Domestic violence is an issue that deserves more time in the basket labeled “things society cares about.” I am only one generation removed from a time when women were widely thought as of the property of their fathers, then their husbands. Then Radical Feminism got into the mix and started to analyze, deconstruct and protest this unacceptable situation. Andrea Dworkin from Women Hating Right and Left:
Putting ideas and concepts together so that they can be shared, and more importantly passed on, to the next generation is so frightfully important, yet it is not being done. I did not even know about Andrea Dworkin and her writing till very recently. Outside of a few tumblr’s and few Woman’s Studies courses that haven’t drunk too much of 3rd wave kool-aid you just won’t find mention of one of the key figures in feminist history.
I’ve read a lot of Dworkin and sometimes it is really all over the place, but at others (see the above quote) she focuses in like a laser to give words and then understanding to the the problems facing women. Dworkin’s insights must be handed down and shown to the next generation(s) of women – lest we invoke another historical chestnut – those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it blah blah blah.
Are we repeating?
I’d like to see in my time the quote from above (and others like it) get into the history books and stay there.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
5 comments
January 2, 2015 at 5:15 am
john zande
Good on the operator.
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January 2, 2015 at 9:25 am
robert browning
Fortunately these two had their brains working. Schools should be the place to arm young women w this kind of info.
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January 2, 2015 at 11:02 am
carmen
I’ve been reading for awhile now; first time commenter. As a high school teacher, I have to say that the point about schools being the place to learn about this kind of thing is worthy of note. (we’ll just add that the the long list of teachables) However, it seems to me that getting men to realize that they can’t treat women this way begins earlier than high school.
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January 3, 2015 at 7:40 am
The Arbourist
@robert browning
Agreed. It’d be nice to see some more emphasis on how to navigate society and the various pratfalls that are out there.
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January 3, 2015 at 7:47 am
The Arbourist
@carmen
Welcome! Always nice to have another to share ideas with around here.
The highschool ciriculum, at least in Alberta, is pretty densely packed. Trying to find time to make good human beings between 7.1 and 7.2 can be challengeing to say the least.
The majority role in civilizing people should not be downloaded on to teachers, we should be refining and enhancing ideas of good ethical and moral behaviour rather than starting from scratch.
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