“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.

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

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

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

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

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!

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...

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.