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Take Back the Night newspaper editorials and articles, 1982
To the Editor: "Support for rally"
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DI - well after the rally Support for the rally To the editor: Liz Bird's articles "was the Rally a Missed Opportunity" raises a lot of questions, but I'm only going to focus on one aspect (DI. Oct 29). Her criticism amounts to: she didn't like the rally because some journalists didn't like it. progressive. not so progressive and reactionary men didn't like it, and some women didn't like it because they were afraid some men wouldn't like it. One can reduce her argument to one simple sentences. Men didn't like the rally. Men were asked to not come for two major reasons. A rapist might show up. The effect of a woman seeing her rapist at the rally could be, to say the least, very upsetting. Second, men have traditionally been both the knight in white armor ready to save the damsel in distress and also the rapist. There are not enough white knights. Men's role in the perpetuation of rape, aside from those who rape, has been to protect women - regardless of the women's wishes. Men need to stop assuming women are powerless and give them space to learn how to defend themselves and count on each other for protection. Men need to learn what support is and what it is not. Support is when you offer your help to someone with the following realization: They can refuse it and that's okay because some things one must do one's self - support is support only if the person wants it. Knowing what it is like to be raped is something beyond most men's comprehension Sexism is not just bad thoughts about women running around one head that can be flushed down the toilet resulting in a a pure nonsexist man. Sexism is an institution. Women bear the brunt of it and their opinions on how to deal with it should carry considerable weight. John H. Riley 914 S. Dubuque St.
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DI - well after the rally Support for the rally To the editor: Liz Bird's articles "was the Rally a Missed Opportunity" raises a lot of questions, but I'm only going to focus on one aspect (DI. Oct 29). Her criticism amounts to: she didn't like the rally because some journalists didn't like it. progressive. not so progressive and reactionary men didn't like it, and some women didn't like it because they were afraid some men wouldn't like it. One can reduce her argument to one simple sentences. Men didn't like the rally. Men were asked to not come for two major reasons. A rapist might show up. The effect of a woman seeing her rapist at the rally could be, to say the least, very upsetting. Second, men have traditionally been both the knight in white armor ready to save the damsel in distress and also the rapist. There are not enough white knights. Men's role in the perpetuation of rape, aside from those who rape, has been to protect women - regardless of the women's wishes. Men need to stop assuming women are powerless and give them space to learn how to defend themselves and count on each other for protection. Men need to learn what support is and what it is not. Support is when you offer your help to someone with the following realization: They can refuse it and that's okay because some things one must do one's self - support is support only if the person wants it. Knowing what it is like to be raped is something beyond most men's comprehension Sexism is not just bad thoughts about women running around one head that can be flushed down the toilet resulting in a a pure nonsexist man. Sexism is an institution. Women bear the brunt of it and their opinions on how to deal with it should carry considerable weight. John H. Riley 914 S. Dubuque St.
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