Comments on: Men’s Group Has Brilliant Idea

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Oh my god, does this mean they’ll start playing an active role in preventing pregnancies and start picking up their underwear off the bathroom floor?

By: sam

sam — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Knowing the listed litany of women murdered by their male partners is just the tip of the iceberg in this one community, in the state of Florida, in America, is a sickening, sobering thought.

By: Sylvanite

Sylvanite — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Right on, Sam. The brutality of the murders in just that short list was appalling. A machete? Jeez! Yeah, it really is past time that men start holding other men accountable for that sort of bullshit. I’m glad to hear about this men’s group. Just a bunch of grown-ups sitting around discussing the problems of life and how to handle stress and responsibility. I hope they don’t end up getting infected with “father’s rights” yahoos.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

“We always focus on the women,” he said.

I thought that was just Twisty being facetious, but then I read the article…

By: Josef K

Josef K — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Whoah, mamma. Next we’ll be hearing that the solution to road deaths is not to scare the bejeezus out of schoolchildren and force them to wear fluorescent clothing, but somethig crazy like teaching drivers to be more responsible.

By: laughingmuse

laughingmuse — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

It’s a good idea - it’s just disgusting that this whole concept - men being aware of and trying to be responsible about preventing violence against women - is so novel! What a shocker.

And sorry, I don’t think murdering a loved one and setting them on fire or hacking them to death is a “poor decision”, but is someone who believes women are somehow less, or their property. We need to revamp the psychological fabric backing of our society. Maybe men’s groups like this one talking about the problems in their communities, is a start.

By: Joolya

Joolya — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Just saw a PBS show about women emigrating to the US; there was a very depressing segment on Latin American women (in particularly a woman from Guatemala) who seek asylum in the US because their criminal justice system does absolutely nothing to protect women from domestic violence or punish abusers. It was awful. Fucking patriarchy.

By: Joolya

Joolya — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

Check this out: http://www.iavireport.org/Issues/Issue9-3/stephenlewis.asp
“absolute vindication of the feminist analysis”!

By: Joolya

Joolya — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

“I see very little change on the ground. There is little progress in building a legal infrastructure and getting laws in place to protect the property and inheritance rights of women. It moves from inertia to paralysis. We need the toughest laws imaginable against sexual violence and marital rape, and we need ways to enforce them. We need to encourage the social empowerment of women, whether itâ€™s putting girls in school or starting income-generating projects. But I just canâ€™t get over how slowly this is happening. What we have is an absolute vindication of the feminist analysis: when youâ€™re dealing with the inability of men to relinquish power and authority, then you are in real trouble. ”

Steven Lewis on women with HIV in Africa.

By: MsKate

MsKate — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 17:00:00 +0000

The father’s rights yahoos do have a point: men are more than sperm donors and wallets and the courts really need to change in that regard.

I had friends who racked up major legal bills in an amicable divorce where they agreed on how to divide property, childrearing, and child support because the dumbass idiot judges just didn’t get how a father could contribute less money and more time to the equation - or why he would want to! Judge Jerkweed even berated the male partner for not “moving on” by severing all but financial ties with his kids! Never mind that the separating couple agreed to do things in a way that preserved their family while splitting their union - it didn’t fit the 1950’s formula and thus took much wrangling to get it through.

Insofar as fathers are willing to take responsibility for their children and divorces and request equitable human rights, I’m with the yahoos, I’m afraid. The rigidly proscribed roles in divorce are a big part of the patriarchy, and they are fighting it. If the family courts would get with the program, the wacko elements in the father’s rights movement would lose traction fast!