From: goid@zooid.guild.ORG (Will Steeves)
Subject: More on - Why I will not not be wearing a white ribbon...
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Date: 2 Jan 93 05:19:51 GMT

matt%physics.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Matt Austern) writes...
MA> In article <1finkqINN1un@agate.berkeley.edu> celeste%express@freedom.msfc.na
MA> .gov (Celeste) writes:

MA> > The more I study the physicalogical differeneces between men
MA> > and women the more I see the connection between testosteron levels
MA> > and violence. There is a corralation between levels of
MA> > violence and testosteron. The XYY male has the highest testosteron
MA> > levels and is the most violent.

MA> I think that we ought to be very skeptical of claims like this-

MA> And more specifically: I do not believe that there is anything in male
MA> genes which forces men to be violent.  We live in a society in which
                                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
MA> male violence---particularly against women---is tolerated.  Our task
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
MA> should be to change that.


Indeed, this *is* a problem, but I refer the reader to the growing number of
studies indicating that violence by women against men is not the "statistical
anomaly" that many in the women's movement have considered it.  Indeed, to
illustrate just one instance of this, I refer the reader to a letter to the
Editor of the University of Toronto _Varsity_, written by a member of the
U. of T.'s International Socialists, replying to In Search Of Justice's "Men
Commit Violence - So Do Women" posters, by saying that violence by women
towards men is "surely a statistical anomaly" (if I botched his exact words,
I apologise, though they do convey his beliefs.

This is why I consider it unfair to speak of society's "tolerance of male
violence," as though seemingly it is the only kind of violence.

Considering *this*, and the non-existence of men's shelters (not to mention
the insulting comments that advocates of men's shelters frequently receive),
it would seem that we not only live in a society where male violence is
tolerated, but we also live in a society where female violence against men
is not only tolerated, but more or less ignored.

I do not blame many women's groups for considering this issue to run counter
to their objectives. (I refer the reader to, among other things, the
Canadian talk show _Shirley_, where the discussion had been on husband abuse.
A representative of a women's shelter called the issue of husband abuse "a
white elephant," and stating that it takes attention from "the real issue of
men's violence against women" - and was booed by the audience for doing so!).
However, I *do* blame the rather selfish attitude displayed by some groups
who believe that this issue should be ignored in order to make sure that their
own issues, which are indeed important, though not the only issues, are the
only issues seen by the public.

Surely though, if their objective truly is to eliminate *all* violence, then
this attention to men as the only sources of violence does not truly serve
this objective.

---
Will Steeves, goid@zooid.guild.org                      "Neil Hull is GOiD"
ZOOiD BBS, Toronto, Ontario - The Zoo Of Ids            "GOiDS Rule"
(416) 322-7876

"Cthulhu for President in '92 - Why vote for the _lesser_ of two evils?"
                                                               - Bronis Vidugiri
---
* SLMR 2.1a * My other car is a Galaxy Class starship.

 * SLMR 2.1a * Saddam Hussein still has his job.  Do you?

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