more a fantasy than anything the most creative porn writers can conjure up."(pg. 186; anti-sexist men and the porn wars). I think that bringing to attention, and recognizing that women are degraded within the porn industry and sex as a society, would be very beneficial in the understanding of men and their role in the fight of violence against women.

Week 8 Assignment

Chapter 9 p. 149

"They [men] are instead the products of a culture that glorifies and sexualizes female subservience and submission. Rape must be understood not as an aberration in such a cultural environment but as simply the extreme end on a continuum of  behaviors. [...] Most men would rather not think about how they participate in a culture that actively promotes- or at the very least- sexual violence." 
I like this quote because it shows that Jackson Katz is not trying to blame all men for rape, but that society is responsible. Society teaches men that rap is just an average part of our society.

Chapter 6 p. 91
"One consequence of this failure is that there is little discussion in media-or anywhere else-about why so many American men and boys rape, batter, sexually abuse, and sexually harass women and girls. Mainstream commentary about gender violence-and other forms of interpersonal violence-is remarkably degendered." 
I think it is important to take note of how the media degenders issues of violence against women. These article remove the blame and focus from the men involved, especially middle and upper class white males. 

Week 8 Assignment

"Finally, many men participate--in peer cultures and as consumers--in what feminists have described as a "rape and battering culture." They laugh at sexist jokes, go out with guys to strip clubs, and consume misogynistic pornography. So even though most men are not perpetrators, they nonetheless contribute to--and derive pleasure from--a sexist culture climate where women are put down and sexually degraded. Thus they have little motivation to examine it critically, and a lot of incentive to look away." pg. 20 This impacted me because it shows that it is not always big, obvious events (such as a man hitting a woman in public) that should get other men's attention to the issue of stopping violence against women. It starts with the little things, and the need for men to become aware of what they say and do with other men and women and how laughing at the joke that degrades women is contributing to this culture our society has.

"Everything that happens to women happens to men, too." pg. 18
This statement impacted me right from the beginning. This quote sums up the book overall and is just powerful without really having to explain. It shows the importance of men knowing that they need to recognize violence against women and how it is not just a "women's issue" but that they are effected too.

Week 8 Quotes

My most influential quote is from the chapter Bystanders.

"Because most men see gender violence as an individual problem, they figure all that is required of them is to keep a check on their own behavior." pg.114

I think this rings sooo true to a lot of men and it's important to debunk that myth for our sake and others sake.

My other key quote is to explain to them what a bystander really is.

"... A bystander refers to someone who is not directly involved as a perpetrator or a victim of an act of harassment or violence, but is indirectly involved as a friend or a family member. A bystander can also be a member of a group, team, workplace or any social unit. The aim in focusing on bystanders is to empower them to speak up- and not to be silent and complicit-in the face of abusive behavior." pg. 116

This is key in explaining what your right is as human and that theses actions you take are not only for your benefit but for others too. In addition, there are numerous venues that the person can be a bystander.

Donella Daggett

Sunday, November 16, 2008

“Since domestic violence and sexual violence are largely learned behaviors, it is important to reach boys before they learn to abuse girls. And since these types of violence are so closely linked to men’s believe about what it means to be a man, it is important to provide boys with alternative ideas about manhood to counterbalance all of the hyper masculine postured and misogyny they encounter in their peer cultures and the media.” This impacted me because I feel that abuse is not an innate trait, its not something you are born with but something you learn. Society is at large part responsible for this. I feel that we need to address this to our males so they know where its produced.

“A recent poll conducted by Lifetime Television found that 57% of men age sixteen to twenty-four believed gender violence is an “extremely serious” problem.” "A 2000 poll conducted by the Family Violence Prevention Fund found that one-quarter of men would do more about the issue if they were asked.” I feel we need to address this because men obviously dont know what to do to help us out. Since we have them with us for an hour we can tell them how to help. They will also get the idea of what the statistic are. I hate using stats but everyone can then understand them.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Week 8 Homework

I had such a hard time limiting my quotes to two because I have the majority of the book highlighted! But here are some...

pg.92-"The ultimate responsibility for the perpetration of violence lies not with the victims but with the perpetrators. Stated another way: domestic  and sexual violence are serious problems not because so many women experience them but because so many men perpetrate or tolerate them". This quote really impacted me because it sends a strong message that we shouldn't just be concerned because there are a lot of victims, but because there are so many men out there who are being violent with women and the twisted part is, they think it is normal and ok. 

pg. 229-"The crime of domestic violence is not simply caused by men's poor anger management skills. Instead, it is the product of a belief system-itself deeply rooted in male dominance-whose central tenet is that men should be in control in a relationship, their needs should come first, and if force is necessary to gain the woman's compliance, then that is just an unpleasant fact of life. Similarly, one of the most important theoretical insights of the rape crisis movement is that rape is not about a man's inability to control his sexual desire; it is more about his need to conquer and posses another person". I found this statement powerful because so many people think that rape has to do with sexual desire rather than about power and control. This plays into victim blaming as well. They think because a woman is dressed a certain way when she was raped means she was asking for it. Men can control themselves and rape is not about sexual desire. 

I also found these quotes moving as well and they speak for themselves:
pg.20-"What is perhaps even more disturbing is that in this culture, many people see gender violence as a problem of sick and damaged individuals, and not as a social phenomenon that's causes and solutions lie in much larger social forces".
pg.28-"Their violence says something about us."
pg. 18-"Everything that happens to women happens to men too."

Week #8 Homework

It is hard to pick just one short thing that I believe is not to "preachy" but I think the following section gets straight to what I consider to be the "heart" of the problem and sums it up in a clear and concise fashion:

(p.33) A substantial portion of the population - including many young Americans who consider themselves world weary and media savvy--remains unconscious and unaware of systematic causes of interpersonal violence. Another young mother murdered as her little children scream in the next room? What a shame. Another college student raped in her dorm room? It's not safe anywhere anymore. Another prominent athelete arrested for beating his wife? What's wrong with guys, anyway? Feminists have mainatained for years that all of these phenomena are linked, that in fact they are inevitable byproducts of women's subordinate social position. They are not just a collection of unrelated acts. ..............If there is any hope of dramatically reducing the high levels of men's violence to which we have become accustomed, we are going to have to find a way to look beyond individual perpetrators and their problems to the culture that produces them........It is a lot easier to focus on the external enemies (like terrorism), however elusive, than it is to look inward.

Sandi

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

HW Week 6 - Slightly Different

Hello all,

I was looking forward to doing the homework assignment involving writing a letter to the editor. However, I am a firm believer that it is pretty pointless to do so unless it comes very quickly after the original article. Unfortunately, I was distracted on the days surrounding the article, and therefore did not get a chance to write a letter quickly. This is not an excuse, I instead spent that time (and more time) doing some other political writing, and that is what I would like to share with you.

I am a member of DeviantArt, an online community for artists and art lovers. Another member whose art I appreciate posted a journal entry where he talked about how he "literally threw up" upon hearing that Obama was elected president. I decided to respond to this and other comments he made, and we got into a long yet civil discussion about politics, specifically about health care. I realize this isn't what was assigned, but I feel it is related, and I believe I made some good points in my arguments.

So you know I'm not blowing smoke up your behinds, you can read the dialogue here. Scroll down until you see the first comment from username "sixstringninja." - That's me. We continue for another page I think.

I don't necessarily expect equal credit for this, but it was an interesting argument that took up a lot of my time, that I feel was necessary to have. This was my bit of activism. Enjoy.

~Channing

Week 6 Bring a Man to Class Day Ideas

I was hoping that we got to explain to the participants the continuum of violence. Like we had discussed in class last week it was important for us to give them a clear and accurate picture of how exactly there aren't just extreme cases that they all stem from somewhere, whether that be stalking or verbal abuse. I think that the idea I gave about the posters was something that will really give them a clear picture of how the continuum is linked together. We could have the partuicipants break into groups and all give examples of stalking incidences, verbal abuse and then have them try to assemble themselves in order of extreme violence to not as extreme. I think the point we will be trying to convey is that it is a series of events that lead up to the extreme act of violence and that they can play a key role in making the "big and small" issues their business.

Donella Daggett

HW 7

To the Editor of the Barometer,

I am writing to you as a concerned OSU student, who is disturbed by the way you reported the "alleged" rape last week. The way the article was written was disappointing and angering to me. The most angering part of the first article was that the "alleged" victim was blamed, in the quote from the fraternity president, by saying that she shouldn't have been there in the first place and that she, too, was drunk. Instead of using the articles written about this case to blame the "alleged" victim, use it to educate the OSU population about drinking and violence and how they go hand in hand. Inform readers that drunk sex is NOT consensual, by law. Use your power to inform, not blame and advocate for the dude how ended up in jail and expelled from OSU because he "allegedly" violated a young woman's personal space. INFORM! Don't blame!

Sincerely,
Concerned Beaver

Monday, November 10, 2008

Week 7 Letter to the Editor

To Whom it May Concern "Allegedly,"

I was writing in response to the article that was published last week about the "alleged rape that occurred on Halloween. In reading the article I was a bit taken back by the outlandish comments regarding the response from the president of the fraternity when stating that, "she shouldn't have been there, she wasn't on the list." The first problem with even putting this response in the newspaper is the assumption that if she was on the list then she was "allegedly" signing up to be raped. This is a fundamental problem in how you reported on this article. The second thing that was disturbing about the article was the fact that you clearly reported on the fact that alcohol was furnished to a minor but made no clear mention that that was alleged or that anything was wrong. I feel like you have excused behavior from a male who is a "prominent pre-civil engineering student" and have put stigma that it is in turn the woman's fault for even being there. You have clearly reported on this as if she had "no right to be there." It is the key principle of a newspaper to write on issues that matter to the Oregon State community, yet you have failed to give as objective of an opinion as possible. I hope you take the time to review your skewed opinion on the "alleged" rape.

Sincerely, Donella Daggett

Letter

Dear Editor,

I did not agree with how you reported the story, "OSU student held on charges of rape". First of all, the title itself is not suggestive of what gender the student is although most assume it is a male. Stating the gender helps people understand that men are the ones that rape women. Stating "OSU student" is gender neutral. You should have stated,"Male OSU student". Secondly, in the article you used a quote that I found offensive. The president of Phi Kappa Psi stated how the woman "shouldn't have been there". I think using this quote sends a clear message to many males and females that women are at fault for getting raped. This implies that it was her fault for getting raped in the first place. Victim blaming is not something a neutral newspaper is suppose to do. 
Also you state and use quotations that the woman was "forcibly raped". Is this implying that you are accusing her of being a willing participant in her rape or that you are just using her words? Also, you use the word "alleged". This implies that she could have been lying or you are thinking that she regretted her one night stand the next day.  I think proper reporting would be seen as more respectable in the future. Many people are affected by rape and the people who seem to support it.
Sincerely, 
Heather

Week 7 HW

Letter to the Editor,

We are writing in regards to your article published last week, “OSU Student Held on charges of rape.” First we would like you to take a closer look at the use of quotes made by the president of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. We feel that his statements are irrelevant to the incident. He first says that both the victim and Sako were drunk, which does not pertain to the rape. Whether they were drunk or not does not excuse any behavior, no still means no and being drunk is not an excuse. If we are going to use drinking as an excuse, legally the victim can drink, Sako cannot; which is another issue altogether. The president is then quoted using the excuse, she was not on the guest list. This statement is completely unrelated, either way she was at the party and reported being attacked. Secondly using the word alleged several times through out the articles makes the victim seem like a liar.  The statement of her being a non-OSU student is unrelated and takes the focus away from Oregon State. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely.

Melissa Gonzalez and Karen LeDuff

Homework wk7

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to your article "OSU Student Held on Charges of Rape." After reading this I was very taken back at by the way in which this article was written. First of all the title of this is very gender neutral. By not telling the audience right off whom was involved and how they were involved you are falling into the trap of a gender neutral society. You are assuming a "man" raped a "woman" because this is what society tells you to assume what happened.  I was also curious as to why you mentioned the major of the young man. How does this have to do with whether he raped this young woman or not? By expressing that he was a "pre-construction engineering management" major it says that he is going to be a prominent member of society where he has a potential to hold a higher status in society.  The word alleged was used in this article in respect to the rape. I understand that one is innocent until proven guilty and I respect that but by using the word alleged you are implying that the woman is lying and are not respecting the victim in this situation. Everyone's side must be heard and in this article the young man's side is portrayed but you are hearing nothing about the young woman's side. The last point I am going to bring up is when it was said that she was not on the list for the party and "shouldn't have been there." This statement in other words says that if she was never there than this would not have happened to and puts the blame on the victim entirely saying it was her fault that she was raped.  I do not believe that this was the proper way to go about writing this article and I hope in the future the attention will be paid to the content and how this information might be portrayed. Everyone deserves to be respected. 
Sincerely,
Danielle

Dear "Alleged" Editor

Dear Alleged Editor,
First off I'd like to draw your attention to the head-line to my letter, "Dear Alleged Editor", how would you like it, that within some aspect of your life, within your everyday choices/status' and decisions, you were considered "Alleged" a false or presumed to be fake? I would really like you to consider this in the future when writing about such a topic, for as we all do instinctively (as humans) is become weak and more out of control in regards to such a label, and within this case, become much more aware that the survivor is not the victim, but perhaps a liar. Also in stating such facts, I found that the time taken in to consider the status of the perpetrator and the President to Phi Kappa Psi, both receiving notorious note to their status' within the OSU society and the support that is given to the perpetrator, helped push aside the "survivor" who is discredited as a "Non-OSU" student, with no support or backing to her. Invited or not, that is not what the fight is here, sober or not, no one has the right to push sex onto anyone, and even right up until the point of penetration and after, each and every individual has the right to say and control of what is being done to their body.
I appreciate the time given to writing this article, but am willing to share some support for a better understanding of the effects of writing the article (as you have) and the effects of getting and giving the support that the survivor needs, even if the term has to be "alleged"
Respectfully,
Careful to words
Miranda

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Week 7

Dear Editor,

After reading your article "OSU student held on charges of rape", I am writing to express my disappointment. By using a gender neutral title and ommitting the fact that it was a "man" who was accused of raping a "woman" you reinforce the societal mandate against actually speaking the truth about the vast majority of rape cases. If we can't talk about it, how can we hope to bring an end to the violence against women?
While I certainly agree that this young man deserves his right be innocent until proven guilty, I also believe that this young woman deserves to be believed. I don't see the two as mutually exclusive. It is possible for us to treat both parties with compassion and respect without casting shadow. I don't feel your article accomplished this for a two reasons:
1) You mention that the young woman was not on the guest list and "shouldn't have been there." Whether it is intended or not, this casts a shadow of blame on the victim. Did she deserve to be raped for crashing a party?!?
2) You mention that the major of the student is "pre-construction engineering management" - a position that typically holds some power and prestige. How is this relevant to whether or not he raped this young woman?!?
Thank you for your consideration of these matters.
Sandi Mickey

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank your staff for writing a very gender neutral article concerning the rape of a young girls at the Phi Kappa Psi house on Halloween evening. In our society we tend to focus on the victims and the allegedality. The focus of this article was mainly on the perpetrator Sako and not on the female, i really appreciated that.

I am a friend of Christopher Gerritz and i fell that you portrayed his character 100%. Instead of blaming him for allowing this to happen you gave him to opportunity to explain his thoughts and ideas without placement of personal opinion.

I am also thankful for the fact that you did not focus on if it was alleged or not. You stated the facts without using that words alleged. Great job!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

HW Assn: Bring a Man to Class Day

So, I know this is a bit late, and redundant... but I'd like the credit...

My basic idea for Bring a Man to Class Day is that we approach these brave men from a platform that is on their level. Like I've talked about many times, in educating others about this subject, we walk a fine line between our ultimate goals, and our presentation. I'll illustrate what I mean by example: I won't vote for an independent candidate, even if I agree more with their values. I accept that they will not win, and it will take a few (or more) democratic presidencies before I country will be in a position that will accept an independent candidate. We have to take small steps.

And with that, let me say... YAHHHH YAH HIP HIP HOORAY OBAMA!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! SWEETNESS!!!!! *Does Happy Dance*

Ahem. Back to topic. We have to approach our guests in a way that doesn't make them defensive, or shut down mentally. We can't start preaching overly "feministically," though this is what we want. For now, our goal has to be drawing them in, "recruiting, " if you will. This is why I think we should start with Katz - his video approaches men and says, "this is why you should give a darn."

I know this all seems kind of backwards, but we don't want to scare this people away. My other idea was in defining and explaining sexual terrorism, like with that activity Katz does. Men, what do you do, then women... etc. Anyways, we went over all this in class.

PS. I have a few songs I want to add to Sara's list, but since I just saw them this weekend, I suggest everyone listen to Metallica's "The Day That Never Comes."

~Channing

Week 6 Assignment

For bring a man to class day I think we should demonstrate how the media removes blame from white male perpetrators and places the focus on the female victim. I think that the best way to do this is to analyze newspaper articles similar to the one we did in class today. We also did a this activity in one of the first classes, where we compared the language used in an article about a rape to one about a robbery. Analyzing the language makes us realize how consistently the media helps to keep these problems women's issues. This allows men to either continue harming women or be bystanders, rather then forcing them to help support women. 

Renee's websites

http://www.indianlaw.org/node/270

http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/CERDConcludingComments2008.pdf, paragraphs 26-29.

Here's another one about the rape

This one is from the Barometer and I don't like how the president of the frat said the girl shouldn't have been there...

Monday, November 3, 2008

OSU Student Charged With Rape

Since we are in a class about violence against women, and during our last class we had a brief discussion about Halloween, I figured that this would be appropriate to share with the class. This is an article that my boyfriend found, and I was INSTANTLY appalled, since it is so close to home, but then while doing the readings, I realized that it shouldn't come as a shock. Something needs to be done.

OSU Rape

Homework Week 6

I would love to read outloud some parts out of our book, The Macho Paradox or find a film that is more recent than the one we viewed in class. I think it is important when the men come to class to hit upon a lot of the points Kratz made in Chapter 9 and 10. Pornography is so prevelent and seen as normal and I want the men to see how objectify porn is. Is there a video that we can watch that hits upon these points?
I also like the exercise of listing what men and women do to protect themselves. I think a lot of men do not realize what lengths women go to protect themselves from violence. I know I have been mentioning what length women go to a lot but I think it would be an eye-opening exercise for the men to hear what we go through on a daily basis.

Ideas for "Bring a Man to Class" day

I think that preparing our men before bringing them to the classroom. I think it's a good idea to remind them that our classroom is a place where we as a class are open and respectful to each other.

After that, I think that summing up what we have been discussing in class might impact the men as it has impacted us. I, myself, have been very impacted and become more aware about issues surrounding violence against women. Just spreading the word to others in my life has also gotten them to become more aware and in tune to these issues. It will be good for the men to be exposed so that they too can understand what we have come to understand.

Homework WK6

For the bring a man to class day,  I too have been having a hard time finding someone who wants to commit to the full three hours. I also think because of it being a women's study class they feel as though they are going to be targeted  and feel intimidated by the situation. I think the tough guise video would be a good intro into what we might be talking about with them. I think that this class might be very intimidating for a lot of guys to walk into. I do not think that we should point any fingers or single out the men in any way because I do not think that would be an effective way to get them to listen. I think if we inform them of the facts and keep it neutral that they will not feel singled out and guilty as if they have done something wrong. 

Homework week 6

I agree with Sandi that it is hard to find people who can schedule that much time to come in. And I'm sure that it is intimidating to think of being trapped with us dangerous feminists for three whole hours. I suggest that we spend one hour specifically engaging with our guests and spend the other two doing class work during which our visitors are welcome to stay and learn with us. I think that we should mention the "nice guy" type of rapist, what a guy can do to support someone who is a survivor and the continuum of violence.

Making the best of time.

I suppose for bring a man day we should show the tough guy video and the video on the women who rebounded from demestic violence. From my own personal experience watching these videos they would impact some of these gentleman. The documentary that Jackson Katz made I thought hit many levels on why we men think about being a man. The discriptions of the past action movies and the showing how the heros guns kept on getting bigger. The way men are not suppose to show emottion, and that we had to be tough. Then the video displayed what men could be and what they can bring as a new diffinition on being a man.

The second video could show these male visitors the impact of violence toward women. Additionaly the movie can show the strength that these women had and I belive that who ever would see this movie would respect that. I know I did, seeing what some of these women went through and how they overcomed such evil was amazing and inspiring. I believe who ever see this movie would feel the same. As a 28 year male my perspective has changed due to seeing these movies.

Andres Estrada.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Homework Week 6

I think for our "Bring A Man To Class Day, " we should inform guys on what to do in situations when women are not in a position to make their own choices (under the influence, being abused, etc.) and how the cause of violence against women is not just women's issue, but men's as well. I think to just inform them and open their minds as to why they should be invovled in this cause and how they could help out would be a good thing to discuss in class that day.

Homework Wk6

I have asked three men so far to join me for the "bring a man to class day" and all three have declined. One can't get out of work but the reason the other two gave was that the class is nearly three hours long and they were not comfortable with that. I think this is a valid point. These men are uncomfortable with the idea and what they perceive the environment will be like already so nearly three hours is further intimidating. I wonder if we might shorten this class period and make up the extra time on another day?
Other than that, I have noticed that my sons, ages 18 and 20 have been shocked and surprised by some of the material I shared with them. They both confess that they had not stopped to think that there were no battered women's shelters or that marital rape was not illegal just a short time ago. These things have always existed in their lifetimes. Also, they think that I'm a minority as a feminist because I am "normal" while "other" feminists are the stereotypical big, hairy, overbearing, and rude people. I would like for them, as well as our other guests, to understand the kinds of things feminists have worked for in the past so they can appreciate their contribution to human rights overall and maybe understand a little bit of the very justified anger.

Sandi

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Week 6 Assignment

I think labeling women’s fears as terrorism is inaccurate only because I imagine that for many people it creates an imaging of bombs, guns, and war torn areas. The word terrorism does not elicit the right reaction form people. I think that if Ashley wants it to call it sexual terrorism then a new, more appropriate definition should be devised. Her explanation does not fit with the dictionary definition for terrorism provided.  I believe that a more accurate definition should concern the terrorist actions being committed.  Sexual terrorism in my opinion should be defined by the unacceptable actions of men (and women) that cause many women to take certain safety precautions. 

           And I do not agree with her when she advises women to stand up against their fears and stop their safety precautions. The second article makes this point as well. I agree with that author when he says that Ashley, the author of the first article, should reevaluate her decision to change her fearful behavior. I know that all my female friends and I take similar precautions and we do so with good reason because simply standing up to these fears does not make then illegitimate. I also do not like walking home in dark, I make sure not to leave my drinks unattended, and check the entire house anytime I come home and find that one of my roommates has left the door unlocked. I carry out these precautions to protect myself and feel more comfortable in my environment.

homework #6

On the blog, post a 1-2 paragraph description of activities you suggest we engage our male guests in on Bring A Man to Class day. What concepts should we present and how? Are there any videos, websites, etc. that we might present to them? How do you think our time that day might best be spent?

What i would like to do with our time on 'bring a man to class day' is to address women in the media and how that leads to society reinforcing violence, or belittling of women. What i propose is that we get in pairs with our man and bring a female magazine. For example cosmo, vanity fair, people, etc. Take this magazine and count the number of adds and protray women is a sexual manor. In groups choose three adds that portray different types of sexuality of violence. Present why you chose these adds and how you feel about them.

Once we are done with the project we could talk about the effects this has on societies view of women, and how it teaches men that its okay to violate women.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Sara's Response on Sexual Terrorism

In the artical working to create social change, Sara talks about the double standard that happens in rape cases. Where women are blamed for the crime or are scared to tell what happened to the police. In the artical it speaks about the Kobe Bryant case, where by the reason Kobe got off the hook was because his atorneys spoke about the victims sexual history and tried to use it against her. Finaly she recieved so many death treats she backed off from the case. I agree with Sara to stop the majority cases of rape which happen not with a stranger attacking but someone closs to the victim. We need as a civilization to give women more respect where these acts of senseless violence would not happen.

History of Take Back the Night

I agree with Sara rebutle against Mr. Clark artical, it not the womens fault for these happenings. It is backward thinking, and should not be tollerated at all.
We as men should mature and grow to be better human beings, and cause fear to another human being. I for one respect everyone around me, and I dont like to be stocked so why would I do the same. The struggle women have to deal with is not right at all specially in this day and time.

Liberty Article Response to Sexual Terrorism.

The article made by Jessie Clark, was insensitive by all means. Ashley Slokes artical represented the fear that most women undergo in a violent society like our own. Mr Clark sinical ideas that this is the way it is and women got to deal with it is wrong. I belive he has a mother and would not like anything to happen to her. But this is not his mother this just another young women that he has no compassion for as a human being.

Editorial on Sexual Terrorism

I believe unfortunitly sexual terrioism is real and has been happening for generations. I have had friends at the community college level ask me to walk them to their cars after class. And in the martial arts classes I have taken my instructor would teach women who came there for that reason. It is unfortunite that these happenings do occure. I think it is sad that women have to be affaird. In my Athropology class I read not all societies around the world have this problem at this magnidude in finnland women hear about the esscort services for college students here in the us. Then they cant believe that women in college need escorts to go home. I myself never do such actions, I was taught to respect women. Doing such actions would insult my chearacter as a person.

HW Due Week 5

I can hardly count the number of times I physically shuddered with disgust while reading the article from "The Liberty."

Sexual Terrorism is a very real thing. However, it is hard to define - and through my own learning process I can see how it is hard to accept at first. What bothers me is when people reject, refuse, and insult without taking the time to try and understand. Basically, if you understand patriarchy and sexism, sexual terrorism isn't that far off. Thinking that sexual assault is "just another crime that happens for no real reason," is what bars the way for people to understand this concept.

As a man, it's true - I don't pay any particular attention to the way I dress or where my drink comes from (with regards to safety.) I feel weird when a guy starts walking behind me at night... but that's just because I'm nervous. It hasn't been drilled into my head, if anything, it sets me apart from the norm. But I can't tell you, even if I'm uncomfortable at night, it's not rape that I'm afraid of. I am not, (and cannot be), a victim of sexual terrorism. But the reality of the issue recently hit me personally...

My girlfriend has started mentioning that she want some sort of personal protective device, like a stun gun or pepper spray. Though I'm a pacifist, I'd sure like to have some of that, just in case, on my person while walking through Old Town in Portland late at night. But why haven't I bought any? Why does she feel like she really needs it? She'd probably call it common sense, because she isn't aware of the terminology. I call it sexual terrorism.

Terrorism doesn't necessarily kill people, in order to be called terrorism. Its about random acts. It's the pervasive threat of attack. Anyone who can't see the connection here, well... you're not looking hard enough. Open your mind.

Week 5 Homework

Not to demean Melissa's comments but her last sentence about how "they didn't really do anything to her" is very similar to the overall tone of Jesse Clark's article. Since nothing actually happened, why are we making a big deal over it?

We should make a big deal over it because that walk was not an isolated incidence. Just because no harm came to Ashley that night doesn't mean that the same scenario wasn't played out with another group of men and another solitary woman a few blocks away or in a different state or on a different night. The important thing is that it happens, and it happens because we live in a society that tells women that they have a reason to be afraid of men and tells men that women are allowed to be used as a receptacle for sexual and physical violence.

Now if we had changed that group walking in front of Ashley to a group of girls, would the story be the same?

"I was walking on Jackson Ave. from class and three older women started to walk in front of me. One had given another a large sum of cash, which she promptly shoved into her pocket. The girls were staggering all over the sidewalk and, even though it was only 1 p.m., smelled of alcohol. I let them stay ahead of me, but the woman who was clearly most intoxicated started to say how she bet I was scared. And she continued to turn around - I figured she was trying to make sure I knew she was talking about me, and possibly trying to scare me. "

How many women would change their route home to avoid the possibility of sexual violence at the hands of women? How many women would automatically assume that they could be in danger of sexual assault? Since only MEN inspire such thoughts this can be seen as a form of terrorism.

I think many people think that terrorism = violence and therefore most harassment of women can't be terrorism. Yes, terrorism often includes violence but the key to the definition of terrorism is the word terror. What kind of emotion is terror? Extreme fear. A terrorist then is someone who uses their power to instill fear. Fear of violence, fear of death, fear of the unknown... there are many things to be terrorized by. The scariest part of any movie for me is not when the killer jumps out of the closet with the butcher knife and hacks up their victim. No, it's the 30 seconds before that when the unknowing sucker starts to reach for the knob and turn it.

When a man uses the power given to him by our society to instill fear into a woman, that is terrorism. The simple fact is that there is a difference between most men and most women. Most men are stronger than most women. Especially when it is three against one. Ashley probably knew that IF those men had turned and attacked her, the chances of fending them off were very slim; even if she knew self defense or had pepper spray or -god forbid- a gun. The fact that they didn't attack her was their choice, not hers. Their power, not hers.

Week 4 Homework

I am currently talking with Lindsey Schnell from the Women's Center about working together on an activism project involving the "No Woman Left Behind" campaign. As of now everything is in the planning stages but Lindsey is trying to get Lauren Chief Elk to come and speak to her women's studies class. I'm interested in getting the bracelets out and speaking to members of our community beyond WS.

No Woman Left Behind was started after three female soccer players from DeAnza College, California broke in on a group of baseball players who were gang raping an unconscious woman at a party.

No Woman Left Behind means that if you see a woman in an unsafe situation or who has passed out from too much alcohol that you intervene on her behalf even if you don't know her.

Week 5 Assignment

Personally, I have never heard of the term "sexual terrorism." I have to say though that I don't particularly do any of things she mentioned (unintentionally, like being aware of walking at night by herself, talking on the phone, etc.). This is probably a bad thing, but I usually walk home alone after work or from the library. I don't particularly see this as something all women/girls should hope they could do, I mean it would be nice if a girl could walk alone at night and not be afraid of the two guys walking ahead of her. Something that really stuck out in my mind while reading these articles was the guy who was quoted in the Barometer saying how if he is walking at night he is seen differently. I found myself completely agreeing with this guy, when I do walk at night by myself and I see a guy, my first thought (no matter how fleeting) is 'is this guy going to hurt me?' Which is really unfortunate, because I know that if I were to pass that guy on campus in the daylight or if he were to sit next to me in class I would not think twice about him. I talked to a couple of my friends about this and they completely agree with me. Guys that don't even register to them in the daylight suddenly become something to be wary of at night.
I have to agree with the Jesse Clark article to an extent; calling it "sexual terrorism" could possibly be taking it too far. I can understand where the girl in the "Sexual terrorism, a continuing cycle" article is coming from and the definition could fit, if you stretched it out a bit, but the word "terrorism" implies some pretty bad things, and saying you were sexual terrorized by guys being ridiculous and drunk (and they didn't really do anything to her) seems to be a bit much.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Week 6; Bring a Male to Class day Activities

I think that the topics we should discuss should definitely closely relate to things that men of our generation are experiencing for example: Dating violence and Surviving Domestic Violence (book, stories).I really think it would be very interesting to have Q and A, or get some insight from the men that come into class, where do they think violence against women is portrayed in life, do they believe, or see how much our society is effected by it? I really think that the "Tough Guise" video (clips) would be influential in opening up some minds before we get into great discussion on the topic, but I think a giant brainstorming session on more contemporary forms of the media (icons etc...) would benefit more, due to where we are at as a society. I really think that discussion would be more beneficial for the group of men coming into class, then a bunch of numbers and statistics (I feel that it is important to educate and not embarrass or push the men that have volunteered to come in and hopefully share), but I do feel that we need to get the message across that this issue is not o.k. and that they can help fight against it by being Allies. I feel that we will need to make impact on the men, but in return have a great deal of discussion to talk about why they feel the way they feel (upset, sad or not) and what they could do to take care of themselves and others.

Sexual Terrorism Response

Wow, it is really amazing how often we as women are pushed into doing even everyday things differently, it really makes for a scary place to live. We constantly are having to watch what we wear, how we act, where we go at certain times, as if we are the ones making the choices when situations arise. I go jogging at night (when I go) due to the fact that I really don't like to be harassed by people in the mornings or during the days. I have been the recipient to many "cat-calls" as men would call them, and they aren't flattering or make me want to run anymore then I already do. I really enjoy running at night because I avoid people, but there is always a fear of running into someone else at night who could harm me as well. I listen to my Ipod while I run, which probably isn't safe either, but I can't run without it. So I hold my keys in my hands and keep pepper spray with me as well. It is like I have to get extra ready before I run just so I can make sure I'm safe. With this idea I have found that push into an environment, which "I" have to make safe, an environment which should already be safe.

I agree with Erin in the fact that I thought that the "terrorism" aspect was a little strong, but now as I look at how many different aspects of my life that I have to alter to be able to keep myself safe, it is in fact correlated. I can only hope that we as women can educate women on ways to be safe, while still fighting the push from society, to just live and be.

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

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

International violence against women artical

International violence against women artical.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/international-violence-against-women-act/page.do?id=1051201

International Violence Against Women Act
Violence against women and girls represents a global health, economic development, and human rights problem. At least one out of every three women worldwide are beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime, with rates reaching 70% in some countries. The International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) is an unprecedented effort by the United States to address violence against women globally.
The United States has a valuable opportunity to raise the issue of women's rights in its diplomatic work. Finally, we can work together to end the suffering of millions of women and girls.I-VAWA introduced in the House
Good News! Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) became the first Republican to co-sponsor the House Bill on I-VAWA (H.R. 5927). Acheiving strong bi-partisan support is essential to ensuring that I-VAWA passes and women around the world are protected against violence. » See Senate co-sponsors supporting I-VAWA (S. 2279)» See House co-sponsors supporting I-VAWA (H.R. 5927)

Posted by Andres Jaime Estrada.

Homework #5

After reading the about sexual terrorism i realized that i do these kinds of things everyday. I really watch what i wear, making sure that im not looking skimpy. I dont go to parties very often or drink around people i dont know because i dont want to get stuck in a harmful situation. When i do, which i rare because of the fear, run at night i carry my cell phone and or pepper spary. These are things that i do to protect myself and using these protective measure is second nature.

I have never hard of sexual terrorism before so when i first stated reading i was skeptical, thinking that using the words terrorism was a bit too much. After getting further into the material i realized that this is what is going on. Women are forced to live in fear the same way americas are forced into fear after 9/11. So what is the difference? That women are a minority and the US is not?

Violence Against Women: Activism Project Proposal Week 4

Violence Against Women: Activism Project Proposal Week 4
I got a idea about making a myspace site about violence against women. Im going to show the effects of the violence toward women and the effects it has on society and on faimlys. Most men have mothers and daughters who they care for dearly. I must show them the effects of violence toward women.

Andres J. Estrada

Local artical for violence against women.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/09/ruling_curbs_multnomah_county.html
Ruling curbs Multnomah County domestic violence program
by Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian
Monday September 29, 2008, 8:54 PM
Subpoenas landed on the desks of several domestic violence victims' advocates this summer, ordering them to show up in Multnomah County Circuit Court with files containing victims' statements against alleged attackers in two pending cases.
The subpoenas sent shock waves through the county's nationally recognized domestic violence program, prompting a special team of police, prosecutors, parole officers and advocates who work together to intervene in high-risk cases to stop accepting new ones. The Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team came to a screeching halt.
"We didn't know what to tell victims. We were unable to say 'Trust us, your information would remain confidential.' So we stopped," said Chiquita Rollins, the county's domestic violence coordinator.
Advocates argued that divulging confidential information about victims or subpoenaing records would have a "substantial chilling effect" on victims. Rollins cautioned that offenders could use information gleaned from an advocate's file to intimidate victims and keep them from testifying.
Defense lawyers countered they had the right to review victims' statements before trial. In an unusual circumstance, the Multnomah County district attorneys sided with the defense. Prosecutors demanded that the advocates' material be turned over to the defense as part of pretrial discovery.
"This was a difficult situation for us, because the advocates really are our partners in this program," said Darian Stanford, a Multnomah County deputy district attorney. "But the law is clear. We're obliged to follow the U.S. Constitution and Oregon law."
Post done by Andres Jaime Estrada.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Activism Project Proposal Week 4

Hello All,

I am proposing to do a video night at the Black Cultural Center on Violence Against Women in particular women of color. I am currently the educational chair for the Black Student Union. I am completely open to any suggestions on movies or documentaries people can provide. I am hoping to also prepare some discussion questions in regards to the video we watch. It seems pretty straight forward I just need to find the materials that will facilitate an open and honest dialogue and support women of color and women in general...

Activism within the Halls

I am currently a Resident assistant within housing here on campus and have been for a couple of years now. This has enabled me to have many connections here on campus, the connections that have a great capacity to reach a lot different people. I really want to work within the halls, with the freshmen class that came in, in educating about the underground ideas of violence against women. I became really interested in the "clothes-line" idea that we read about in previous chapters, and would love to expand on that with the help of many resources on campus, but most of all I would love the aid of the new and hopefully educatedly influenced freshmen class, in regards to violence against women.

Activism Project

I had a similar idea to Erin's, distributing flyers in the men's bathrooms around campus and at local popular places like bars or resturants. Using information from the National Domestic Violence Hotline or other related sites, I wanted to design a flyer or sticker to put up that simply states facts about violence against women and that a drunk yes doesn't mean yes. Maybe Erin and I can work together on this!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Homework wk4

For my activism project I am planning on attending a run/walk to put a stop to domestic violence. I have been looking in the portland area. Another idea I had for my activism project was to attend  and volunteer some of my time helping out at a center for women who are victims of domestic violence. 

Activism Project Proposal

I was hoping to work on a project with Miranda, but I don't know how to get a hold of her and she wasn't in class last week... If she submits something cool, I'll just switch to that, if it's okay with her.

Regardless, here are some of my ideas for the content of the project. I would like to do a special table in the MU Quad. There may be flyers. There may be info and discussion. But I want to do something different...

I want to attract people with a sign that says something along the lines of: "If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual violence, come get your free hug! If you are unfamiliar with this phenomenon, come get informed." Something like that. Obviously the hugs will be real, I'm no bait and switch guy.

Another thing I might do at the booth (I like this one a lot) : I know a gal on campus that works with the theater, and can create quite compelling bruise makeup. I thought this might be a good way to rally people against violence. A show of support, a terrifyingly effective conversation starter. I haven't spoken with said gal about this, though... so... we'll see.

My third Idea for the table would be for it to take a "male" position... talk specifically about the idea that violence against women is a man's issue. Information will be directly geared toward a male audience.

Those are my ideas.

Activism Project

For the activism project Melissa Gonzalez and I plan to hand out purple ribbons in order to increase awareness about domestic violence. The project will involve making ribbons with pins attached and handing then out to students passing through the MU quad. We plan to have the ribbons attached to an informational card so that hopefully even if the students wear the ribbons are asked what they mean then hopefully they can pass along the message. We were also thinking about attaching some type of purple candy as incentive for people to stop, listen to our message, and take a ribbon.

Homework Week 4: Activism Project

Karen LeDuff and I are planning to do our project together. We have the idea of handing out purple ribbons in the MU quad, attached to an index card with facts about domestic violence. As an incentive to actually take the ribbon/paper, we also plan to have a purple candy of some sort attached to the card.

Activism Project

For this, I participated in a Take Back the Night march and discussion at Western. If this doesn't work for my activism project, then I would like to post filers around campus and in other places around Corvallis and Salem. I found these awesome filers at The National Domestic Violence Hotline website that I would like to distribute around. I don't know if this is enough for a activism project though.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Homework Wk 4 - Activism Project

I attended the domestic violence awareness walk/run in Minto Brown Park in Salem last weekend. It was sponsored by the Marion County Domestic Violence Council to raise funds for the Mid-Valley Women's Crisis service in Salem. The theme was "silence promotes violence". I look forward to sharing more about this experience with all of you in class!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Week 4 Homework

In the womens bathrooms you always see the stickers stating, "If your professor or TA is doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable..." I was wondering if there was anything similar to this posting in the boys bathrooms?After talking with a few of my male friends i found out that the mens bathrooms do not contain these types of messages.

My idea is to make a flyer to place in the mens bathrooms around campus that go over what consent is and what NO! means. I would also like to go over what too drunk to give consent is, as well as talk about a women saying repeated no's and and then caving in to yes doesnt really mean yes.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Homework Week 2

Local:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/oregon_judge_stays_convicted_r.html

National:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432142,00.html

International
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2854474&page=1

Week 2 Post

Local:


National:

International:

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Homework Week 2

National News: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27035312/

Local/State News: http://www.dailyastorian.com/Main.asp?SectionID=2&ArticleID=54942

National/International: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8407338/

Or watch the video interview, there's a link next to the text break down. It got me all riled up! Take a look!

Homework wk 2

Local: Parole Denied




3 Sources; Violence against Women Blog 1 ML

City rallies against domestic violence


Violence Against Women: Stories You Rarely Hear About


UNFPA:NEWS


Monday, October 6, 2008

Homework Week #2

Local:


National:

International:

Violence against women in the news

Yamhill woman testifies that her abusive exboyfriend was "a good person"

Vermont man coerced girl to help him kidnap his 12 year old neice who he then assaulted and killed.

"Honor Violence against women surging in UK"

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Homework week 2

National article:
"Husband, 2nd man held in female soldier's stabbing"

International article:
"Armed groups and government forces continue to abuse women and children in North Kivu"

Local/ State article:
"Oregon parole board resumes deliberation on whether to release Richard Gillmore, the jogger rapist"


~Sophia Mamoyac

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Homework Wk 2


BEAT A WOMAN? PLAY ON; BEAT A DOG? YOU'RE GONE


National football star is likely never to play professional ball again for beating a dog while many other football players charged of beating their wives or girlfriends continued to play.

“Might it be that domestic violence and spousal abuse is so pervasive in sports that it's simply too costly for leagues to suspend so many men? What would happen after all if those poor dear teams couldn't fill their rosters?”


THOUSANDS OF CHILEANS TO MARCH AGAINST FEMICIDE

By Matt Malinowski - WeNews correspondent
SANTIAGO, Chile (WOMENSENEWS)--Fifty-two Chilean women have been killed by their husbands or boyfriends through October and the Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in Chile wants the world to know about it. ...............................




Oregon parole board resumes deliberation on whether to release Richard Gillmore, the jogger rapist
by Maxine Bernstein, The Oregonian
Monday September 29, 2008, 3:55 PM
A three-member state panel today resumed considering serial rapist Richard Troy Gillmore's request for parole. The state Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision halted its deliberations August 14 after allegations surfaced that Gillmore had made threats against his victim within prison walls. State police began investigating allegations that Gillmore was overheard in prison threatening to cut the throat of victim Tiffany Edens as he sought to be released..................................................................

Sandi Mickey

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Homework Week 2

Here's my links for interesting news articles. I know one is another blog, but cross-blogging is like, the new thing, right? Anyways, this way I have local, national, and international covered. It was hard to do without just linking to thinks Sara already has up... she's thorough. Anyways, enjoy:

Austria exhorts UN to take lead in fight to reduce violence against women

Town gets immigration lawyer (see part about immigration and domestic violence.)

A Culture of Violence Against Women: More Than Rape Kits

~Channing