This is the anxiety that I feel whenever Kristen leaves to go to one of the hospitals in the Butler county area to act as a rape crisis advocate. Every few weeks Kristen will have a 12 hour on call shift for the community counselling and crisis center. She'll receive a call that someone has gone into a hospital after being raped and she and another advocate will drive to the hospital. Meanwhle, before she leaves I usually give her a hug and remind her that she's brave and important. This arose out of a desire to encourage Kristen and to calm my nervous energy. If she's out practicing or spending time with friends I'm fine and not nervous. But when she takes a call I get anxious for her. A large part of my anxiety stems from the fact that I have no idea when she will be home (or at least that's where I think it's coming from).
The community counselling and crisis center (and most counselling and crisis centers) exist as a direct result of feminist action in the seventies before feminism got sucked into the mainstream and then confused. Radical feminists argue that the world propagates a culture of oppressive violence towards women in order to maintain rigid structures of patriarchy. There is a fair amount of evidence that they have identified a large part of the problem in their perspective. Whether it is physical, mental, or social violence targeted at women it is structured, whether intentionally or not, in such a manner that women are relegated to second class status.
Before radical feminists began getting active in law, rape was not defined as a violent crime. While the present model frequently only acknowledges rape in which a women is also beat nearly to death it also recognizes the coercive measures involved. For a long time, Psychiatry diagnosed (and still does) many rape victims with Borderline Personality Disorder, Masochistic Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder (a new name for Hysteria, and you thought we were past that). In the courtroom these "mental illnesses" tend to be used to excuse the perpetrator. In the case of BPD women are classified as promiscuous and slutty, for that reason. In the case of MPD the woman is at fault because she unconsciously enjoys the pain of being raped. And, with Histrionic Personality Disorder she is accused of behaving in seductive ways in order to gain attention or power and was, thus, asking for it. All of the personality disorders are, essentially, condemnations of clients. They say, "you're personality is so messed up that we would have to change who you are, fundamentally, to succeed in helping you!" These are often frustrated, angry, and hateful diagnoses of clients who are unwilling to accept that normal is bearing the social yoke that has been strapped upon them.
Being a Baha'i as much as a feminist means standing up to the archaic and crumbling edifices that constitute an old world order and, in the math of their destruction, preparing the soon to be homeless for a world that will not tolerate the prejudices and oppressiveness of the old power structure. Rather than leaving people to drift and simply repeat the cycle, it is necessary to establish a new culture of peace, acceptance, learning, and communication (not to mention love).
Posted by Mendon at February 5, 2006 1:09 PMEach generation of Baha'i faces their own realities in new ways as well as sensing strong emotions about the needs of change in humanity. I say Baha'i as it implies a moral, ethicalness which humanity must have in order to redefine principles of living in modern day societies. The universality of its teachings is so clear and positive, one needs share them with authoritarians, professionals in varying social specialties, and our neighbors. As we learn what norms we are basing our assessments on, we are also comparing them with what we experience. Justice is a motivation for change. So too is love for our fellow humans. Mercy forgives former mistakes while principle guides new establishments of new standards and norms in dealing with all aspects of human behavior. Education informs, learning combines knowledge with experience. And wisdom implies making the right choices form these experiential activities. The wisdom of the ages in these days is far too slow a process to bring forth change. Perhaps we mercifully will gain new wisdom for this new age, from our universal roots, in order that we may effect change ever faster than before. Hopefully we may have the well-being of humanity and the planet as our real goal. The newly developing world culture will demand it. Have we the vision to perceive and pursue it individually at first. Collectively, tomorrow. Gender issues will be the strong basis for most of it's establishment.
Posted by: papa at February 5, 2006 3:56 PMI couldn't agree with you more, Papa.
Posted by: Mendon at February 6, 2006 12:18 AM