Posted by Isis at d4155.dialup.cornell.edu on February 24, 2000 at 12:20:00:
In Reply to: Re: And this explains why you are my guru... posted by Mark Cowling on February 24, 2000 at 11:48:00:
If so you're pissing on the wrong fire hydrant. Martyrdom is all very well and good, but self-defense is certainly valid. That doesn't mean hate should be answered w/ hate, it just means that everyone has the right to defend themselves.
: : What I do suggest, is return what is received. If there's an attack made on your sexuality, well then by all rights make an equal attack back. Lorena Bobbitt may have frightened some males, but consider: *one* severed penis during 6000 years of patriarchal oppression & rape. At least Lorena concentrated her anger towards the object of her oppression.
: : If a man attempts to rape me, I won't kill him. But he won't ever be raping anyone again, I promise you that.
: Possibly. Or perhaps you'll be killed. At the very least you would spend months or years of your life in prison and deservedly so.
Possibly. If I take what I feel to be a righteous action I will gladly accept whatever consequences follow. Better that than to passively accept that I or any one of three women can be raped without consequences and that's just "the way the world is".
You may argue that the system will take care of it, but our whole social system is intricately tied into rape and violence to begin with. Do all the rapists in the world get what they deserve? No. The average sentence for a rapist is 2 years.
So if you expect martyrdom, man, you won't find it here. I'm no saint and I don't think if you were in my position you'd be disagreeing with quite such idealistic fervor.
: Can't you see how this would make you no better than him?
Not a bit. I don't intend to ever harm another human being in my lifetime and hopefully I will never be in that position. But if violent aggression targets me I'm going to turn it right back on its source. That doesn't mean I feel hatred or violence towards anyone, but will I defend myself if attacked? Certainly, with the exact same measure of intensity aimed at me, no more, no less. If someone attempts to rape me, I won't necessarily hate them: but I do love myself & my fellow women, and I will take appropriate actions to preserve what I love when challenged.
I'd rather that men be raised in our society with a proper degree of respect for their own sexuality & women's, but I'm not powerful enough to make that happen. Until it does, I reserve the right to protect myself.