USA
Deep seated rape culture is everywhere in the world and not only in India.
Once again, our patriarchal societies has taken to slut-shaming women
who are victims of sexual violence in order to defend the rights of men.
Feminist and social activists note that male violence is one of the
ways in which a patriarchy affirms and perpetuates itself.
In
this case race offers the perfect sort of screen to have another drama
that everybody could be linked to. Think about the OJ SImpson case and
the brutal murder of Nicole Brown Simpson that was eclipsed by race
issues.
Part of what patriarchy does to reaffirm itself, is make
us all identify with men who are violent, portraying them as potential
heroes. And unfortunately, also many narrow-minded women participate in
this 'slut-shaming'...
Halifax lawyer Lyle Howe was found guilty on May 31 of
sexually assaulting a Halifax woman. A Facebook page set up to defend
Howe contains derogatory comments about the woman he was convicted of
assaulting. Such comments, writes journalist Brett Bundale, are
symptomatic of our patriarchal society’s defence of sexual violence.
(CHRISTIAN LAFORCE/Staff)
