Thank you so much for posting about Megan. It means so much to me. I intend to cover it further if your server will ever let me blog : (

Tara

Ugh. I don't know whether to scream or cry or throw up or all three. You're right, Jessica - while each of these stories (and all the others like them) are horrifying and saddening on their own, together they become a whole different kind of monster. It really makes you wonder what the hell is wrong in our society...and personally, it also makes me wonder how people can honestly think we don't have a problem with gender relations and that feminism is unnecessary.

The story about LaVena Johnson makes me particularly enraged - ruling that a suicide is so abhorrent and stupid. But of course, a lot easier for the investigators if they don't actually have to, you know, INVESTIGATE.

This is why I'm glad I don't live in the USA, frankly.

This is why I'm glad I don't live in the USA, frankly.

I have noticed that feministing seems to have 'racism on the brain' of late.

Only the article from Florida clearly had a fundamental racist element, yet Jessica is trumpeting racism in the banner headline. Before anyone claims the illegal immigrant woman being shackled has ipso facto to do with race, go Google up a story about a woman from Iceland being bound and shackled for overstaying a visa (meanng she entered legally). Police brutality often know no colour.

Racism is the feel-good, win-win prejudice to attack because there is no fear whatsoever of a mainstream backlash. Tackling homophobia, gender non-conformity prejudices, etc. actually takes real courage because you come smack in the face of powerful religious and social forces, including from many so-called liberals.

Why for example does Obama get a pass on his homophobic take on gay-marriage, his restricted view of abortion rights and his willingness to allow 'faith-based' programmes a role in government, yet when the New Yorker makes a satirical cartoon, certain people here and at other liberal/progressive sites go ape shit with the 'racism' charges?

Religion and cultural traditions have loads and loads more to do with misogyny and violence against women than racism (which is ironically gender neutral in most cases). Yet Samhita in particular has been on a roll posting article and after article the past few days which demand "intersectional analysis" (i.e. equivocation) when it comes to non-Western patriarchy and oppression.

I just feel a bit like feminism is being sold-out here for politically-safe grandstanding.

I liked the format of this post. When you put all the violence, misogyny, and racism together like this, it has a far heavier impact.

Kali your statements are so horrible and ignorant that they should nearly be left as trolling, except that they create such a poisonous atmosphere that there needs to be counteracting.

your ignorant statements are part of the problem. "no fear of a mainstream backlash"? you may consider yourself outside of the mainstream, but belittling the concerns of people of color and ignore the role race plays in domination in this country is pretty freaking mainstream.. you are reproducing the backlash right here on this blog!

The idea that pointing out racism is comfortable to the mainstream is laughable. The mainstream media (as is pointed out in several of the articles linked here) ignores violence when it is women of color suffering, particularly in the US. The icelandic woman's immigration ordeal was front page news - but Juana De la Paz is on a few blogs and a local paper..

it's pretty sad that you seem to feel threatened by having to think about the ways that race plays into violence, domination and exploitation. I'm glad there are other commenters here who are able to see the reality.

Thanks for this long horrible list.

Dr. Johnson, Lavena's dad is an awesome man. I met him at a sexual violence in the Military press conference at the Vets for Peace/IVAW convention last year. Her story is horrible but isolated only in the details of the case. No one in the press seems to wonder if there are connections between the high levels of sexism in the military and these violent acts. Dr. Johnson has been fighting so courageously for the graphic details to stop being hidden by the Army.

SPC Kamisha Block reported her soldier attacker, a married man (UCMJ outlaws adultry and it seems he might have been a jealous ex-boyfriend), three times before her killed her. The last report had him moved 5 minutes away from her. This all happened in Iraq as did Lavena's murder.

Also, I second Riply.

Wow, where do you live, MissLinear? For I too would like to live in that magical place where neither violence nor racism against women ever occurs....

I third, Kali, your comments about racism come off as ignorant and oblivious. Several of the stories, PARTICULARLY the lack of attention for LeVena Johnson's case, are buried in racism. You can't divide the issues, as much as you want to pretend intersectionality doesn't matter.

There are many fine anti-racist blogs out there, I recommend Racialicious in particular. Please educate yourself. You're making us all look bad.

Ripley and Roni demonstrate on cue exactly how the anti-'racism' crowd has become a bunch of complacent bullies. For failing to see racism in every incident involving "people of color" I am instantly branded "ignorant and oblivious."

Fighting racism IS a largely mainstream issue. Racial discrimination is universally barred in the West at every level of law and in most private organisations, while a person can still be lawfully fired for transgressing norms of gender, sexuality and other religious superstitions in the US, Canada and Britain, not to mention often violent social stigmas. LGBT people are forty years behind ethnic minorities in terms of civil rights.

Where is the world today can you be executed for engaging in a inter-racial relationship? Now ask the same question but substitute 'same-sex relationship'.

I FULLY recognize that A LOT of racism still exists in practice, but when you have moved from 'sunset laws' and lynchings to fighting alleged, unconscious bias in newspaper stories, you are entirely MAINSTREAM.

Religion and culture are so disgustingly brazen in their sexism, homophobia, etc. that they make no attempt to hide it and yet many of you abet this oppression by casting criticism as racism. The progressive front for feminism lies in smashing 'faith' as an excuse for inequality.

Violence against women is horrible in the "best of times." Whenever those times were, they are no longer. As the social, political and economic situation deteriorates by day, expect things to get worse for women and for minorities.

You're right Halfmad, racism and sexism go hand-in-hand. They need and feed off each other. It's the way patriarchy works and why it's been so successful--it divides people up and gets them to attack each other. It's so clever it even has women divided all over the place.

The reign of Patriarchy, and the "civilization" it has spawned, has been an unmitigated disaster. All of the incidents cited above are proof of the absolute bankuptcy of everything it stands for. Men do have a lot to answer for.

Feminism is not a choice; it's a matter of survival.

Thanks, Jessica, for a really great post ... it's absolutely terrifying to look at the scope of violence against women, especially when it intersects with racism and militarism.

Thanks especially for highlighting Pfc. LaVena Johnson. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know about her death, and I'm angry as ever that the media rarely covers the death and disappearance of women of color while it sensationalizes the same of young white women.

So let me get this straight, Kali... is your problem with this post that it is not "edgy" enough or that it fails to include Every Single Possible Injustice in One Neat Spot?

How you can possibly accuse FEMINISTing of ignoring sexism and homophobia is astonishing, and not worth arguing.

Violence against women is horrible in the "best of times." Whenever those times were, they are no longer. As the social, political and economic situation deteriorates by day, expect things to get worse for women and for minorities.

You're right Halfmad, racism and sexism go hand-in-hand. They need and feed off each other. It's the way patriarchy works and why it's been so successful--it divides people up and gets them to attack each other. It's so clever it even has women divided all over the place.

The reign of Patriarchy, and the "civilization" it has spawned, has been an unmitigated disaster. All of the incidents cited above are proof of the absolute bankuptcy of everything it stands for. Men do have a lot to answer for.

Feminism is not a choice; it's a matter of survival.

"Thanks especially for highlighting Pfc. LaVena Johnson. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know about her death, and I'm angry as ever that the media rarely covers the death and disappearance of women of color while it sensationalizes the same of young white women."

I've noticed that too. I'm not trying to say that the atrocities committed against white women are any less horrific, it's just disheartening when the death and disappearances of women of color are neglected.

Fantastic post.... I forwarded it to my mom.
News like this is why I'm going to law school and going to work for a non-profit to work for women who need it, who can't really afford lawyers.

It is incredibly horrible what happens to so many women. I would like to point out, though... on the t-shirt in the picture it says that 'violence against women won't stop until men stop being violent.' I (a woman) was abused emotionally and physically by my mother as a child... men aren't the only culprits, just the more common ones. If all men in the world had suddenly stopped being violent when I was born it wouldn't have helped my particular situation.

Jessica - “ I don't even know how to respond - except to say that this thread (nor any other) is to be used as some sort of oppression olympics sounding board”

I suspect you do not know how to respond. I wonder if your entire focus of late is not the result of some much discussed criticism earlier this summer at various blog sites about feminists not being sensitive enough to racial issues. i.e. a bit of over-compensation.

I recognise that racism is a serious problem, it certainly has a place to be addressed when appropriate at a forum like this, but I really assert that sexism, homophobia and economic issues are far, far more pervasive, unchecked and powerful elements affecting women in the world at the moment .

The problem as I have stated before is that is so easy to take a complacent, zero-tolerance attitude towards racism, but takes a lot more will to do so when confronting misogyny and patriarchy in non-white or non-Western contexts. You and your associates choose what to post, I am only responding to what I view as an over-reaching (like today's post) and possibly counter-productive focus on racism on your part.

Ironically Samhita has been the one allowed of late to play full-blown “oppression olympics” as you term it, with a string of posts the last week predicated on how racist Westerners are misframing honour killings, homophobia in India and patriarchal dominance in Islamic immigrant communities. When feminists cannot call out violence and oppression of women because it does not mesh with ‘anti-racist’ politics there is a serious problem which needs to be addressed.

Jessica - “It's clear that you're not here for progressive engagement”

If “progressive engagement” is code for rationalised equivocation, then no. I want real progress which is seeing equality and opportunity for women of colour, regardless of politics, religion or tradition. I have seen the regressive consequences of “progressive engagement” with patriarchal elements in the UK and Europe first hand. Such engagement has led to a situation where police often refuse to intervene in immigrant communities out of fear of being seen as insensitive or racist. Girls who have gone to the police for help in fleeing forced marriages and home confinement have actually been sent back to their families in Britain. I do not think that is the ‘progress’ you have in mind, but that is what obsessive, over-sensitivity to race can get you.

Jessica - “ so I have no intention of responding to you outside of this message - I would suggest that others do the same. ”

There is a real sign of confidence in your position, ignoring a challenge. Besides maybe you are ‘racist’ for rejecting someone named Kali’s (hint, hint) opinion so high-handedly. ;o) Tah.

kali commented at July 16, 2008 7:42 PM: "The problem as I have stated before is that is so easy to take a complacent, zero-tolerance attitude towards racism, but takes a lot more will to do so when confronting misogyny and patriarchy in non-white or non-Western contexts."

Jessica's particular blog post right here is about misogyny and patriarchy and racism against women in some white-majority and Western contexts.

For example, her statement "And finally there's the Florida man who tried to run down a young black woman with his car while screaming racial slurs. The police say 'Cosby wanted revenge because his wife had an affair with a black man.' The young woman, 25-year-old Nekedia Cato, sustained a fracture to her lower, right leg and internal injuries, but thankfully she's expected to recover fully." is definitely not sugar-coating sexism by some black men or even about sexism by some black men in the first place.

Remember, not all anti-racism is sexism and not all non-whites are misogynist!

kali commented at July 16, 2008 7:42 PM: "Ironically Samhita has been the one allowed of late to play full-blown 'oppression olympics' as you term it, with a string of posts the last week predicated on how racist Westerners are misframing honour killings, homophobia in India and patriarchal dominance in Islamic immigrant communities."

Yeah, I saw your comments on those blog posts - now those were relevant.

Oops, forgot to add the URL when coding the HREF tag, sorry! It's http://www.wftv.com/news/16889219/detail.html

Focused, probably the reason your mother abused you, emotionally and physically, was because she herself had been abused by men.

Violence of one human against another is not natural or instinctive behavior. It's learned. And men are the teachers. And there's lots of them, almost half the population. So a lot of women do learn abusive, violent behavior. It's even thought to be okay, by men, since men do it. So women might think it's okay too.

So I think the t-shirt message might be right: violence against women won't stop until men stop being violent. And if they did stop being violent, which is no small thing since their very identity is bound up with violence--not only against each other, but against women and anyone else whose differences might threaten their multiple insecurities--then women would stop too

It won't happen tomorrow.

MissLinear (and Jessica too, I guess, because your "grand ole USA" comment was misleading and somewhat marginalising), the "pregnancy pact" story happened in Australia. And Calgary is in Canada. Bad things happen to women the world over.

MissLinear (and Jessica too, I guess, because your "grand ole USA" comment was misleading and somewhat marginalising), the "pregnancy pact" story happened in Australia. And Calgary is in Canada. Bad things happen to women the world over.

Jerry,

I almost at a loss of words to respond to your post.

I am going to reach back into my Research Methods Class from the prestigious open enrollment universitythe Great and Honourable University of Alaska, Anchorage. The text is Making Sense of the Social World by Chambliss, D. F. and Schutt, R.K. 1st ed, pg. 116.

"Making inferences about group processes from individual data is called the reductionist fallacy, or reductionism[.]

So, you looked at some individuals, and made inferences about the whole group.

Also, you have problems with your sample, you look at the worse in society and use it to slander the rest, which is inappropriate.

Side story... I was talking two police officer who was assigned to the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and they really enjoyed the program, becuase it allowed them to remember that most school kids are good kids, and even some of the ones that that get into trouble are not all that bad.

I told that short story becuase I think some of that happens in regards to feminism. When you focus on a problem sometimes you forget there is good.

You say violence is learned, and it is taught by men. I say that while it can be learned, it can also be learned through self-education, and women can learn through that route as men can.

Blaming all violence on men is a cop-out.

This fills me with such complex emotions -- sadness, horror, fury, disbelief, shame... but most of all, helplessness. It's bad enough that this stuff happens; I could understand that, and comfort myself with the dismissive placebo that they are isolated events, and increasingly rare. But the bland, institutional evil of allowing these deeds to go -- not just unpunished, but unacknowledged! When Hannah Barendt talks about the banality of evil, it is exactly this sort of institutional misanthropy she means: a bleak, withering lack of empathy.

And I'm a guy; I can't imagine how I would feel if I were a woman.

Ugh.

Jerry, my mother abused me because she was abused, but she was abused by her mother. Her mother was abused by her step-mother. I am not really sure who abused her step-mother, but I'm sure if we go back far enough in my family, we'll find someone who was abused by men.

It does not excuse the behaviour of any of the women in my family, and blaming their behaviour on abuse from men is excusing them.

I'm not acknowledge kali, except to say that as a WOC, I don't appreciate being told that so many of my concerns are overshadowing feminism, especially since I really enjoyed Samhita's posts. They were extremely relevant to my experiences.

"I want real progress which is seeing equality and opportunity for women of colour, regardless of politics, religion or tradition."

Yeah, this from the person who said that honor killings happen to women who are "slavishly obedience to tradition, culture and religion." Whatever.

"Jerry, my mother abused me because she was abused, but she was abused by her mother. Her mother was abused by her step-mother. I am not really sure who abused her step-mother, but I'm sure if we go back far enough in my family, we'll find someone who was abused by men.

It does not excuse the behaviour of any of the women in my family, and blaming their behaviour on abuse from men is excusing them. "

Thank you--and I agree. I would also point out that men are not just inherently more prone to violence. Females of many species can be incredibly violent, usually when it comes to protecting their family. What causes a person to be violent to their own children can be a psychological disorder, it can be anything--I just cannot agree that all violence is caused by men.

Megan Wright, a young woman who was raped by three men and subsequently committed suicide after the police didn't do enough to prosecute her assailants

I'm sure those bastards are real proud of what they did now that their victim is dead. It's times like these that I wish that I wasn't an atheist and that I do believe in Hell. There is no goddamn justice in this world.