RE: International Women's Day

From: Sophie Alcock (Sophie.Alcock@vuw.ac.nz)
Date: Sun Mar 07 2004 - 18:19:20 PST


Ditto Mike,
It's very depressing. I'd also add, but am unsure how, the whole biological area to point 3, what drives the perpetrators, perhaps something about sexual or hormonal biological "drives"? So where's the balance with culture? fear/envy?

In her footnotes Goody (referring to Gialombardo, 1966, 1967)describes the difference between men and women in prison. In contrast to men's prisons homosexual aggression is virtually non-existent in women's prisons, despite homosexuality being a preoccupation of both men and women prisoners. Interesting. And my boy dog tries to sexually dominate other boy dogs, ignoring the females. How is that explained, biologically, or socially ?(culturally?)

Another point is the link between knowledge and power that relates to your second point. Victims learning and accepting the cultural idealogies that surround...and that dominate...and deny them power/knowledge.

However, I guess that as opportunities arise, we can make small changes at a personal level, or at least try to; by questioning and challenging existing ideaologies,...widening our views of knowledge.

The article is very thought provoking (yes, depressing). And why cannot I not get the first 3 pages through the web link?
Thanks
Sophie

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Cole [mailto:mcole@weber.ucsd.edu]
Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 12:48 PM
To: xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: RE: International Women's Day

what would you say the main points are that stand out for you in the
Goody article, Sophie?

I would offer three which im/de-press me.

1. The phenomenon of male violence against females appears to qualify
as a human universal-- its found among many people in about every society
documented.

2. The victims adopt an ideology which allows them to treat such behavior
as acceptable.

3. The perpetrators are driven, very often, by fear/envy, itself wrapped
in ideology.

So, what, on Women's Day, 2004, can we/should we be doing differently to
take back that long, dark, night?
mike



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