We first thought about starting this piece with the story of Saleha Begum, a survivor of Bangladesh's 1971 war in which, some reports say, as many as 400,000 women were raped. Begum had been tied to a banana tree and repeatedly gang raped and burned with cigarettes for months until she was shot and left for dead in a pile of women. She didn't die, though, and was able to return home, ravaged and five months pregnant. When she got home she was branded a "slut." Continue reading...
I thought the point of having SlutWalk’s is to raise awareness against sexualized violence. That "We’re all supposed to be VERY ANGRY! that society blames the victim for being raped" and NOT to “blame-the-slut-victim” Both the project "Women Under Siege" and the "SlutWalks" have one thing in common their tilting at windmills and making strawman arguments protesting against an evil that is universally condemned?? So what is the solution? Uprooting society’s patriarchal culture, and go back to an imaginary time when females and males had roles that were balanced and porous? Increasing women’s self-esteem? Implicit in much of the verbiage is that only STRONG! FEMINIST! WOMEN! truly oppose rape. Any real argument against misogyny against women would have named and condemned the honor shame cultures it is prevalent in
Cute. How many times have you read in far right blogs phrases such as "what did she expect, dressed like that?" or similar? Hell I've heard it a number of times in real life. And yes, you should be angry and if you are already... Then slut walk isn't being aimed at you. Given things you've said in the past I can't understand why the dismissal. You'd think so, wouldn't you, it being universally condemned I mean. It isn't. Not by a long chalk. Many pre Christian Celtic tribes had a much more balanced and porous system, it was not uncommon for women to act as foot soldiers in some places... Hardly imaginary. Only INSECURE! MYSOGYNIST! MEN! make such strawman arguments. Bindun, countless times in fact. Both of us live in countries where there is a section of the population who actively engage in slut shaming.
a Feminist utopia In 19th century Western scholarship, the hypothesis of matriarchy representing an early stage of human development—now mostly lost in prehistory, with the exception of some so-called primitive societies—enjoyed popularity. The hypothesis survived into the 20th century and was notably advanced in the context of feminism and especially second wave feminism, but this hypothesis of matriarchy as having been an early stage of human development is mostly discredited today, most experts saying that it never existed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celts#Gender_and_sexual_norms Myth it isn't. Whilst you could argue that they may or may not have been martriachial societies, women had a far better lot in England pre Christianity than they did after. Unless of course you are now going to suggest that Tacitus was a damned liar...
Sexual assault overseas Sexual assault of female soldiers overseas became such an issue in the beginning of the war in Iraq that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld ordered an investigation and held senate hearings over the matter. Over 100 cases were reported within the first eighteen months of the war. Sen. Susan Collins of the Armed Services Committee said “What does it say about us as a people, as a nation, as the foremost military in the world when our women soldiers sometimes have more to fear from their fellow soldiers than from the enemy?” [4] The Pentagon has estimated that 80% to 90% of sexual assault cases go unreported.[5] The fear of the repercussions and embarrassment that could likely follow a report is enough to keep the silence. [edit]Task force charter The Task Force on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies was established on September 23, 2004, pursuant to Section 526 of Public Law 108-136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004. Congress directed the Task Force to assess and make recommendations concerning how the Departments of the Army and the Navy may more effectively address sexual harassment and assault at the United States Military Academyand the United States Naval Academy. The Task Force consists of six members from the four branches of the Armed Forces and six members from the civilian community. [edit]Service academy culture Historically, sexual harassment and sexual assault have been inadequately addressed at both Academies. Harassment is the more prevalent and corrosive problem, creating an environment in which sexual assault is more likely to occur.[6] The Task Force also found that because female service members are a minority, are excluded from some of the highly regarded combat specialties, and are held to different physical fitness standards. Some in Academy communities do not value women as highly as men. Accordingly, the Task Force recommends: 1) Increase the number and visibility of female officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) in key positions to serve as role models for both male and female cadets and midshipmen. 2) Increase the percentage of women cadets and midshipmen at the Academies within current service operational constraints. 3) Ensure consistent opportunities for women to be involved in leadership and Academy decision making, e.g. academic boards and admission boards. The Task Force concludes the leadership, staff, faculty, cadets and midshipmen must model behaviors that reflect and positively convey the value of women in the military. In addition we recommend the Academies use modern survey and management tools on a permanent basis to provide information to oversight bodies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexual_assault_in_the_U.S._military yes... they should start doling out command positions based upon gender and not ability.... outstanding! thats gonna backfire in a heartbeat....
