The Culture of Rape

The Nation today published an article online entitled, "The Verdict: Steubenville Shows the Bond Between Jock Culture and Rape Culture," by Dave Zirin.  Much of the response to the article was debate as to whether the term, "rape culture" is appropriate.  I believe it is. One of the definitions of "culture" is: "... the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture etc." (Dictionary.com) There is an environment where rape, if not actually encouraged, is certainly not discouraged. It IS intentionally overlooked. Athletics promotes that kind of setting in the sense that athletes, at any level, are so highly valued they get a pass on behavior which would be discouraged or seen as criminal when perpetrated by almost anyone else.

 Another category for which this is true is clergy. It is so because they are viewed as authority figures and many people look up to them. In general, it is assumed that clergy are virtuous and therefore incapable of pedophilia or rape, etc. One only has to look at the problems in the Roman Catholic Church to see the fallacy. 


 It is easy to assume clergy are not vulnerable to foibles and sins for two reasons: First, historically, clergy have been seen as moral examples. In the not too distant past, clergy actually tried to live up to that expectation. Secondly, clergy have been and still are, seen to be authority figures. Trust is placed in them because they are in positions of power AND presumed to be moral examples.

 It is shocking, indeed a real travesty, when that sort of position of power is abused whether by clergy or anyone else.To elevate any group of people, athletes, movie stars, entertainers, etc is a huge mistake because they are all human beings and cannot or will not live up to expectations. To fail to realize that fact is to set up the conditions in which abuse and rape can flourish; abusers and rapists will take advantage of any opening. 

To allow an environment where authority or power or idol worship is predominant is actually setting up a culture. The second definition of "culture" is for the verb form; "to cultivate." In biology culture means "to grow (microorganisms, tissues, etc.) in or on a controlled or defined medium" (Dictionary.com).  There are, clearly, environments in which abuse and rape are cultivated in a controlled or defined medium. In that sense, the term, "rape culture" is very apt. 

As we have seen with the Steubenville case, the culture of abuse and rape is real and abuse and or rape happens far too frequently. Just ask the former altar boys who were sexually abused by priests, or girls/women who are overpowered or drugged by  athletes or the young victims of Jerry Sandusky. Ask them how real that culture is.

 I know how easily that kind of abuse of power can occur as I was raped while in seminary by an older student in his last year. I wrongly assumed that he was being pastoral when he offered to show me scripture to help me with a dilemma I was facing. He showed me scripture alright, then raped me, taking full advantage of both my naivete and trust. When telling a professor of  Pastoral Counseling about  the rape, I was told that it was my responsibility. Then the professor broke confidentiality and told the Dean. I was called in and told to "keep quiet or I would lose [my] career."  The atmosphere in this Dallas, TX seminary was a prime setting for rape. The student rapist used his position of presumed authority as a way of controlling me. It was both psychological control and physically overpowering. It was ideal for him because no one would believe that anyone in the seminary community would ever do such a thing. And very few did. Then the hierarchy was ready and willing to cover up the rape and they let him graduate, no punishment at all. The seminary was definitely a "rape culture".

The problem in all these cases is that the general public or surrounding community refuses to believe the accuser and the accuser is often, if not always, blamed. "She must have asked for it. She dressed like a whore". The fact is that NO ONE deserves to be abused or attacked - EVER. The atmosphere or culture where that kind of thinking is prevalent needs to be changed.

Rape Culture, USA

A great deal of attention has been paid, as of late, to the so-called "rape culture" in India. Many women have been raped and killed with accusers being labeled and shamed. Many rape victims commit suicide rather than live with the perceived shame.

I hate to say that the situation is not all that much better in the United States. Two stories ("Sex Assault Rarely Punished In Military, Victims Say"; R. Norman Moody, Florida Today and the Steubenville rape case) recount the atrocities that occur because our culture has refused to admit there is a problem with star athletes and military personnel (and others). Too often men are given a free pass for sexual assault because they are seen to be heroes or stars. Women who have been assaulted are presumed to be liars and degraded or harassed if they have the courage to report the crime. They are regarded as the perpetrators, not the men who raped them..

In the Steubenville, Ohio case, two male high school athletes were found guilty of sexual assault ONLY because the hacktivist  group Anonymous found texts and pictures and video and exposed the crime. Though it is apparent that many people in the Steubenville community knew of the attack, there is a good chance that no one would have pressed the issue if it wasn't for Anonymous. Even then, the community is deeply divided . I wonder if the victim will continue to be victimized by the community? My bet would be, yes, she will be hounded and derided and blamed. It is very wrong but it happens

In the case of women in the military who have been sexually assaulted, it has, historically, been extremely difficult for them to report and then to be taken seriously. In fact, many, if not most, have been harassed and persecuted. Many women have not reported the assault for this very reason.

It is this entitlement atmosphere that permits rape to occur. The two convicted young men in Steubenville undoubtedly thought they were safe because of their status as football players. Military personnel likewise think if they make life as difficult as possible for the assaulted women they will not report the rape and, historically, they have been correct. Only now is this travesty getting attention and action in the military and from Congress.  The question is, will attention translate into action and will assault victims ever get the justice they deserve? Thankfully, the assault victim in the Steubenville case seems to have prevailed in the justice system. It shouldn't have taken Anonymous to bring the assault to light so that justice COULD  be served.

When will women, worldwide, be safe? When will women and girls stop being trafficked worldwide and when will the rape culture be dismantled?

 UPDATE : Apparently the answer is: not now.  When reporting on the verdict in the Steubenville trial CNN couldn't restrain their sympathy with the convicted rapists: 

[CNN Anchor] "I cannot imagine having just watched this on the feed coming in. How emotional that must have been sitting in the courtroom." 

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "I’ve never experienced anything like it, Candy. It was incredibly emotional — incredibly difficult even for an outsider like me to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believe their life fell apart..." (Quoted from:  PoliticsUSA, Jason Easley)

Jason Easley (PoliticsUSA) continued, "CNN was sure to mention the impact of the verdict on the two football players, but they didn’t mention that the victim had her life ruined too. As the victim of a violent sexual attack, she will potentially carry trauma and injuries with her the rest of her life...

I wish I could say that this was a CNN only problem, but the blame the victim culture being perpetuated by the media and the Republican Party has created an epidemic. It would have been appropriate for CNN to mention that this was a sad and troubling case all the way around, but the network’s sympathy for convicted rapists while never mentioning the victim was inappropriate and disgusting."        http://www.politicususa.com/cnn-reports-steubenville-verdict-disgusting-pro-rapist-bias.html  
 
CNN is not unique, unfortunately. Our culture too often sides with the rapist and blames the victim. "She was just asking for it." Wrong. No one ever asks to be raped. Our culture needs to change and now.

Cause and Effect

"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members." -Gandhi

 If Gandhi is correct then the Koch Brothers, the Tea Party and the GOP have achieved: debasement, degradation, derision, disgrace and dishonor, all the opposites of greatness.  They have actually SOUGHT austerity in this country and applauded when sequestration took effect. 

 "In an email, Koch brothers’ front group, Americans for Prosperity (AFP), sent congratulations to Republicans and their supporters around the country for helping push sequester cuts AFP says are “an important step forward for economic growth.” The email continued, “Americans for Prosperity thanks Speaker John Boehner and House Republicans for standing up to President Obama and making sure the $85 billion in much-needed sequester spending cuts took effect,” and it proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Koch brothers and Republicans own the sequester and are giddy at the prospect of a recession and killing millions of jobs." (Rmuse, The Koch Brothers Take Credit for Imposing Economic Hardship on Millions of Americans, in Politicususa, March 4, 2013) 

The Koch brothers and their ilk are trying their best to bring about the same decimation of the economy via austerity as in Europe. The misery, the hardship on the people, especially the poor, is intentional. The more misery for the 99% the greater the wealth for the 1%. As Rmuse describes,

 "Republicans won the austerity battle, and Americans will now know what it feels like to live in “socialist Europe” that imposed austerity, massive unemployment, negative growth, double and triple-dip recessions, and no hope for recovery anytime soon."

What these modern day "robber barons" do not realize (or  care about)  is the spiritual price they pay and will continue to pay  for their arrogance, greed and disregard for the welfare of the weakest in our land. 

 "Shame on you! you who make unjust laws and publish burdensome decrees, depriving the poor of justice, robbing the weakest of my people of their rights, despoiling the widow and plundering the orphan. What will you do when called to account..." (Isaiah 10: 1-3b NEB)

What WILL they do when called into account, and they will be one of these days.  It is inevitable. It is a spiritual truth and it is a law of physics: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." The equal and opposite reaction in this case is yet unknown, though history tends to point to rebellion or revolution.  Regardless, it has to happen, it cannot be averted. Call it what you will; God's judgement or a law of physics, the actions of the 1% will catch up with them.

The Tea Party, the Republicans and the Koch Brothers have all made their austerity bed and now they must lie in it.

A Call To Action

This week we have seen at least two appalling displays by the Radical Right. The GOP in the House and Senate have blocked solutions to the looming sequester, all because they want to protect their wealthy masters. Then, Antonin Scalia, upon hearing arguments about whether the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ought to be applied in an Alabama county, said that renewing the Act was "A perpetuation of racial entitlement."  It was such a blatant display of ignorance and racism that gasps could be heard in the courtroom.

Clearly, Justices Scalia and Thomas need to be booted from the Supreme Court but there is really no way to accomplish that. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court is the only unchecked branch of government. That really ought to be changed with a constitutional amendment but it will probably never happen.

The radical right wing court and the radical right G.O.P. make me less than hopeful for the future of this country. They do not care about actually serving THE PEOPLE (except the very few richest people and corporations).  

There comes a time when the people of the country need to step up and demand change. We have a long tradition of doing just that starting with the American Revolution, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Suffragettes, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and the protests against the Vietnam War. We are a people who stand up to injustice. Now is the time to do so again. The injustices we face are from the tyranny of the right. Now they attack all of the rights we fought for throughout our history.

In addition to the attacks on the Voting Rights Act, itself,  the radical right, in the guise of ALEC (The American Legislative Exchange Council,)  have crafted legislation to make voting harder, if not impossible for the people of color, the elderly and students - all of whom traditionally vote Democratic.  

They would also have us under the thumb of mega corporations just as the colonists were under the thumb of the East India Trade Company: 

"...the British trading company that faced ruin which was the reason parliament to pass the tea act, removing most taxes and bypassing colonial merchants, giving the British owned company an unfair advantage since they could sell their tea much cheaper than the colonial merchants, causing protests and the Boston tea party."  (Quizlet.com) 

If that sounds familiar that's because some things keep rearing their ugly heads. Just as the British Parliament gave The East India Trade Company monopolies to keep it from going under, so we have the US Government giving huge bailouts to our biggest banks. 

Then there are the attacks on women, particularly our right to govern our own bodies and our access to health care.  State after state (with the encouragement of ALEC) have attempted to pass or actually passed laws which make getting a safe and legal abortion almost impossible.  The most notorious of these being those which require a women seeking an abortion to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound, which essentially amounts to state sponsored rape with a foreign object (see Think Progress: http://bit.ly/UHD9tZ).   And on and on it goes.

If we sit back and continue to allow these injustices now, it will soon get worse. Already they have started attacks on trade unions because unions give employees a collective voice. For the radical right it is all about money and power and unions give their members power in the workplace. They also mean higher wages and better benefits: 

• Unions raise wages of unionized workers by roughly 20% and raise compensation, including both wages and benefits, by about 28%.
• Unions reduce wage inequality because they raise wages more for low- and middle-wage workers than for higher-wage workers, more for blue-collar than for white-collar workers, and more for workers who do not have a college degree.
• Strong unions set a pay standard that nonunion employers follow. For example, a high school graduate whose workplace is not unionized but whose industry is 25% unionized is paid 5% more than similar workers in less unionized industries.
• The impact of unions on total nonunion wages is almost as large as the impact on total union wages.
• The most sweeping advantage for unionized workers is in fringe benefits. Unionized workers are more likely than their nonunionized counterparts to receive paid leave, are approximately 18% to 28% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance, and are 23% to 54% more likely to be in employer-provided pension plans.
• Unionized workers receive more generous health benefits than nonunionized workers. They also pay 18% lower health care deductibles and a smaller share of the costs for family coverage. In retirement, unionized workers are 24% more likely to be covered by health insurance paid for by their employer.
• Unionized workers receive better pension plans. Not only are they more likely to have a guaranteed benefit in retirement, their employers contribute 28% more toward pensions.
• Unionized workers receive 26% more vacation time and 14% more total paid leave (vacations and holidays).  (Economic Policy Institute: http://bit.ly/pW3UdF)

For obvious reasons, many employers would rather not have a unionized workplace. ALEC helps them in their union preventing and union busting ways.  

What we, the people, need to understand is that all these struggles are one. When we fight for justice for one we fight for all. And fight we must, for women, for children, for the poor, the elderly, minorities and the unions. When we fight for them we fight for ourselves and for the country. Now is the time to act. 

 

Voting Rights Under Attack

The Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are hearing arguments in a case that could see them overturn the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The case  involves a law suit by Shelby County, Alabama arguing that the Voting Rights Act's monitoring requirement is both unnecessary and burdensome.

The Court appears to be divided with the conservative majority ready to overturn the key provisions in the landmark Voting Rights Act, which requires monitoring of states and localities with a history of racial discrimination. Justice Antonin Scalia called the law a “perpetuation of racial entitlement.” According to Think Progress' Flatow and Millhiser: "His inflammatory claim that the Voting Rights Act is a 'perpetuation of racial entitlement' came close to the end of a long statement on why he found a landmark law preventing race discrimination in voting to be suspicious." (TP Justice)

These comments by Scalia should not be surprising given his past rulings, including Citizens United, but somehow, they seem over the top even for him. Clearly Alabama has a long history of racial discrimination and racism which has, by no means, disappeared either in Alabama or anywhere else in the deep south. It should be self-evident that Shelby County's suit stems directly from its racist past. Why is the Voting Rights Act a "burden"? If it is burdensome to guarantee EVERYONE the right to vote, then there is a problem with the attitudes of those in charge of the voting process. What could that problem be? One only has to look at the history of the county which was placed under the watchful eye of the Justice Department for a reason: racial discrimination. It would be nice to think Shelby County was not being disingenuous by saying the law was unnecessary but, sadly, they clearly are.

It doesn't seem like an accident that this move towards striking down the Voting Rights Act coincides with the most widespread attempt to disenfranchise voters since Jim Crow laws. The radical right in this country, represented by ALEC, are constructing and writing laws all over the country which make it more difficult for people who are traditionally Democratic to vote. Those people tend to be people of color, the elderly and youth. It is no coincidence that all these laws are aimed primarily at this demographic.

One wonders whether this plot (yes, plot) to make it harder to vote for minorities, the elderly, poor and youth are simply political maneuverings aimed at disenfranchising people who are Democrats or if it is more nefarious, based in racism, sexism and hatred of people who are poor or elderly. Most likely is all of the above and more. The 1% are REALLY out to get you. It is not paranoia. They want what they want (everything) when they want it (now).

Antonin Scalia is a manifestation of that but a really dangerous one. He is in a position of power essentially unchecked by any other branch of government. The only way to overturn a decision by the Supreme Court is by constitutional amendment, which is extraordinarily difficult. We also cannot possibly get constitutional amendments passed for every bad decision this conservative, activist Court makes. That is especially true when the Tea Party-G.O.P. has control of the US House of Representatives. It is essential, then, for the "99%" to organize. Collective action is the only way to take on this attack by the radical right and their masters.

 To overturn the Voting Rights Act would mean that not only would Democrats lose almost every election from then on but that people of color, the poor, the elderly and women would be voiceless once again. We cannot allow that to happen.

A Hand Up

A Hand Up 

by Cherie Boeneman

Life is unlimited.

Your world expands with the generosity, compassion,

inventiveness, and service that you contribute.

Money that is spent or given away returns multiplied.

The more love that is given, the more love returns.

The more a helping hand is given, the more hands

are strengthened and empowered to help.

We can help each other to all be winners.

We can all have food, and jobs, and love, and happiness.

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I had been unemployed for three years with no hope in sight of ever finding a job. Then I saw a notice for a 12 week fellowship with Organizing For America, the organizing arm of the Obama campaign. I filled out an application and several days later received a call from the county field director. I accepted the unpaid position on the spot. I received excellent training and started organizing right away. I met with people one-on-one and recruited them to be volunteers on the campaign. Then we set up a neighborhood team. That team would go on to branch off a new team, and so forth. I made hundreds, if not thousands, of phone calls, registered voters and led a canvass. Suddenly, my self-confidence was back; it made all the difference in  the world. I wish I could say that I found work because of my experience but that isn’t the case. However, I can say that I learned a great deal about myself and how to relate (or not relate) to other people. What I learned mostly was that I have difficulty figuring people out. I cannot read people well. That causes problems for me but at least I know it now. So what about others like me?  Can there not be a program where internships are established for those who have challenges?

I know that most internships are about giving bright young people hands-on experience (and providing cheap labor) but what if there was a model for internships set up and designed for people (of all ages) who have been overlooked for various reasons even though they are ALSO bright and talented? Yes, it would take more work but people with Asperger's could be writers or IT in an office or do research. Many people with Asperger's Syndrome  or otherwise on are chronically underemployed or unemployed. It would be well worth the extra effort to design an internship for an individual with AS or on the Autism Spectrum as the hand up it gives could do wonders for the person and help the person's prospects for employment, thus reducing the overall cost to society.

While setting up internships for those who are capable, on the higher end of the Autism Spectrum could be a way to reduce that burden to them and to society the same might be true with other forms of disability. It might also be useful for those workers who have been unemployed for a long time through no fault of their own. Many people simply need a hand up, not a hand-out.

Is there ANYONE out there with an interest in a project like this?

Who Gets To Cut The Pie?

I have been watching the partisan dickering and whining that has surrounded the sequestration and the budget deficit. It has been anything but uplifting and has brought out the very worst in people.

In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, Speaker Boehner said, "Most Americans are just hearing about this Washington creation for the first time: the sequester," Boehner writes. "What they might not realize from Obama's statements is that it is a product of the president's own failed leadership."

For his part, President Obama said this: "Republicans in Congress face a simple choice. Are they willing to compromise to protect vital investments in education and health care and national security and all the jobs that depend on them? Or would they rather put hundreds of thousands of jobs and our entire economy at risk just to protect a few special interest tax loopholes that benefit only the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations?"

What we have in front of us should be a television game show but it is not: The Blame Game.  In game shows there are always winners and always losers. In this game the biggest losers are the American People who are on the sidelines wondering whether and how we can shed the weight of political grandstanding on the bloated deficit largely created by a GOP Congress and President. 

How SHOULD we be approaching the looming budget cuts? The answer is probably not as simple or cut and dry as either the President or Speaker Boehner would have us believe. Yes, spending has to be cut but how, where and how much? Would it be fairest to cut the projected spending by and equal percentage to each sector's share of the budget? For instance, Defense is projected to have a 14% share of Federal spending. They then would be required to trim 14% of their budget. I realize this is simplistic and probably untenable but a concerted effort by the GOP and the President to think "outside the box" is required at this juncture. It is possible to cut "fat" in each sector's share of spending, to hunt down and get rid of inefficient use of funds. No more $600 toilet seats. The reality is that won't be enough and cutting will need to include "meat" as well as "fat."  That also will not be enough and an increase in revenue will re required. How do we cut and how do we raise revenue?

First of all, we need to agree on the problem. It is actually not required that the source of the problem be identified, just define the problem itself. Should we rely on EITHER Congress or the President to define the problem and come up with the solution? Maybe we need a mediator or why not bring in a bi-partisan (or non-partisan) panel of citizens? To bring in experts from outside the Beltway would relieve both sides from taking the "fall" for the situation and could actually succeed in coming up with good solutions. Maybe if the American People are actually included in the discussion and decision making we could get beyond political posturing. It would be the political equivalent of mom or dad stepping between two squabbling siblings. Maybe it is time for the People to shout, "Enough!"