Saturday, July 30, 2005
Hustling the Left
It relates to the last post. I was unhappy to see when chasing up relevant links that the site about sexual violence between activists has been taken down. (a victory for all those who think women's safety is a side issue and that being nominally on the right side is more important than how one behaves)
It relates to the last post. I was unhappy to see when chasing up relevant links that the site about sexual violence between activists has been taken down. (a victory for all those who think women's safety is a side issue and that being nominally on the right side is more important than how one behaves)
Friday, July 29, 2005
More a manifestation than a manifesto, and less of the 'man'
(or, something rattling around that needs scribbling down quickly)
(or, something rattling around that needs scribbling down quickly)
Introduction
There is no such thing as the definitive anarcha-feminist manifesto, and if there was i wouldn't be the one to write it. While my views on rape and sexual violence would, i like to think, be accepted by most anarcha-feminists (unless it is really just the few i know as friends, who have coloured my opinions over the years), i believe that a far smaller number would jump at the chance to claim my take on, for example, pornography as their own.
Maybe i should make clear at the outset that i am against pornography, at least the commercial, mainstream variety. This is due to beliefs against the degradation of women - hence my current opinion that less commercialised porno/erotica is more of a grey area, and many of those who claim to support 'feminist' porn are far from craven liars - rather than in the inherent vileness of the human form or the perception that sex is 'dirty'. Sex is just something people do. It can be 'good' or 'bad' (or 'boring' or 'evil' ) according to who does it to whom and how they go about it. And no, state regulation is not the way to keep it 'good' (or, since we're talking about politicians, 'boring'?)
Anyway, this is an attempt at a draft of an anarchafeminist statement (a statement of my beliefs as an anarchist feminist, or a feminist anarchist) regarding sexual violence. As usual on this blog, it is unpolished, out of sequence, may be interrupted by other entries, and the next installment may not be here for ages. Any hints at future installments cannot be taken as guarantees. I'm not JK sodding Rowling, ok?
Men can stop rape, but how?
It is an old feminist truism that 'men can stop rape'. No way would i dispute that it is a valid one. And it isn't just the relatively small number of men who commit rape who can stop it. General male disapproval of the degradation, objectification, exploitation etc of women would create a culture where boys grow up knowing the boundaries, knowing that rape and other sexually abusive behaviours are wrong - a culture quite different from the one most of us know. In a culture without hierarchy, where one group of people is not considered inferior to another, where sexism and racism and all the other isms (assuming, hoping, that classism would be obsolete!) aren't ingrained in the lessons every child absorbs as they grow, is it too naive to think that the impetus for one group to degrade another will be removed?
No, you might say, but it is naive in the extreme to see such a culture coming into existence. I don't, you may have guessed, agree with that sentiment. No, certainly, it won't come about overnight. It will be slow and painful - not in the sense of physical pain, a la Valerie Solanas, but that of the psychological pain of acknowledging and questioning one's own privilege and the effect it has on how you regard yourself and others, on the grounds on which you interact with people. Any of us who have even the smallest amount of privilege need to do this. It isn't easy - i'm not through doing it several years after starting to make sense of the whole thing, spurred by critiques of certain white feminist authors on grounds of race and class. (luckily none of them were my great heroines, but that's beside the point) Basically, in this context, men need to question why sexism exists; unpack their own deepest darkest most entrenched - or hidden - beliefs about the relations between the sexes; check their own behaviour; check their friends' behaviour; - realise that being 'one of the lads' does not excuse, well, anything really when it starts impinging on the wellbeing of others - acknowledge the thin, sliding boundary between rapists and 'normal' men and consider how to strengthen it; and pose the question of why (rather than whether) feminism is still necessary after all this time. Furthermore - maybe most importantly - do NOT expect women to beg you to do this. You are not doing us a favour. Ending sexual violence is not a gift generously bestowed by a superior group on its subjects. If you think it is or should be such, repeat the steps above until you realise what is wrong with that idea.
From the anarchist angle, the point here relates to how a society without laws or authorities would function. My somewhat controversial belief is that quite possible, if the laws disappeared overnight with nothing else changing, it wouldn't. People used to privilege, however minor and relative, will continue to try to subjugate others for as long as they believe they have the right to do so. There are 'anarchists' out there who are cases in point for this argument, and who do a lot to reduce my confidence in anarchism. (although not my overall belief in it) Before an anarchist society will function properly, ideas have to change. Culture has to change. Arguments need to be aired and seeds planted. If you think that discussion, education if you like, is pointless and that gearing up for violent struggle is all that matters, you really need to consider what would come after the revolution. How well will the propaganda of the deed work without the groundwork laid by the propaganda of the word? And lets face it, a full-scale revolution is a fair way off. Why not make some small ones, in the way we live? Many of us do this - some without realising.
Anyway, back to the prevention of sexual violence, and the statement that 'men can stop it'. This is usually accompanied by 'why don't they?'. Feminism's detractors, meanwhile, are often heard to say that only the men who actually commit rape can stop it. I believe that in describing how changes in society can (and must) reduce sexual violence, i have levelled enough of a disagreement at this attitude. Where such critics are undeniably right is in saying that the majority of men do not commit rape. This argument, however, i see as a red herring. We all know that already. The issue is why men don't generally commit rape. How many do this out of a conviction that rape is genuinely wrong, that women are their equals and deserve the same respect as men? And, furthermore, would condemn any act of sexual violence committed by anyone on the same grounds, of respect for other people? How many, meanwhile, are motivated by a kind of chivalry towards the 'weaker' (so weak that we regularly survive the vagaries of our own repro systems, nevermind outside interference) sex ('no way to treat a lady')? And how many are motivated by a fear of the law, or see rape as 'wrong' because a statute says so? While the second reason exists, we don't have equality between the sexes. While the third exists, a society without laws will have big problems - and sexual violence is a problem whenever and whereever it happens, whoever it is perpetrated by.
So in short, to stop sexual violence, society needs big changes. That shouldn't really come as a surprise. Society can only be changed from within, by those who live it as everyday life - ingrained attitudes can only be changed one mind at a time. And the men in the first category are, i believe, ideally placed to do this.
To come, hopefully, (in tiny print in case i don't come through)
There is no such thing as the definitive anarcha-feminist manifesto, and if there was i wouldn't be the one to write it. While my views on rape and sexual violence would, i like to think, be accepted by most anarcha-feminists (unless it is really just the few i know as friends, who have coloured my opinions over the years), i believe that a far smaller number would jump at the chance to claim my take on, for example, pornography as their own.
Maybe i should make clear at the outset that i am against pornography, at least the commercial, mainstream variety. This is due to beliefs against the degradation of women - hence my current opinion that less commercialised porno/erotica is more of a grey area, and many of those who claim to support 'feminist' porn are far from craven liars - rather than in the inherent vileness of the human form or the perception that sex is 'dirty'. Sex is just something people do. It can be 'good' or 'bad' (or 'boring' or 'evil' ) according to who does it to whom and how they go about it. And no, state regulation is not the way to keep it 'good' (or, since we're talking about politicians, 'boring'?)
Anyway, this is an attempt at a draft of an anarchafeminist statement (a statement of my beliefs as an anarchist feminist, or a feminist anarchist) regarding sexual violence. As usual on this blog, it is unpolished, out of sequence, may be interrupted by other entries, and the next installment may not be here for ages. Any hints at future installments cannot be taken as guarantees. I'm not JK sodding Rowling, ok?
Men can stop rape, but how?
It is an old feminist truism that 'men can stop rape'. No way would i dispute that it is a valid one. And it isn't just the relatively small number of men who commit rape who can stop it. General male disapproval of the degradation, objectification, exploitation etc of women would create a culture where boys grow up knowing the boundaries, knowing that rape and other sexually abusive behaviours are wrong - a culture quite different from the one most of us know. In a culture without hierarchy, where one group of people is not considered inferior to another, where sexism and racism and all the other isms (assuming, hoping, that classism would be obsolete!) aren't ingrained in the lessons every child absorbs as they grow, is it too naive to think that the impetus for one group to degrade another will be removed?
No, you might say, but it is naive in the extreme to see such a culture coming into existence. I don't, you may have guessed, agree with that sentiment. No, certainly, it won't come about overnight. It will be slow and painful - not in the sense of physical pain, a la Valerie Solanas, but that of the psychological pain of acknowledging and questioning one's own privilege and the effect it has on how you regard yourself and others, on the grounds on which you interact with people. Any of us who have even the smallest amount of privilege need to do this. It isn't easy - i'm not through doing it several years after starting to make sense of the whole thing, spurred by critiques of certain white feminist authors on grounds of race and class. (luckily none of them were my great heroines, but that's beside the point) Basically, in this context, men need to question why sexism exists; unpack their own deepest darkest most entrenched - or hidden - beliefs about the relations between the sexes; check their own behaviour; check their friends' behaviour; - realise that being 'one of the lads' does not excuse, well, anything really when it starts impinging on the wellbeing of others - acknowledge the thin, sliding boundary between rapists and 'normal' men and consider how to strengthen it; and pose the question of why (rather than whether) feminism is still necessary after all this time. Furthermore - maybe most importantly - do NOT expect women to beg you to do this. You are not doing us a favour. Ending sexual violence is not a gift generously bestowed by a superior group on its subjects. If you think it is or should be such, repeat the steps above until you realise what is wrong with that idea.
From the anarchist angle, the point here relates to how a society without laws or authorities would function. My somewhat controversial belief is that quite possible, if the laws disappeared overnight with nothing else changing, it wouldn't. People used to privilege, however minor and relative, will continue to try to subjugate others for as long as they believe they have the right to do so. There are 'anarchists' out there who are cases in point for this argument, and who do a lot to reduce my confidence in anarchism. (although not my overall belief in it) Before an anarchist society will function properly, ideas have to change. Culture has to change. Arguments need to be aired and seeds planted. If you think that discussion, education if you like, is pointless and that gearing up for violent struggle is all that matters, you really need to consider what would come after the revolution. How well will the propaganda of the deed work without the groundwork laid by the propaganda of the word? And lets face it, a full-scale revolution is a fair way off. Why not make some small ones, in the way we live? Many of us do this - some without realising.
Anyway, back to the prevention of sexual violence, and the statement that 'men can stop it'. This is usually accompanied by 'why don't they?'. Feminism's detractors, meanwhile, are often heard to say that only the men who actually commit rape can stop it. I believe that in describing how changes in society can (and must) reduce sexual violence, i have levelled enough of a disagreement at this attitude. Where such critics are undeniably right is in saying that the majority of men do not commit rape. This argument, however, i see as a red herring. We all know that already. The issue is why men don't generally commit rape. How many do this out of a conviction that rape is genuinely wrong, that women are their equals and deserve the same respect as men? And, furthermore, would condemn any act of sexual violence committed by anyone on the same grounds, of respect for other people? How many, meanwhile, are motivated by a kind of chivalry towards the 'weaker' (so weak that we regularly survive the vagaries of our own repro systems, nevermind outside interference) sex ('no way to treat a lady')? And how many are motivated by a fear of the law, or see rape as 'wrong' because a statute says so? While the second reason exists, we don't have equality between the sexes. While the third exists, a society without laws will have big problems - and sexual violence is a problem whenever and whereever it happens, whoever it is perpetrated by.
So in short, to stop sexual violence, society needs big changes. That shouldn't really come as a surprise. Society can only be changed from within, by those who live it as everyday life - ingrained attitudes can only be changed one mind at a time. And the men in the first category are, i believe, ideally placed to do this.
To come, hopefully, (in tiny print in case i don't come through)
- combatting sexual violence within the activist community
- pornography as a manifestation of capitalism (ie, not something to be defended vigorously on anarchist grounds)
