thread: 2005-05-16 : Violence
On 2005-05-17, Christopher Kubasik wrote:
Hi Ed,
I don't know how "common" it is. I don't think it's very common. I only know it as the world I know... I've seen it from one end of this country to the next—all in the "world" I travel in.
Earlier Vincent actually had to ask if it was all right for a woman to protect herself from a rape using violent means, since men of integritty (according to some views) would never use violence if they were being beaten or killed.
See.... the fact that this is even on the table is for me insane. How have is it even come to this?
How it came about ... throguh denying, fearing, shaming—yes, and other more well meaning propositions as well, I'm sure....
What matters is, I'm looking ath Vincent's question (I have no idea if its his personal point of view—I just know question) and thinking, this is crazy. The man of integrity never lifts a finger to save himself even though he's got a wife and kid expecting him to come home? We've got to puzzel through whether a woman is morally justifed in scratching out the eyes of her rapist?
So, yeah. I'm responding to issues in the air. But I'm also just trying to get my ass in gear these days—and having a sense that I'm allowed to go get what I want, even if I never *have* to make an actual attack in my life (and probably won't), seems fine. And it also makes me appreciate the social structure that allows me to live my life in one of the safest places on the planet—which depends on someone to take care of violent business in such a way that I usually don't have to know what's happening.
Christopher
