Crenshaw's article "Mapping the Margins" deals with violence that women deal with and have been brought to light. Women who have had violence against them often do not have the means to bring these men to justice. They are poor women who cannot afford to bring these men to justice. It goes with out saying that the statement "praying on the weak" is still in effect. Also, race is a major factor in violence. It is easy to take advantage of someone who does not know the country or someone because you are racist. It makes it almost justifiable in their mind. It does not just happen within these intersectionalities. I my self have almost been a victim but having friends who watch your back and know to stick together helps avoid the situation all together. Rape and violence toward women is an interesting topic to touch on because their are so many different view points on how to handle the situation but regardless it should always be handled.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Rape and Violence
"Man's discovery that his genitalia could serve as a weapon o generate fear must rank as one of the most important discoveries of prehistoric times, along with the use of fire and the first crude stone axe"(312, Brownmiller). This quote was actually used recently in a paper that I read for another class about rape used as a weapon of War. I found this interesting when I came across it because it seems that rape has been used throughout time and is continued to be used today. Rapist justify what they are doing by saying "women want it or they bring it upon themselves" , but I am here to tell you that this is not true. After reading the Little Red Ridding story and how it was really about rape it made me upset because that is a story I enjoyed as a child. I guess everyone has to grow up sometime and face reality. Women do not secretly wish to be ravished and sexual encounters should be our choosing.
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I had a similar reaction to Meaghan when reading about Little Red Riding Hood in relation to rape. It is definitely upsetting to hear that a story that is so common and prevalent among children is actually telling the horrors about rape and violence against women by men. The story promotes the message to avoid being alone or “adventurous” as Brownmiller explains. It teaches young girls to beware and not participate in risky or even courageous behavior like Little Red did by walking through the woods alone. I feel that the most interesting aspect of the story is the idea that a “nicer” and “better” male was able to save Little Red and her grandmother from the wolf. This emphasizes the power and superiority of men; the only person able to save a woman in distress is a man. There is no female heroine in the story, rather the females are passive characters and would have died had it not been for a man to come along and save them.
ReplyDeleteI thought your post was really interesting! I was one of the group who thought that Brownmiller was a little too shocking to be effective in transmitting her larger message, but I really liked how you related her phrasing of how men can “use their penises as weapons” to how this is in fact the case in war. After initially reading I thought this sentence was very extreme and rarely the case. But after reading your connections I realized that however scary it is to think about, during war women can be used and abused in more ways than it is possible to imagine. I think it is really interesting to think about how rape is used as an aggressive measure by wartime forces. It makes you wonder how it is in ANY way used to further the gains of war apart from damaging the lives of the women (who in all reality probably aren’t the ones who are fighting against the oppressive forces).
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