Violent Activism Part 2: Q&A With Damon Krane

Q: Can the use of violence in activism be justifiable? If so, at what cost must the use of violence come?
A: First, I'm not a pacifist -- which, at its most basic, means I'm agnostic on the issue. That is, I leave the question open, rather than concluding in advance that violence can never be justified, that it always leads to more violence, is counterproductive and/or always morally wrong. Nor do I believe that any violence is morally equivalent to all violence.  Beyond this fundamental agnosticism, I can think of two general situations in which I think violence IS justified. The first is self-defense, which I would go so far to describe as a basic human right. Everyone, in my mind, is entitled to violently defend herself or himself against harm. That doesn't mean it's the smartest thing to do in every given situation, but if we say that people are not entitled to self-defense, then we may as well say they're not entitled to anything.  Second, I think violence is justified when a preponderance of evidence supports the conclusion that a SPECIFIC application of violence would directly bring about a changed situation in which less violence is present, AND when the people who will bear the risks and pay the costs inherent in this violence are the ones (predominantly, at least) choosing to do so. Notice this is in no way a justification for the recent US wars on Afghanistan and Iraq, in which greatly increased violence continues to result and there was no reason to believe beforehand that things would have turned out much better. And, of course, both occupations have long been opposed by the populations of those countries, the people upon whom the vast majority of risks and costs have been imposed by outsiders. Nonetheless, in cases where the first two conditions I laid out can be met, then I would even go so far as to say that it would be immoral for someone to refrain from engaging in this violence, because -- again, I'm talking about if and when those first two conditions CAN be met -- refraining to do so would result in the continuation of greater violence.  And that gets to my biggest problem with pacifism. While there are many pacifists out there who've done incredibly good work for all the right reasons, I think pacifism is very often (perhaps always) a delusional individualist philosophy. Why? First, because violence is a social fact of the world in which we live. From its rise to the present day, capitalism is a system based on inequality maintained by violence, and everyone is a part of that, albeit in significantly different ways. The same is true of the nation-state, which acts as the most direct violent enforcer of social inequality, and some other dominant social institutions. Thus, as individuals, we cannot extricate ourselves from violence anymore than we can extricate ourselves from the broader social context in which we live, which is one of inescapable interdependence in which our actions always have consequences for other people whether we like it or not. Therefore -- and I can't emphasize this enough -- we don't have the ability to start from a position of true nonviolence and then decide whether to become involved in violence. Instead, we start from a position in which, very sadly, we are already deeply involved in violence. From that starting point, we can either act to increase or decrease violence in terms of the foreseeable consequences of our actions.  Given this, what's called "non-violent" activism is always preferrable to "violent" activism when 1.) it is an experimental attempt to figure out what works and doesn't work in situations where the consequences of particular actions are unclear, and 2.) when it is likely to decrease long-term violence without increasing it in the immediate short term, as "violent" activism would. Again, the emphasis in on the consequences of the acts, not the acts themselves as though they existed in a social vaccuum.  People who act "non-violently" based on an analysis of these consequences may engage in "tactical non-violence," alongside committed pacifists without being committed pacifists themselves. Pacifists quite often make arguments based on such consequnces, arguing that "violent" activism always leads to more violence and is therefore always counterproductive. While there are many situation in which this IS the case, there are many in which it is not, and I've found that when you push a lot of pacifists further, they haven't really examined the historical record of this issue -- that ultimately, they're just trying to rationalize the delusion that they can extricate themselves from violence and wash they're hands clean in order to get into heaven or stay true to some other form of moral absolutism.  But really, I think a lot of pacifists, on some level, realize this about their motivations. One statement I've repeatedly heard pacifists declare is, "For me nonviolence isn't a tactical issue, it's a moral issue." But that doesn't make sense. Moral issues are always tactical issues insofar as morality has anything to do with the foreseeable how our actions affect others. So what does it mean to be a pacifist? I think a pacifist friend of mine spelled out the logical extention of pacifism when she and I were first getting involved in activism. She ended a long argument on the subject with this: "Non-violence isn't a tactical issue for me. I would rather that I die and everyone else in the world die than engage in an act of violence." If that's not a statement of moral absolutism detached from social consequences, I don't know what is.   
Q: What are some historical examples of violent activism, on a small or large scale, that you think made a huge impact (public opinion, legislation, change of leadership, revolution) on a social justice issue?  
A: Well, violence always impacts social justice, and it's easy to ome up with many examples where violence had a negative impact relative to social justice. However, the Cuban Revolution obviously dramatically increased the health, education and well-being of that country's population on many counts relative to several Latin American countries where the was successful in overthrowing progressive revolutions and reducing the countries to their century-old role as sources of cheap labor, raw materials and food exports for the US. In addition to Guatemala, El Salvador and Chile, one Latin American revolution the US overthrew, in this case by organizing a proxy terrorist army occurred in Nicaragua after the Sandinista Revolution of 1979. Had the US not targetted the civilian infrastructure of the popular social programs of the revolution (murdering healthcare workers, teachers, etc.) and forced the Nicaraguan government to spend over half of its budget on defense until the population finally submitted and elected the Sandinistas US back opposition in 1990, Nicaragua would be a hell of lot better off and much more democratic and egalitarian than Cuba (which would also probably be a lot better without a 50 year trade embargo and the US's longstanding policy of regime change, be it through well documented assasination attempts against Castro, at least one attempted invasion, and the economic strangulation already mentioned). Does that mean the violence of the Nicaraguan Revolution which overthrew the Somoza dictatorship (Somoza was known by Nicaraguans as "the last Marine" since his family's dictatorship was originally installed under the direct US military occupation of the country in the 1920s) wasn't justified? It was incredibly popular, meaning that the people took the risk. Had more Americans been willing to take more risks (probably not by engaging in violence) to reduce their own country's violence, the Sandinistas might have prevailed.  Other positive effects of violence? As the Pentagon Papers revealed, the US began abandoning the ground war in Vietnam because Johnson's advisors said the domestic security of the US could not be maintained against the militancy of the anti-war movement and Black uprising if Johnson granted General Westmoreland's 1968 request for more draftees. The threat of unrest and resistance (in part violent unrest and resistance) from the left combined with resistance to the war within the military (including soldiers killing their officers) and of course the violent opposition of the Vietnamese people to thwart an imperial take-over of the country... although, of course, millions of Vietnamese were killed and the country left in ruins.  Were violent slave uprisings justified? Was the US civil war? Was the resistance to Franco, Mussilini and Hitler?  It was a violent riot that started the modern gay right movement.  More relevant to our times, there is no ignoring the fact that what turned US public opinion so dramatically against the Iraq War was the dramatic increase of US casualties during the first two years of the occupation.

Rumi: A one_love Case Study

This story describes the speech President Obama gave today at Cairo University. He makes a strong argument against violent resistance about halfway through, and I think his answer to my questions about violent activism is pretty clear: "violence is a dead-end." More on this still to come. 

Obama addressed the crowd using themes that the NPR story describes as Kennedy-esque, recognizing this quote: "the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart."

However, this quote reminded me of another person: the 13th century Sufi poet, Rumi. 

(Photo by L.E. MacDonald)

I wanted to do a case study of Rumi, an historical figure whom I think embodies the message I want to explore in this blog. Specifically, I wanted to describe and elaborate on Rumi's teachings of universalism in religion. I did quite a bit of research on Rumi in my Islam class, and I wanted to share it. 

First, a description of Rumi's message of universality stems from the Qur'an itself. In vers 256 of the second sura, it says: "There is no compulsion in religion." Rumi justifies this belief by arguing that God is ever-present. He wrote in his Masnavi, “When we praise a person or an object, we really praise God. As the praiseworthy is one, all religions are one religion.” This somehow implies that the cause of religious conflict lies in ignorance.  Rumi himself said, “If there was a man of esoteric knowledge, a man of a hundred languages, there wouldn’t be any disagreement.”

The resonance of Rumi’s universal teachings of love and transcendence into a common humanity is proven by the fact that, although he was born in Persia more than 800 years ago, he is the most widely read poet in America today. Paradoxically, this popularity comes at a time when the American mainstream media has seemed to contrive everything Muslim as everything bad.  Perhaps Rumi's arguments are compelling to a wide modern audience because we are experiencing turmoil just as his contemporaries experienced turmoil in the 13th century. 

The continuing timelessness and penetrating influence of Rumi’s teachings of love and common humanity attests to the modern world’s realization that humanity is nearing a choice between engaging in what Samuel Huntington called the “clash of civilizations,” or, a compassionate dialogue. 

The modern world’s recognition of and devotion to a poet who taught the simplistic truths of love, understanding and common humanity, has built a bridge upon which “the East” and “the West” may meet in compassionate and understanding dialogue; the “civilizations” described by Huntington no longer exist. Instead, the colors of our perceived differences may bleed together in the waters underneath that bridge, until, as Rumi so beautifully articulated, we will realize we are all interconnected.

 

Mental Health Advocacy in Athens: An Interactive Map

View Mental Health Advocacy in Southeastern Ohio in a larger map

I wanted to share this map because mental health advocacy is a social justice issue that I believe is not reported often enough. There is not a taboo on mental illness like there was 20 years ago, but attitudes that degrade the mentally ill, or even view the mentally ill as not necessarily dangerous, but "different" still remain. 

Because Athens historically housed a large mentally ill population at what is now called The Ridges, and mental illness is generally first seen between the ages of 18-24, this city has a larger mentally ill population than most of its size. Mental health advocacy is therefore an essential issue in this city. For those interested, all of the locations on my map include links. Call or visit websites to find out how to get involved, or how to help yourself or someone you know who may benefit from any of the services offered at these locations. 

Is Violence Ever 'Okay' In Activism?

This week's episode of This American Life, #381: Turncoat, told the story of Brandon Darby, an activist/anarchist-turned-FBI informant. 

It got me thinking a lot about the rights and wrongs of activism, specifically when violence is used as a means to express an opinion or make a point. 

In this case, Darby's story relates to the potential use of violence at the Republican National Convention in August 2008, and how he took steps to prevent it. He did so as an informant for the FBI, and two activists from Texas, David McKay and Brad Crowder, were consequently sentenced to 4 and 2 years in jail, respectively. Many activists were very upset with Darby's decision, saying he was whoring out to the government. Others thought he provoked McKay and Crowder, then ratted them out. 

I will elaborate on Darby's story as I continue to think about this post, but I wanted to investigate more on historical uses of violence in activism, and when the use of violence is good (or if it ever can be) versus when it's bad.  More to come on this, but until then, click here to see Darby's letter.

"Town And Gown" A Term To Separate Communities: Looking At 'The Big Picture' Of The Palmer Fest Riots

Driving into Athens, the sense of community immediately grabs newcomers and residents alike; it's palpable. Turning onto Court St. from Richland Ave., downtown Athens offers the familiarity of the Burrito Buggy on the right and Casa Cantina on the left, dispersed with students and small business owners or vendors. The little old lady behind the counter of the Lollipop candy shop on Union greets her customers with a smile. Then on E. State St. turning onto May St. small houses with inviting gardens beckon the Dow-Lake bound on their drive up the winding roads. Eyes peek out behind wide-brimmed sun hats and wave to passers-by. 

While this picture seems like an accurate description of a harmonious community (it is), there is more to the story. 

The term "town and gown" is sometimes used to describe a place like Athens: a town where both permanent residents and college students live in the same community. It's intent, or rather it's effect, however, is to create two separate communities: the "townies" and the students. Besides being degrading and stereotypical, Coordinator of Off-Campus Living Stephan Oechsle says this distinction has implications that can destroy the picture-perfect harmony described above. 

"It implies an adversarial relationship," said Oechsle. "I think that's a shame because it really is one symbiotic community." 

For example, says Oechsle, the University depends on the local community's labor for its staff, and the students provide the community with an active and flexible population that brings a variety of backgrounds and interests to the community. 

"It's not just a college out in the woods," he said. 

According to Oechsle, Off-Campus Living, along with local law enforcement and the University, have been making strides toward developing a more "cooperative spirit" upon which making the term "town and gown" completely outdated depends. But Off Campus Living can only do so much - it's up to the residents and students to seize this opportunity and rid Athens of the perception that students and permanent residents are opposing forces. 

"It takes people making an investment to get to know people on the other side," said Oechsle. 

Oechsle says one effect of the perception the term "town and gown" creates "has been the way permanent residents' fears of student renters have manifested themselves." 

For example, says Oechsle, the "effects of the legislative choices the city has made has been the creation of student ghettos." That is, pushing the student body into densely packed, almost exclusively student-rented housing and appartment complexes like Palmer St., Palmer Place, and Stewart St. 

"Instead of that making them happy, it creates more problems," said Oechsle. "One of which is that they have less investment in their surroundings. All they ever see is other students." 

The recent Palmer St. riots, for example, surely provided some evidence of such lack of investment on the part of the students; the fears of permanent residents that might have lain relatively dormant in recent years were realized that night. 

(Photo credit to Sam Saccone, from The Post online) 

It is important that Athens look at the big picture: the Palmer Fest riot as it is now being called was not merely the result of a random, drunken party that got out of hand: it was the result of years of decisions built on fearful assumptions that defined certain groups as problems. That is not to say that legislative decisions were based on unfounded fears: surely those fears were based on some foundation. However, it is the responsibility of both parties to rid the term "town and gown" from their vocabulary and their thinking; Athens can become that harmonious community if permanent residents and students alike do some independent research instead of relying on reputations. 

How to do this? 

1. Walk to a neighbor's house and say "Hello." 

2. Attend Neighborhood Association Meetings and City Council Meetings. Getting involved and sharing opinions is an essential part of communication among neighbors. Attending such meetings expresses an interest in the opinions of others and a willingness to make communities more harmonious.

3. Know your rights and responsibilities as community members. Become a positive influence on your neighborhood, and those who share it with you. 

Grassroots International : Activism on a Large Scale

This is a website pertaining to social justice issues that provides coverage on an international scale. The site provides in-depth coverage of issues that are not widely discussed in the mainstream media, and offers an alternative source of news for the purpose of creating "a just and sustainable world [and] advancing social change." The primary focus of this organization is on food, water and land. It advocates for people living in countries that have been in many ways taken advantage of or forgotten by the foreign policies of powerful countries such as the United States. 

People working for the organization collect data, build movements, develop reports, and work to promote human rights, rethink aid, develop sustainable livelihoods, develop educational resources and greater access to education, write grants and build partnerships with other aid organizations around the world. 

What most drew me into the site was the slideshow of images in the upper right corner better illustrating the people most in need of Grassroots International's support and advocacy. It personalizes the page and gives the organization legitimacy. 

Another key aspect of this page was a clear option to "donate now." The option to donate is obviously a key component to any non-profit organization, and I think it was a wise decision to make the option very visible and user-friendly for those who visit the site and wish to contribute to the cause financially.  In the same sense, an option to "join now" by entering an email address is clearly one of the first things the viewer sees upon entering the site. I think these things definitely encourage involvement on the part of people who want to help out, if even just getting the word out or helping fund a local educational event. 

Last but not least, the substance of the site included blog posts and online stories about current events and international social injustices. The stories and posts are "short features" that tell the story of an in-depth issue in a concise manner. The site also includes Op-Eds and Q & As, which I thought were both helpful and a good alternative to online stories and blog posts. These things can approach an issue from different or specific angles that a blog post or online story might not be able to reach, and I think that ability is important especially when reporting on complex issues that have many sides, and affect many people who need to tell their stories in different ways. 

Click here for a review of Grassroots International by the Better Business Bureau. 

How To Promote Social Justice in Athens

If you want to promote social justice but don't know how to contribute, start by figuring out what you're most interested in. There is most likely a student group, organization, or business in Athens you can join that will help you make a difference and explore opportunities to be engaged in the community in the ways you feel are most important to you. Below is a list i've compiled of some of the student groups, organizations and businesses that have caught my eye so far. I've introduced them via "about" sections on their various websites. There are definitely more - feel free to add any. 

InterActivist Magazine: click here for their facebook page and here for their myspace page

Politically progressive student-run magazine committed to reporting on social justice and grassroots organizing.

United Campus Ministry: click here :)

Promoting spiritual growth via inclusive, creative methods & community service.

Empower: click here :)

Sells African jewelry & art to send African orphans to school.

Donkey Coffee: click here :)

Sells free trade coffee & helps social justice groups in Athens through public awareness, serving & financial giving.

Ohio University Women's Center: click here :)

Serving & advocating women of Athens.

My Sister's Place: click here :)

Providing safe shelter for women who are victims of domestic violence. 

Big Brothers/Big Sisters: click here :)

Helping disadvantaged children in Athens county by providing productive and healthy atmospheres & role models. 

 

Islamic Center of Athens: A Look Inside

I took an Islam class last quarter with Dr. Loren Lybarger, and in each class, there was considerable effort made on his part to get his students to see Muslims as people just like them. I came into the class already open-minded about people who are different from me, and that's one of the main reasons I took the class: to learn about "other" people. What I found, though, is that there really is no "other." 

Yes, our customs and rituals may be different. But the way I see it, our beliefs may in fact be the same. There are certain beliefs that I think are innate to all of humanity, and these beliefs form the core of all religions. Humanity believes in compassion, love, understanding, justice. These things should bring us together if we share them, not tear us apart. 

The reason I included a slideshow of the Muslims of Athens praying, was for the purpose of humanizing their rituals that are too often seen as foreign. The first and most important step in debunking the myth of the "other" is education. I urge everyone to educate themselves on people they may identify as "different." Once steps are taken to learn about another culture or religion, I believe more similarities rather than differences will be found. 

This was my second time attending their Friday prayers, and I have never felt more welcome. Being inside the prayer hall, I saw people just like myself. After prayers, everyone gathered around plates of fruit, talking about their week at work, their kids, their upcoming vacations. They were most eager to talk to me, though. What questions did I have for them about their religion? Would I like to come back? Would I please help myself to more fruit?   

My virtual tour isn't enough. Everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to attend a prayer, or even just to visit the Center and talk to a member of the Muslim Students Association. Visit this link for more information about the MSA, including prayer times and events calendars. 

Where did Up in Arms go?

This is a sidebar story I wrote to supplement my story on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, included in the March 2008 issue of the InterActivist, an entirely student-run, politically progressive magazine in Athens. 

In it, I interview Kat Primeau, who performed as Rachel Corrie in the play "My Name is Rachel Corrie" as part of her thesis. Primeau was also one of the founding members of Up in Arms, a politically progressive student theater group. Since her graduation, however, the group has been inactive. I hope someone will step up and take Primeau's place, in order to continue the group. 

Up In Arms to Remember Life, Honor Death of Activist Rachel Corrie

Danny Yahini, an Israeli-born American Jew and local contractor who recently spoke with The InterActivist about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, characterized groups working to defend Palestinian human rights as “wonderful.” Among the examples Yahini gave were the Israeli human rights group Bezelem, which literally means “in the image of [God],” Peace Now, a group of self-described “Israeli pacifists for Palestinian self-determination within the 1969 borders,” and the International Solidarity Movement, a Palestinian-led organization made up of Palestinians, Israelis and other activists from around the world.

In the course of their work, some of these groups’ members have suffered the same fate as many Palestinians subjected to foreign military occupation. Twenty-three-year-old American college student Rachel Corrie was one of those.

On March 16,2003, Corrie was killed by Israeli forces while working with the ISM. She was standing between a bulldozer and the house of a Palestinian family she knew, attempting to save the house from being demolished by the Israeli military. The bulldozer ran her over. 

To commemorate the 5^th anniversary of her death, the OU student group Up In Arms will present “My Name is Rachel Corrie,” a play based on the events leading up to Corrie’s death as told through Corrie’s own journal entries and emails. Created by Katherine Viner and Alan Rickman, the play was first staged in 2005 and has since won the Theatregoers Choice Awards for Best Director and Best New Play, as well as Best Solo Performance for actress Megan Dodds.

“[Corrie’s] argument wasn’t some competing ‘us versus them’ narrative,” said Up In Arms President Kat Primeau. “It was ‘all of us are in this together.’ She was a humanist.”

Hahne Theater in Kantner Hall on College St. will host the play.

Up In Arms first staged excerpts of the play in Athens last year. Primeau wanted to show it in its entirety this year because “it’s important that we keep having this dialogue.”

“It’s really inspirational for activists of all kinds,” said Primeau. “Not because [Corrie] is a martyr, but because she led a fulfilling life and acted on what she believed in.”

I searched Up in Arms' myspace and found the last login was March of last year. where has it gone? Kat Primeau graduated - but someone should continue with the group!

For a link to another story about the event, if it peaks interest, click here.

Dandelion Salad Tastes Good To Me.

http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/

This blog is something along the lines of a blog I'd be proud to call my own. It's graphically creative and the content is well-researched and often politically progressive. But above all, the writing is concise and to the point, creative and witty. The writers usually keep themselves out of their posts, bringing credibility to the table. 

One of the things I most admire about the blog is that it questions people and institutions most who are politically progressive might settle for. For example, one of the posts calls obama on his claim that the us does not torture. I admire this blog's ability to question whoever is in power, whether the writer supported that person or not. I want my blog to do the same, at a more local level. 

For instance, one of my goals for this blog might be to look at current news stories - perhaps in the post or the athens news - that I feel have been underreported or misrepresented. Maybe there is a side to that story I feel is being left out. If so, I want to elaborate on that missing piece and offer that point of view to an audience interested in hearing more than just the facts. My goal is to create a following of people who are interested in just why an event happened, not when and where and who was there. 

I tried to do that in my first two posts about the take back the night march. I hope my readers appreciated that I tried to bring a different point of view to their vision of that march and rally.

I would love to eventually import my blog to wordpress and include tabs like "books" "websites" "old blogs" etc., as this one does. I might also be able to get more creative with my web design if I had more freedom and knowledge to make that freedom work well for the message I want to send out into the world. 

Gut Check: A Poem

I attended the 2009 Take Back the Night poetry slam, originally planning on politely listening to the poetry offered by others. Toward the end, though, I got up the guts after a few, "do you have something to read?"'s. I ended up reading this poem, which I wrote in Spring 2008. I wrote it to sort out some issues I had with religion and femininity, after a particularly interesting discussion I had with my Intro to Religion professor, Dr. Loren Lybarger. 

It's called "Gut Check."

The eyes are the windows to the soul 
Yet this woman reveals hers to me, 
the only part of her body she allows me to see.

Age twelve, she screams. 
not of the pain of the knife 
but of the pain of losing what's being cut from her:
womanhood, sexuality, independence. 

Is it modesty? piety? tradition, religion.
Is it her choice? 

This woman cannot tell her own story; 
others interpret her fears, ambitions, pain.
They tell it for her. 

"She loves her veil."
"No,she hates it." 
it protects her.
no, it silences her. 

She is not the object 
of the guerilla's unyeilding desires – 
a comfort. 

At what cost must this comfort come? 
To have a voice, 
to embrace her womanhood, 
is forbidden. 

Is she happy? 
I suppose I couldn't know, 
me, the submissive, modest young woman, 
ashamed of mine.

I could cradle myself
in a nest of swaddling black robes, 
peek my eyes out 
and immerse myself in her role, 
be contented, feel relieved. 

But would she, in my baggy sweaters, 
shake herself free?
Does she crave a voice 
as I hide mine? 

Do her eyes reveal the womanhood 
I try to cover, 
veiling my curves, 
my voice, 
myself?



The book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi includes lots of comical (and serious) commentary on the subject of the veil during the Iranian Revolution.
If you haven't already...read it. Posted below is a video of Satrapi, discussing the implications of her book and the movie on the way those who've read it view Iranians. 





"it's a movie about love, about family, about the human being"
--marjane satrapi

The "F" Word: Does "Feminism" = "F Men?"

"Out of the dorms and into the streets, we won't be raped we won't be beat!"

"Whatever we wear, wherever we go: yes means yes and no means no!"

"Women unite! Take back the night!"

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT [march and rally] 2009: Thursday, April 23

7 p.m.  [West Portico]

Women of athens speak out against domestic violence and sexual assault

(See this link for more details)

The women who met at West Portico as dusk was setting in were of all ages, races, sexual orientations, majors, income levels and education levels. They were of all body types. They had red, brown, blond, purple, and black hair. And they were all there for the same reason: very loudly and very publicly announce to the residents of athens that domestic violence and sexual assault against women must end.

The rally began with a speeches from women activists who highlighted such statistics as:

1/4 college-age women will be victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault

only 5% will report an incident of sexual assault to police

The goal of this was obviously to raise awareness: of the women there, each one surely had to realize how many around them had suffered such injustices. 

A man with a braided beard and whispy brown hair down to his shoulders stood quietly in the back. A sign hung around his shoulders, black , jagged sharpie letters on neon orange poster board: "men are victims too"

Few in the crowd paid him much attention.

A 5th-year senior came to the stage. "it's one thing to hear statistics," she said. "but i am the face. i'm the one in four or the one in six." 

After a speech from the organizer of the "sideline support," a group of men whose role is to encourage the women during their march, the women began their silent walk down jeff hill, holding lit candles in memory of women who lost their lives as a result of domestic violence or sexual assault. 

Tears were shed. Arms were linked. University photographers lined the sidewalks as they captured the intimate grievances of the marchers on film, soon to make their pain public: "I am marching for my mother," one face might say. another, "I am leaving him." some might be mere supporters with no first-hand experience of domestic violence or sexual assault, and therefore little concept of what this march meant to the women around them. 

It was all very moving. 

But what came next moved me, as it seemed at the time, into a completely different dimension of reality. 

Once these women had released the sadness inside of them, what remained? Candles were blown out, women were handed pieces of paper with "chant" lyrics, and the anger came out.

"1,2,3,4 I am not your fucking whore!

5,6,7,8 Why don't you go masturbate!"

...

Anger.

It has infused some of the most powerful demonstrations around the world. It evokes a Malcom X sort of feeling. The women who were expressing this anger definitely have the right to feel it (who can take away a human being's right to feel a certain emotion?). The experience of expressing that anger was liberating. You could see it in the way they yelled, in the way they cried, in the way they held onto each other as they rounded the corner of court and washington streets.

This demonstration was undoubtedly empowering for many women who participated. It might have even been scary, a leap of faith. Some might have "come out" that night, revealing to friends that they, too, had been victims of sexual assault.

This demonstration undoubtedly made men, women, bisexuals, lesbians, and transsexuals think about the rights and wrongs of expressing dissent, and dealing with conflicts in their relationships.

But here are my questions for you: did this rally and march speak out against domestic violence and sexual assault, or did it perpetuate it?

Can women's voices not only be heard, but be taken seriously, in the form of indignant anger?

I am of the opinion that women's voices must be heard. they must speak out, and those who listen must take them seriously. If men are put off by the anger that was demonstrated in the rally, perhaps it is because they have never experienced the pain these women have experienced. there is a reason for this anger. that reason must be addressed. 

But perhaps there is a reason it is not being addressed. Perhaps the indignant anger is getting in the way of the listening.

How can I possibly know what these women were feeling when they shouted those words? How can anybody know, except the women themselves? And how can anybody know, except for the men who heard these words from their houses and apartments, what it felt like to hear those words? 

For those men who walked out into the sunlight to hear such angry and demeaning words come from their peers, the "F" word has essentially been equated to "F men." 

I am of the opinion that the man with the whispy brown hair deserves a hug.

I am a feminist. next year I plan to take back the night with my compassion. Thank you to the men who have treated me well, and shown me what I deserve. 

I am a feminist.