From: bickis@skmath3.usask.ca (M. Bickis)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Are you wearing your White Ribbon? (Canadian men) -- no
Date: 17 Dec 1992 00:17:26 GMT
Organization: University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: remarque.berkeley.edu
Originator: muffy@remarque.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Dec11.144725.10719@vax.oxford.ac.uk> clh@vax.oxford.ac.uk 
writes in reply to me:
>> 
>> Lepine's actions were an anomaly.  They are not something likely
>> to recur.
>
>What about the death-threats which women at (some Canadian university) 
>received last October following a break-in and theft of their files 
>(and photos)? [reference, recent McLean's article on universities in 
>Canada].

That was at the Carleton University physics department.  It certainly was
scary, but nothing came of it.  Some months ago four (male) professors
at Concordia (Montreal) were gunned down by one of their colleagues,
apparently over arguments about tenure. That too was tragic, but I still
don't feel that being a prof is a high-risk occupation, and I certainly
don't expect there to be a public campaign about violence against
professors. 

>As the job market gets tighter, and there are more successful women 
>who may be perceived as "taking my job [place in an engineering 
>class]", I do envision this kind of event recurring. :-(

I suppose it is possible, although I don't see the future quite that
darkly.  The tension that could lead to such actions would best be defused
by eliminating adverserial perceptions between the sexes.  It's not men
against women, or v.v.  We're all in this together.  I have felt that
the white ribbon campaign has emphasized the polarization.  Why is
Lepine's rampage a tragedy for *women*?  It's true that his victims were
all female, but am I not entitled to mourn for murdered students who
might have, except for accidents of geography, been in my classes?  Does
the fact that I share Lepine's gender make my grief inappropriate?
*Women's* vigils are held on the anniversary of the event.  Although I
have nothing in principle against women-only events, I don't think such
separatism is appropriate in this case.

>White ribbons to me don't 
>imply male culpability, they imply male concern with some men's violence 
>against women, and a commitment, however small, to make fighting 
>against intimidation like that of Lepine, or that of a bullying 
>husband, a part of their lives and reality. 

If I was clear that that was all it meant, I would probably wear one. 
But I have read too much rhetoric that suggested that the white ribbon
campaign was a "women's" event, (even to the extent of questioning
certain men's right to wear one), and the function of men's
participation was rather like parading captured enemy spies on TV.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>bickis@math.usask.ca<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Mik Bickis       \,,,       .*#*.  \    University of Saskatchewan
Department of        \,,,  ^\\|//^  ```\   Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Mathematics & Statistics \   )|(        ```\   Canada      S7N 0W0
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<S|A|S|K|A|T|C|H|E|W|A|N|>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



-- 
Post articles to soc.feminism, or send email to feminism@ncar.ucar.edu.
Questions and comments should be sent to feminism-request@ncar.ucar.edu.  This
newsgroup is moderated by several people, so please use the mail aliases. Your
article should be posted within several days.  Rejections notified by email.