Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site burl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!geoff From: geoff@burl.UUCP (geoff) Newsgroups: net.women Subject: Re: Re: \"Why not send the men home?\" Message-ID: <692@burl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 15-May-85 11:00:55 EDT Article-I.D.: burl.692 Posted: Wed May 15 11:00:55 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 16-May-85 05:23:29 EDT References: <1848@decwrl.UUCP> <423@sftri.UUCP> <1467@reed.UUCP> <431@sftri.UUCP> <134@lzwi.UUCP> <691@burl.UUCP> <480@ihlpg.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Technologies, Burlington NC Lines: 68 > When was the last time you were physically molested? Now, ask your female > friends how many times they have been molested. I don't just mean raped in > the literal sense. How many times have you UNWILLINGLY been pinched on the > rear-end? How many times has a woman purposedly bumped up against you to "cop > a feel". You have a point. This behavior is juvenile. I have had it happen (VERY rarely) and while it WAS annoying, I didn't get particularly upset about it. Perhaps if it were a constant thing, I would. I don't know. > > The point I'm trying to make is that not only do women and men SHARE > the common danger of being robbed and/or shot/knifed/etc (which is a whole > other issue we should all address) but we women have the added danger of being > physically violated. These violations don't just occur on dark, lonely > streets. They happen in broad daylight in well populated areas. I know where > of I speak. I was walking through a family-type park in Minneapolis. The > park was about one square block. There were many women and children scattered > around. It was mid-afternoon in early summer (still quite light out). I was > wearing mens jeans (rather loose) and a man's short-sleeved shirt (also rather > loose). I had no purse and no wallet. This was NOT a robery attempt. A man > came up to me from behind and grabbed my breasts. He tried to throw me to the > ground. I don't even want to think what he would have done if he had > succeeded! I managed to kick him in the groin and ran. I was lucky. How > many men do you know who have had something like that happen? Now do you > understand our (women's) anger toward men? Good for you. I hope you made his eyes pop out of his sockets with the kick. Nonetheless, there is a very small segment of society (yes, the vast majority of which are men) who do these things. I really don't understand your(plural) anger towards men. If some robbed me, I would not be angry towards all s. I am sorry this happened (at all), and I am sorry it happened (to you), but there are a lot of bad things that happen in this world. To your earlier points, yes women have an added danger. Life is like that. Women also live longer than men (on the average), and I am not real fond of that. Life is like that, too. These things ARE, and wishing won't change them. > > I haven't even brought up the issue of spousal and/or date rape which usually > goes unreported because the woman is made to feel that she "asked" for it and > won't be believed by most courts. > This is in a different catagory. Most rape is an act of violence, not sex. I think this would be more of sex. Women must realize the emotions they can spark in men are VERY powerful and men can get carried away. I am not saying it should be this way (it shouldn't). I am saying it is a different situation than the standard rape scenario. Jealous men and women both have done very nasty things when their emotions were out of control. Any powerful emotion can cause people to react in ways other than they ordinarily would. This does not excuse rape, murder, or whatever, but it is a mitigating circumstance. I will probably be flamed for this (well, probably the whole article) but here goes: I have met numerous women (mostly college age) who seemed to take great delight in teasing men as far as they can, and then shutting them down. With the forgoing paragraph in mind, they are playing with fire. { no, I don't mean that all 'date rape' cases are like this, or that all women play those games, etc, etc. } > Sarah E. Dugan > (no clever lines) geoff sherwood