tweakabelle
Posts: 7522
Joined: 10/16/2007
From: Sydney Australia
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quote:
ORIGINAL: philosophy
FR
..the problem with any debate on these sort of things is that they inevitably get bogged down in matters of detail and equivilancy. Which culture/religion/people/movement is less/more/thesame as the other?
We lose sight of the most important part of this. Our first reaction. How do things like this make us feel? Do we think its wrong or right? There's nothing ever wrong with expressing the fact of our reaction.
After that, its the old adage 'think global, act local', be informed about the big issues, do what you can at your local level to deal with them.
Thank you for such a positive contribution to this discussion.
It's encouraging to see the passionate reactions of many here. That so many are outraged by these horrors makes dealing with this issue so much easier. That people have interpreted these murders inaccurately as a specifically Muslim matter can be put down to the media, and the spin it puts on these issues. It doesn't necessarily indicate prejudice on their part. So what can we do to exorcise this brutality from our lives?
A good start is to frame the issue correctly and ask the right questions. As violence against women is a worldwide phenomenon, surely it makes sense to view 'honour killings' as a local variation of this phenomenon. At this point, specific local factors like culture, class, economics, religion, caste etc. enter the picture.
Violence against women will occur in your community on a daily basis, no matter where you are. There is no co-relation to age, class, race, intelligence, education or any of the usual indicators. It can express itself in a multitude of ways - rape, domestic violence, threatening behaviour, physical attacks, sexual slavery, intimidation, and so on.
It is almost always carried out by males. Only a small minority of men actually engage in it. Most males, to their credit are sickened and repulsed by violence against women. However males are ideally placed to play a vital role in ridding our societies of this scourge. For a large number of the perpetrators, their violence against women is connected with their twisted ideas of what it means to be a "man". For them, "putting women in their place" means exactly what it says.
Men are ideally placed to deal with this notion. Males can successfully challenge and change other males' skewed ideas of what it means to be a man in ways that others can't. Instead of remaining silent when violence against women comes up, ask the perpetrators "Why do you hate women so much?". Point out that violence is the articulation of hate. Point out that it is not inherent in male biology - hate is an acquired trait, about as unnatural as it gets. Point out it has nothing to do with 'honour' and an awful lot to do with misogyny. Discuss it with your friends. Make violence against women completely unacceptable as part of a person's masculinity in all the social circles you move in.
So there are practical easy steps we can all take to help. Among them:
* Support your local domestic violence centre. It will almost certainly be under-funded, under-resourced and under-staffed. Donate old furniture, computers, money, time, skills .... All it takes is a phone call or email to ask; "How can I help?";
* Challenge male violence against women whenever and where ever you encounter it. Speak out against it loudly and often;
* Encourage any one you know with issues in this area to get help;
* Demand action from your politicians and community leaders;
* Read a book or two about the issue. Inform yourself and understand.
Please convert your passion and anger about this horror into action of some sort. The best response to 'honour killings' is to eliminate violence against women in your community. Prove to the world that it is not inherent in maleness or in the natural order of things. Show the world it can be eliminated.
There is something you can do about this horrifying brutality - in fact, many things. However only you can do them and they can all be done NOW.
< Message edited by tweakabelle -- 5/16/2011 5:42:39 PM >
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RE: I do not want to have a Muslim mother. - 
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