CJM:
On the basis of these discussions, at least, it would be very hard to take it as read that most male participants disapprove of rape. If they do, why haven't they expressed their disgust at the clearly and viciously misogynist actions of these college brats?

That would be to presume that the original article was about the college brats. The original article was just an excuse for the authors to state the obvious and to interpolate for their own propaganda purposes. It is not news that some men have bad attitudes toward women. That hardly warrants an article to be written about it. Writing an article which states the obvious but contributes nothing to the solution of the particular problem must have some other agenda.

It is for the university authorities to deal with the problem. When each instance of bad behaviour towards women is exposed then it should be dealt with in the appropriate way by the appropriate people. These authors have made no contribution to that process by what they have written.

The type of writing these authors and others like them indulge in is less about problem solving and more about exaggerating the scope of the problem for personal gain. There comes a time when the argument is resolved and practical applications need to be put in place. That is happening on a daily basis. When they keep on emphasising an argument (that some men have bad attitudes toward women) which is already conceded then they want something else

Thanks E.Sykes; I'm enjoying exploring your lead and yes it is certainly familiar. If you have any more suggestions I'd be most interested ^5
Whistler - you too seem to come from an interesting perspective. Any readings or search terms that you'd suggest I explore?

In response to the various annoyed males who complain that it's a given that most men are against rape; in some sense they may be. One thing I have noticed is how appalled and shaken men are when for some reason they encounter the immediate aftermath of a rape. I have never seen a man respond without compassion once he is witness to the immediate impact of it.

However, all types of sexual assault, other violence towards and daily murders of women are (a) not aberrations from a rape culture norm because there are too many incidents to be that (b) are a direct outcome of social and cultural patterns of beliefs about women, their place and value in society in relation to men.

There are a couple of blokes who will front up when someone says something that devalues women. However, some posters - like Antiseptic as an example - is always referring to women negatively: women only care about furnishings and frippery; women are wasteful; women exploit and cheat men; women's work is of less or no worth in comparison to men's work; women are only interested in the gravy train and his remarks in relation to sexual assault are a disgrace.

Is that the bloke you want as your spokesperson?

Except for a couple of fellas like CJ, is there any reason not to believe that Antiseptic is representative - ie: the average male ? Are people like CJ, or my spouse or son - exceptional or average blokes ?

If Antiseptic and his retinue of posters IS representative then you shouldn't be surprised that women so often seek divorce. The male image problem isn't wrought by feminists and other women, but by blokes who speak and act (rape etc) as if they represent the average male.

Thankfully Pynchme, Antispectic is not representative of the majority of blokes I know and I expect most blokes would not want a spokesperson who is so blatantly hostile to the opposite sex.

I always wonder why the most anti-feminist blokes, those who rage about bra-burning, ball breaking man-hating women, are themselves mirror images and ultimately their own nemesis.

We still have a bit of a way to go in getting on with the business of making society a better place which can only be done when we collectively leave behind the shackles of gender politics.

Pynchme a good read is Diane Bell [1982] Daughters of the Dreaming.
an ethnography of Aborigines in Central Australia.
Dr Bell was received into the women's business of indigenous tradition
because she was single and not dependent on a man.
for two centuries ethnographers weren't told about women's business
because mostly they were men and famously, 'it was none of their business'.
enjoy.

Antiseptic- <80% of women instigate divorce>

You seem to be blaming the women for that 80% divorce rate because they instigate the legal separation proceedings.

It seems to me that if 80% of people return a product to woolworths because it is not working then there is something wrong with that product. At least it is lacking some performance value that those people thought it was capable of.

Statistics show that married men have a longer life span than single men but it doesn't lengthen the life span of married women to the same degree when compared to single women. In other words marriage isn't as beneficial to women in terms of improved life expectancy as it is to men. That also indicates that marriage has more benefits for men in some way.

Hi C.J.

Sometimes I think you are just a big kind-hearted cuddly bear underneath that prickly academic intellectual exterior.