Pericles, "Demonization is, I suspect, largely in the eye of the beholder."

Sometimes it is, for either gender.

Researchers Paul Nathanson and Katherine K. Young (link below) have an interesting perspective, going beyond demonisation. Not saying I agree with them, but they pick up the theme of ideological versus egalitarian (feminists) commonly encountered in this debate and they describe the concept of misandry, which is useful.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathanson_and_Young

Pelican:"What I don't understand is why the position of a radical feminist is put up as the paragon of feminism."

It's because those are the people driving the policy formulations and getting Government grants to do advocacy "research" which will be used to justify the policy.

Moderate women go along with it for the freebies it produces.

Pelican:"Unionism probably did more for working class women on the ground in the early days than feminism"

And it probably still does. The goals of feminism have always been the goals of the bourgeoisie - the problems afflicting working class women are simply justifications for greater preferment for the bourgeois ones.

We don't hear much today about women working on picking lines or doing process work, but there's lots of noise about getting more of their bourgeois "sisters" onto boards and into Parliament, whether the boards or the voters want them there or not.

I'm sure working class women everywhere are grateful.

This conversation is worthwhile, given the outpourings of hatred that have accompanied discussion of rape allegations, involving Collingwood footballers.

It seems that defending the 'don't blame the victim' taboo is more important than having a mature discussion about a complex social problem and its solution. I simply don't understand why commenting on the simple concept of personal responsibility for fixing one's own problems needs to be interpreted in such a malicious way. These witch-hunts may give some people someone to look down on, but achieve little else.

There have been a number of discussions on male violence but only one on female violence. I was set to weigh into that debate but I was called away.
I was once told by a bevy of "reclaim the night crucaders" that "Women are never violent. Only men are violent." Since then I have kept a record of every violent act commited by a women over the last 20 or so years. It should make some researchers life, into domestic violence, a joy to behold or not. I asked a Government Social Worker CEO what records did they hold on Violent Women. I was told there were very few official records kept.
Con't

Here is a list as from August:
Dudley confesses tokilling children, ABC News 17/8/10.
Girl 16 charged over violent robbery at Coorparoo, CM(Courier Mail) 18/8/10.
Women charged after punching, burning babysitter, CM 23/8/10. Women throws puppies in river, liveleak 01/09/10.
Gang of 8 females assault group, AAP 28/8/10.
Women stands trial on charge of slicing DiCaprio, AP 13/7/10.
Women jailed for attempted hijack in NZ, AFP 27/8/10.
Baby thrown from apartment block, AAP 27/8/10.
Wack at cat women, The Sun 27/8/10.
Mum leaves 2 year at home , goes drinking & gambling, CM 1/9/10. Kelso charge women, police find man with knife wound, 1/9/10.
UK female double muderer jailed, AAP 8/9/10.
2 shot deat at cookie plant. Women held, Yahoo News 10/9/10. Phillipine baby found in plane bin, AAP 12/9.10.
Florida mum say son is a good boy, calls on Muslims to support al Qaeda. ABC 10/9/10.
Women accused of trying to kill expartner, CM 13/9/10.
Sydney Females charged over taxi assult, AAP 13/9/10.
Teen accused of poisoning parents has case moved, CM 14/9/10.
Womwn hid stillborn fro 20 years, AAP 14/9.10. Women charged over stabbing 2 men, CM 21/9/10.
Dinmore women armed with brick & knife charged with assult, CM 22/9/10.
Interpol ask Aust police to re-open drowing case after arrest of Italian black widow, CM 22/9/10.
Girl 14 killed sex attacker, BBC 28/9/10.
Mother jailed for neglecting children, AAP 1/10/10.
Glassing attacker cries in court, AAP 30/9/10.
Toddler duct-taped to wall by mom, 5/10/10.
Ohio mum kills 2 kids then self, Yahoo 07/10/10.
Woman jailed over killing pregnant woman, AAP 7/10/10.
Mom abducted daughter 25 years ago, Yahoo 7/10/10.
Wife sets fire to husbands penis to purify it, AAP 7/10/10.
Woman had 77 cats in 2 cars, Yahoo 10/10/10.
Mum tries to sell toddlers organs, CM 13/10/10.
Report: 5 children die each day from abuce or neglect, ABC news 6/10/10.
Of course one has to remember, as I was so vermently told, "Women are never violent, only men are violent."
So why do men cop all the blame? It's because women have "bad hair days" & men don't.

jayb you sound insane. What prompted you to dedicate so much time to prove the obvious? Why did you care so much about the opinions of this woman? Did you ever track her down and confront her with your research? And what does it all have to do with hair?