As a Gorean and as someone interested in BDSM, I find myself sensitive to articles like this. After all, as a "kinky bastard" I do act violently against women in some ways. Of course what I do is consenual, and what the author is speaking about is non-consenual violence. Which should never be tolerated.
Although I largely agree with the author and his conclusions, I find myself in slight disagreement with the causes. In the article there are three key aspects of what the author calls male socialization that are the foundation of men's violence against women:
• Men viewing women as "less than;"
• Men treating women as property;
• Men viewing women as objects.
Not that I disagree with his conclusions, but is it society? This "Male Socialization"? Or something deeper, much more primitive? Something in our genetic code?
Again let me state that I'm not a sexist. A woman has every right to follow her hearts desire, should make as much money as a man and be given the same opportunities in education and life. They are not "less than" men....just different.
Yes it's that simple, woman are different. They think differently, act differently, have a different brain structure and function then men. That does not make them better or worse than us men, just different.
For millions of years we men and woman have acted in different ways according to our nature, men hunted the story goes....women stayed behind and cared for the children. When we tell a boy not to cry, we are basically saying to our old stone age selves "Don't cry and give our position away to the prey or another predator."
The hyper masculinity that same men feel is due to this ancient instinct. To hunt, to conquer. Men prove themselves to other men, and women through sport and combat. We wrestle, fight, play violent sports because we have an innate desire to became a strong hunter and provider. A strong hunter will not only provide meat, but hopefully bear strong offspring as well. In other words, women are separate...outside of that box because they are women. Our desires to mate with the strongest goes both ways....it's simple Darwinism in it's most simplest form.
You have sex with a woman, she bears a child from your seed. That child is yours, it looks like you. That woman then becomes yours too, since she bore your child and accepted your seed. If it seems simple that is because it is.
We see that patten again and again in the ancient world. The rules in Ancient Greece to Rome to Egypt. In Japan and China. The terms may change, marriage evolved and changed as the society became more modern but the rules and traditions of societies thousands of years ago can still be seen today. The modern wedding ring is directly related to the age old tradition of handfasting. A woman takes her husbands last name, because at one time she belonged to him; literally.
I'm sure that in the ancient world of Rome, Babylon and perhaps even before that the woman were seen as objects. Not that this is a bad thing, biology has created something wonderful called the woman to nurse and bear children. To be a joy and a comfort for a man. To be wonderful.
Sometimes objects are prized, cared for and yes, even loved. To be protected and respected.
Our societies may change, but no amount of history compared to the millions of years of evolution it took for us to develop the capacity to even talk about this. Violence against women should not happen, and again I want to stress that is should not be tolerated in either Second Life or the Real World.
We can educate ourselves and others as much as we like, but the primative mind...will take millions of years to change. Without understanding that...we are just spitting in the wind.
Of course this is just my opinions and semi-educated guesses. Hate mail can be directed to me here.
How to find a women's shelter.
Search Amazon.com for violence against women
