Sexism begins at birth, well not exactly.

When there are two siblings of opposite gender, regardless of which child begins the fight, argument, The child who usually gets into trouble and the blame will be the male child, even when the male child is the second child. Research support this.

A few years ago, I read a story where at a school, the freezer broke down and the Lunch ladies gave away the ice cream to the children. The girls were each given an ice cream, and then the lunch ladies threw the remaining ice creams to the boys, making them (the boys) scramble to get one.

>Teen romanceDreamstimeIf two people are equally unable to give
> consent, but have sex anyway, should either be charged with a
>crime? It's a question that many college administrators wrestle with
> when drugs and alcohol are factors in sexual assault disputes. The
>verdict often seems to be that male students are uniquely
>responsible for ascertaining that their sexual partners are in a
> state of mind to consent, even when the female is the initiator and
> both are intoxicated.

http://reason.com/blog/2015/03/10/two-teens-have-sex-neither-could-legally#.wcdtog:oZyG

Craig Minns et al

I am not sure where you live, but if you live in Victoria, there is an opportunity to make a submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence

The Commission will inquire into and provide practical recommendations on how Victoria's response to family violence can be improved.

If you have ideas on how things can be improved, this seems to me a good place to start.

http://www.rcfv.com.au/

It's good to know that there is some interest in examining the topic, but unfortunately, what is likely to happen is that the submissions will be dominated by a large number from those who work in DV support for women and these will all seek to broaden definitions, increase police powers and increase funding for the groups making the submissions, using emotive examples ("case studies" that may or may not be real) to create a climate in which refusing to act as described can be immediately cast as "heartless" or "failing to support victims".

I can't contribute because I live in Qld, but even if I could, there would be very little point doing so. The Victorian model is the most draconian of all the states, being very closely adherent to the original, largely discredited "Duluth" model, based on the so-called "power and control wheel". This was developed in the US city of that name by feminist advocacy groups and is based entirely on the assumption that all men who are accused of DV by a female partner are guilty, while denying any possibility that the female partner may be in any way culpable.

It's patently stupid, but senior police like it, because it removes any decision-making onus from police if it is assumed that the man is always the one at fault.

Thanks Roscop, I try to express things as clearly as I can.

Phanto, if you don't like the word "decorum", try "empathy". Whatever you may think of Rosie Batty, she has experienced something that no parent should have to go through. Her husband was obviously mentally ill and whether his illness was exacerbated by the circumstances around his separation from his family is neither here nor there. The only lesson to be learnt is that mentally ill people do irrational things for irrational reasons, which is not terribly informative from a policy POV.

I do feel somewhat uncomfortable with Rosie Batty's role as AotY, because I think she is being used as a political tool. As with other victim/advocates, the Morcombes being a good example, their presence in the debate leads to an excessive focus on very rare events to the detriment of good policy, as well as creating a climate of fear that is destructive of normal human interactions within communities. However, they still deserve our empathy for their personal grief and pain.

Leave it alone, you're only making yourself look like a rather nasty kind of fool, which is not how I had thought of you previously.

Craig Minns

I am sure women 50 years ago were equally discouraged by the enormity of the task to make domestic violence a public issue and criminal offence.

Public policies and legislation are improved when all members of the community engage. If certain groups dominate the political process (e.g. CEOs of mining companies), the policies favour those groups.

In a democracy, it was ever thus.

Craig:

You totally missed the point of what I was saying so it is not surprising that you have totally missed the expressions of guilt by Rosie Batty and so many others like her.

Many women who remain in relationships far beyond when they should not only cause themselves harm but cause their children harm as well. Not every child ends up murdered but they can be extremely damaged because their mothers have remained in relationships with abusive partners who also are abusive to their children. The mothers have remained because they are emotionally dependent on the relationship they have with the father. They know it is wrong to protect your emotional dependence but when your children suffer because you are too dependent to leave then it follows that you are doing wrong to your children and you will feel guilty.

In my opinion this is what Rosie Batty feels and what she has shown in a very public way. Such guilt needs to be discussed because a great deal of the advocacy of women like her is driven by the need to cover up that guilt. If they can convince themselves that men alone have caused all the damage to themselves and their children then they do not have to deal with their own part of the responsibility.

This kind of hidden agenda has to be eradicated if a constructive discussion is ever to be had. Burying our heads in the sand about it shows a lack of commitment to finding truthful and workable solutions. You cannot have a fruitful discussion with people who have a deep seated guilt to protect.

Telling me to ‘leave it alone’ and saying I look like a ‘nasty kind of fool’ smacks of your own personal discomfort. There is nothing to stop you from ‘leaving it alone’. Every time you respond to my argument you are simply giving it more ‘oxygen’ so you are defeating your own purpose which seems to be to silence me.