From: kendall@adobe.com (Janice Kendall)
Subject: Re: Petition on Gender Violence
Followup-To: soc.women
Organization: Adobe
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 00:15:46 GMT

In article <MATT.92Apr16105534@physics1.berkeley.edu> matt@physics.berkeley.edu writes:
>In article <1992Apr16.164440.20601@watserv1.waterloo.edu> lstewart@watserv1.waterloo.edu (L. Stewart -- IS      Office 1058) writes:
>
>> >In article <1992Apr13.173624.1@mdcbbs.com> rivero@mdcbbs.com writes:
>> >
>> >)  I cannot sign this petition, even though I am opposed to violence against
>> >)women, on the grounds that this petition, as written, addresses violence 
>> >)against women to the exclusion of violence directed against men.
>> >Ditto.
>> and ditto
>
>Since so many men are tripping over each other to agree with this
>sentiment, I suppose at least *one* man ought to say that he thinks
>it's silly.
>
>I didn't sign the petition in question, because I didn't see it.  If I
>do see it, I suppose I probably will sign it---and if I don't, it
>certainly won't be because of this non-issue.
>
>Yes, I think that violence against men is a Bad Thing.  (I'm
>especially horrified by the terrible violence that black men and boys
>have to endure in some large cities.)  I also think that the erosion
>of 8th Amendment rights is a Bad Thing, as is inadequate funding of
>education, nuclear proliferation, and deforestation.  Opposing a
>group that is working to stop violence against women because it
>isn't simultaneously working on a different goal is at best foolish,
>and at worst the sign of a hidden agenda.
>
>(And yes, I do believe that we are talking about different goals.  Not
>all violence is the same: a date rape is different from a drive-by
>shooting.  Predatory behavior against women occurs in our society for
>specific reasons, and ending it will require actions and societal
>changes that recognize its distinct nature.  If we restrict ourselves
                                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>to homilies against all violence, we'll never get anywhere.)
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>--
>Matthew Austern              I dreamt I was being followed by a roving band of
>(510) 644-2618               of young Republicans, all wearing the same suit,
>matt@physics.berkeley.edu    taunting me and shouting, "Politically correct
>austern@theorm.lbl.gov       multiculturist scum!"... They were going to make
>austern@lbl.bitnet	     me kiss Jesse Helms's picture when I woke up.


 Yes, I think that's the point exactly.  Thank you, Matthew.   
 (Predatory behavior occurs against women all over the world.)

 Many times women have taken a back seat to global issues and never 
 see their issues addressed.  Women wait until they take the issue
 into their own hands.

 I think about how it is that women have depended on men to protect 
 us from men.  Maybe this petition is a start at women depending
 on women.

 (Yes, women can be violent.  I would think, though, if the number of
  violent men were reduced to exactly match the number of violent women,
  this would be a much more pleasant world to live in.)
   
 Janice Kendall

        "Giving power and money to the government is like giving 
         whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."  

		- P.J. O'Rourke, former gulf war correspondant, summing
		up what he learned during two years of research on how
		our government functions.