Hawaiilawyer: “ The image of the conqueror”

It was ever thus and still is. All over the world the would be male conquerors are still among us. Some call them revolutionaries some call them freedom fighters. Some are called warlords. Some are already world leaders. They are always there ready to rise up and take control if they feel they must for whatever reason.

They always regard women as part of the territorial prize as every male species on the planet does. This is the way they have been wired by nature, evolution, whatever.
It doesn’t change. When war comes man’s true nature comes out from behind the mask of polite society.

Womens liberation is fighting a losing battle if they think they can ever permanently change basic male instinct.

The one thing that has allowed women to gain a lot of ground is the fact that they fought for and won the vote and the male politicians have had to give them things they wanted to win elections

Without democracy there would be no womens liberation at all

Oh dear what a dreary article.

"There was a wave of feminism that rolled from the 60s and into the 80s that gave birth to the hope that violence would be reduced,"

So what went wrong with feminism's grand plan to reduce violence?

Firstly since Erin Pizzey opened the door the first refuge, the definition for domestic violence has been expanded to the point that almost any sort of human (male) behaviour can be classified as domestic violence.

Just perhaps violence is not as simple as the feminist model would have us believe and this has inhibited any real change in the levels of violence, except for one problem, murder rates in Australia and the US have been decreasing since at least the 1970's.

Interestingly the author comments on Women's magazines and the role they play. Myrna Blythe wrote the 'Spin Sisters' which is about how the editors of female magazines sell unhapiness to the women of America. Considering most of these magazines like Marie Claire are global this applies to other countries like Australia as well.

However like the editors of these magazines the author focuses on negativity, designed to create anxiety and fear.

It is predicted that the number of female billionaires and millionaires will outnumber males in I think the next 15 to 20 years. Mostly this will occur because they outlive their partners.

So while many women's super may not be as big as some men's, for women who remained married they will experience a nice windfall.

I feel so sad that so many men feel the need to vent their anger and express their inadequacy on OLO. Let me assure the author that there are many men who are not like the twisted tragics and antagonistic aggressors who feature on this forum.

Perhaps the intelligent men are ashamed to be seen in the company of the misogynists who inhabit OLO.

This article may be “dreary” but so are the lives of our youth.

I doubt the statistics given reflect the actual facts. No mention was made for example, of anal sex which is practiced by 12 -14 year olds as a passport to acceptance, a preventative against AIDS and STD’s and a way to preserve virginity.

Party games like “Rainbows” spread from porno movies; footie club rituals like “Soggy Sao” are passed down as rites of passage; ancient wisdom such as “No really means yes” “Men don’t cry” and “Give ‘em an inch an’ they’ll take a mile” are learned at backyard barbies; messages such as “Never trust a woman” and “Men are only out for one thing” get passed on by bitter and disillusioned parents, while the cult of violence is lauded by a society who passively accepts that might is right.

Our suicide rates for young men under 25 are the highest in the world, while the combined number of male/female suicide rates for the same age group exceeds the number of traffic fatalities. Yet while our road death toll is constantly referred to as “horrific” our suicide rates attract little attention.

Potentially fatal illnesses are referred to as “disorders” (as in eating disorders) despite the fact that any illness causing the same number of deaths would be categorized as pandemic. (compare for example the number of deaths through bird flu in Australia to the number of deaths from eating disorders).

I stood beside a woman in a supermarket one day who was complaining to her friend about the younger generation. She thanked God her own middle-class, Christian family who practiced old-fashioned values had produced two level-headed teenagers.

Yet two years before I had fetched her vomit-covered 14 year old from a suburban (parentally supervised) party where she had lost her virginity in public up against the back fence.

Maybe our own complacency is as big a threat to our children as anything else that is “out there”.

Many older Australians think kids are going to the dogs. Do they ever wonder who drove them there?

Leadership at Community levels is an extremely critical issue for women, especially in isolated rural areas - (such as) where I live, here in Cape York.

With my eye on the Mayorship - I tell you the battle has been against regional foul play, over previous years.

Unless there are safe-guards, outright support for women, woman in leadship will always be victim to all forms of abuse, and many leave.

a) Structural Systemic abuse is the worst. Silo-gangs being reproduced by visiting officals, who accommodate the views of a selected few (mostly men), make things extremely difficult.

The risk to "speak out" and even to report this level of "crime" over the years, has been phenomenal.

No department listens because it is not their problem.

Legal Aid is too far away and costly, without local mediation supports.

Professional Women (who ought to know better) can be (themselves) the worst offenders.

b) It takes a mighty effort to cut through the culture of violence and especially when you are like myself.... strong, critical, but against fighting violence with more violence.

c) Defamation, Vilification and Scape-goating is tolerated (by many) out of fear, as on-lookers become fearfully scared.

Without transparency, it is difficult for anyone to understand the causal elements, hence it is difficult for concerned locals themselves, to comprehend.

Apathy breeds more apathy in this climate.

4) While I have struggled through many local campaigns, in the end, it is about leadership.

To expose specific issues alone, is risky, and without more support...... things often remain consealed, because .... the reprecussions of exposure can be distruptive, impacting on the entire community... should the way it is handled, back-fire.

However, things at a local level, are improving.

With the Beattie Government allocating 3 Million Dollars today toward a Multi-Purpose Event Centre, I believe social cohesion within the region, will improve.

Our Council CEO Mr Mark Pitt has made a real difference to our local agenda, meaning, where there is some opportunity to communicate, there is also reason to press on.

Good leaders, no matter who they lobby for, are priceless!

http://www.miacat.com/

"Our suicide rates for young men under 25 are the highest in the world, while the combined number of male/female suicide rates for the same age group exceeds the number of traffic fatalities."

So what is causing this?

I have had discussions with two people who have worked in the coroners office and the thing which surprises me is they talk about the number of men 60+ who commit suicide.

90% of men in a group I had the privilege to listen too, admitted to have thoughts about driving their cars into trees.

So something is very badly wrong.

The author of this article uses three elements, sex, violence and money in a similar fashion to the editors of women's magazines. The very magazines she criticises.

For example a magazine can have two different spins on the same subject and in the same edition, one may be 'how to be hot in bed' and the other 'how to tell if you have been sexually abused.'

Daphne Patai uses the term 'inflammatory annalogies' as a technique used to manipulate our brains. Many people prefer not to think, but to respond emotively much like the lynch mob hysteria.

A decade ago I would not have agreed with what I am about to write.

My hypothesis is that our society has been so busy removing bounderies, that children raised without bounderies have failed to learn what acceptable and unacceptable behaviour is and subsequently as restrictions have been removed we start to get the 'Lord of the Flies' situation.

Oh Romany,

To my knowledge there has not been a single death in Australia attributed to the 'bird flu'.

No I am not saying that eating disorders are not a problem, because they are. However having listened and read there is an element missing which does not lend itself to being used as a political tool.