Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Violence Against Women Is No Big Deal

That's why it's so prevalent. That's why ordinary average joes, "good guys" do it so easily. Our society (patriarchal) devalues women. I have my issues with the whole "rape is not about sex, it's about power" thesis, but I do know that rape isn't "surprise sex." Rape is meant to take something from someone without their consent. And to steal from people is to disrespect them. To violate them through rape is to show contempt for them. And to take pictures about it and joke about it is to treat the victim as less than human. And this is done to women with such frequency because men devalue them. And, in a bit of a downward spiral, it's "no big deal" because they're only women and that's the way you treat them.

To repeat: When you already devalue someone, it becomes "no big deal" to violate or destroy them. When you don't think twice about something because it's no big deal, it means you can do it without altering how you perceive yourself. When society devalues women, then your average guy can violate them without altering his self-perception of himself or abandoning all the other traits that make him a "good" guy in the eyes of society. And then they're shocked when their behaviour is condemned as rape and they start to cry in court or double-down on their misogyny.

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