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The Gaffer's Philosophy:
Part 125: Intimidation and Harassment:
October 18, 2004:
In discussing woman's rights previously I did not intend to overlook some other very serious problems faced by women. I speak of Sexual harassment, intimidation, and oppression. This is not so much about women's rights as it is about antisocial and even criminal behavior. In fact, this problem applies equally to women and children. In a way, it belongs as much to the discussions of law and lawlessness as it does to the issues of women's rights.
Molesting and intimidating women or children are criminal activities. Rape and child abuse are criminal activities. Though these do not belong in the same argument as those we make for women's and minority rights they must be addresses because they are widespread and evil. Rape and the molesting of children are the most heinous crimes a human being could commit. As far as I am concerned, the penalties for rape and the molestation of children cannot be too severe. If it is proven conclusively, I would not object to execution. I would not advocate it, but I could not, in good conscience, oppose it either.
A simple fact is men are born with certain physical attributes which allow them to exert brute force over women. With that physical advantage comes an implicit power of intimidation. Too often. men, rather than making efforts to mitigate that threat, will act to emphasize it. We take advantage of it in our very attitude. We use our posture, even all of our body language, to impose ourselves on women. Brute force domination, and even murder are too often the result of this posturing and blustering macho man behavior pattern.
This intimidation of women by men due to differences in physical attributes is exactly the same as what happens to children. Worse still, children often get a double does because they get it from both adult men and women. It is a horrible kind of oppression and it must be stopped. Women and children have to feel safe. Facts show, brutes are and have always been very prevalent in our society. We cannot hide from this problem by pretending it does not exist. We cannot pretend it is a minor infrequent problem. Intimidation of women and children is widespread in our culture. Any pretense to the contrary is dishonest. Even so, denial is in high gear everywhere.
For example, Peter Jennings reported that the army is trying to figure out if there are any common links to understanding the wife murders at Fort Bragg. Of course, they deny and deliberately blind themselves to the obvious. Then they can pretend they don't understand. I believe they understand very well. There is no secret about the nature of these men. They were select by the army for special forces exactly because of their penchant to macho violent behavior. Then they were trained in a way which reenforced that tendency. Rape and other brute like behavior are a predictable result of that reenforcement.
The army training does not change what a person is. It simply accents it. A macho abusive man will become a more effective macho abusive man in the army. That is why these men were put in special forces to begin with. The army deliberately conditioned and reenforced these men to be what they are. The macho-man is naturally abusive, be he just a useless redneck, in army special forces, or in the Marines.
The macho-man has the most fragile of fragile egos. In his innermost self he knows he has erected a house of cards. He cannot stand to have that challenged. He cannot stand argument. He cannot abide disagreement or contradiction. He cannot accept being wrong or mistaken. He must be on top and in charge at any cost. In fact, he cannot tolerate democracy. The very values he is pledged to defend are alien to him.
There is little doubt that these men abused their wives. All four of them were in the process of divorce. Divorce challenges macho-man's core ego. It says very clearly, you are wrong, you are not a hero, you are not acceptable. He knows only one response to any kind of challenge. His response will be abusive behavior including, if necessary, murder. What do we expect? He is merely behaving in a very predictable way. Macho-man is guaranteed to be abusive. He is also guaranteed to commit murder if he is totally frustrated.
Now, with the military supporting and nurturing that kind of behavior it is going to be difficult to prevent. In fact, without education, it will be impossible to prevent. It is a generationally self renewing attribute. The blustering posturing macho behavior pattern is a conditioned behavior. Bizarrely enough, mothers, the previous victims, usually participate in theat conditioning. It will take, I believe, a two step approach to mitigate and finally eliminate the condition.
Th first step is to severely punish people who intimidate, harass, or abuse women or children in any way. I'm not convinced we need new laws for this. I think it's time to start enforcing the laws we have. If it turns out we need new laws, let us not hesitate. People who use an accidental physical advantage to oppress and damage other humans must be severely punished without mercy. That's all!
The other step, as always, lies in education. We must begin with our very young children and teach them the simple rules of behavior that make a community viable. We can begin this when we first get the children in our schools. As always our task will be complicated by the previous influence of the home. Many of the young men will already be well on their way to becoming brutes. That must be contradicted at every turn until the young man gets the message.
If parental interference becomes a problem, it must be dealt
with through legal means. We have to get over the silly notion
that being a parent instills some kind of right of dominance or
control over children. The brute's ability to beget offsprings
in no way implies any fitness to be a parent. Until we understand
and live by that truth, brutes will continue to beget brutes and
brutes will continue to dominate, rape, and even murder other
humans.
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