Comments on: Today's little pile of awesome. http://axisofevil.net/~xtina/blog/?p=55 Another one of my turns. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:52:24 -0800 hourly 1 By: xtina http://axisofevil.net/~xtina/blog/?p=55&cpage=1#comment-11 xtina Mon, 07 May 2007 23:46:00 +0000 http://axisofevil.net/~xtina/blog/?p=55#comment-11 *checks*<br/><br/>According to the <a HREF="http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cvus/gender749.htm" REL="nofollow">BJP</a>, for 2005, 97.8% of rape/sexual assault crimes were performed by men, and the remainder by women.  (Best I've found so far).<br/><br/>That's news.<br/><br/>I think the main problem is that we (as a general thing) talk about "women who are raped", as though the air is doing it.  From what I see, a lot of discourse is focused on the women because (a) their actions can be controlled and (b) it's hard to talk about the men doing the raping without A Lot of men getting indignant or offended.<br/><br/>Clarification of (a): by which I mean to say, one part "I can control my actions, but not his, so better to focus on what I can control" and two parts "We can judge the <i>woman's</i> actions, because $reason!".  Where $reason is stuff like "It's harder to get the message of don't-rape across to men" or "She was totally asking for it" or whatever.<br/><br/>I am jumbled on this.  I'm spoiled by LJ's huuuge comment boxes, if nothing else. *checks*

According to the BJP, for 2005, 97.8% of rape/sexual assault crimes were performed by men, and the remainder by women.  (Best I've found so far).

That's news.

I think the main problem is that we (as a general thing) talk about "women who are raped", as though the air is doing it.  From what I see, a lot of discourse is focused on the women because (a) their actions can be controlled and (b) it's hard to talk about the men doing the raping without A Lot of men getting indignant or offended.

Clarification of (a): by which I mean to say, one part "I can control my actions, but not his, so better to focus on what I can control" and two parts "We can judge the woman's actions, because $reason!".  Where $reason is stuff like "It's harder to get the message of don't-rape across to men" or "She was totally asking for it" or whatever.

I am jumbled on this.  I'm spoiled by LJ's huuuge comment boxes, if nothing else.

]]> By: zandperl http://axisofevil.net/~xtina/blog/?p=55&cpage=1#comment-10 zandperl Mon, 07 May 2007 22:30:00 +0000 http://axisofevil.net/~xtina/blog/?p=55#comment-10 While statements like "a man robbed a woman" are not blanket statements, "men rape 25% of women" is a blanket statement to me for two reasons. (1) Some of those women could've been raped by other women. (2) (presuming all the rapes are perpetrated by men) The word "men" indicates a class of objects and therefore ALL men carry some of the blame. A statement like "a man rapes 25% of women" or "there exist individual men who rape 25% of all women" does not blame the whole class of men the same way the original (less wordy) sentence does, but because of that wordiness we will never say it. <br/><br/>I think the way to stop rape and other sexist/biased behavior is not to just talk to the victims, but talk to the perpetrators. Every single one of us is guilty when someone else perpetrates unacceptable behavior, from calling someone a faggot to drugging someone's drink, if we do not step in and tell the perpetrator that his or her behavior is wrong. The perpetrator is to blame primarily, but everyone who knows that person and knows his/her behaviors, we are ALL accomplices. While statements like "a man robbed a woman" are not blanket statements, "men rape 25% of women" is a blanket statement to me for two reasons. (1) Some of those women could've been raped by other women. (2) (presuming all the rapes are perpetrated by men) The word "men" indicates a class of objects and therefore ALL men carry some of the blame. A statement like "a man rapes 25% of women" or "there exist individual men who rape 25% of all women" does not blame the whole class of men the same way the original (less wordy) sentence does, but because of that wordiness we will never say it.

I think the way to stop rape and other sexist/biased behavior is not to just talk to the victims, but talk to the perpetrators. Every single one of us is guilty when someone else perpetrates unacceptable behavior, from calling someone a faggot to drugging someone's drink, if we do not step in and tell the perpetrator that his or her behavior is wrong. The perpetrator is to blame primarily, but everyone who knows that person and knows his/her behaviors, we are ALL accomplices.

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