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ismnotwasm
ismnotwasm's Journal
ismnotwasm's Journal
May 3, 2014
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/23442-rape-rape-culture-and-the-problem-of-patriarchy
Rape, Rape Culture and the Problem of Patriarchy
This is a small part of a well written article, but I thought these were salient points. Funny-- I usually don't read truth out.
Let me repeat: The majority of men do not rape. But consider these other categories:
Men who do not rape but would be willing to rape if they were sure they would not be punished.
Men who do not rape but will not intervene when another man rapes.
Men who do not rape but buy sex with women who have been, or likely will be, raped in the context of being prostituted.
Men who do not rape but will watch films of women in situations that depict rape or rape-like acts.
Men who do not rape but find the idea of rape sexually arousing.
Men who do not rape but whose sexual arousal depends on feeling dominant and having power over a woman.
Men who do not rape but routinely masturbate to pornography in which women are presented as objectified bodies whose primary, or only, function is to provide sexual pleasure for men.
Those men are not rapists. But is that fact that the men in these categories are not, in legal terms, guilty of rape comforting? Are we advancing the cause of ending men's violence against women by focusing only on the acts legally defined as rape?
Men who do not rape but would be willing to rape if they were sure they would not be punished.
Men who do not rape but will not intervene when another man rapes.
Men who do not rape but buy sex with women who have been, or likely will be, raped in the context of being prostituted.
Men who do not rape but will watch films of women in situations that depict rape or rape-like acts.
Men who do not rape but find the idea of rape sexually arousing.
Men who do not rape but whose sexual arousal depends on feeling dominant and having power over a woman.
Men who do not rape but routinely masturbate to pornography in which women are presented as objectified bodies whose primary, or only, function is to provide sexual pleasure for men.
Those men are not rapists. But is that fact that the men in these categories are not, in legal terms, guilty of rape comforting? Are we advancing the cause of ending men's violence against women by focusing only on the acts legally defined as rape?
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/23442-rape-rape-culture-and-the-problem-of-patriarchy
May 2, 2014
What do women want? Over the past two decades, scientists have endeavored to answer this question by bringing women into their labs, asking about their sexual preferences, and then monitoring their menstrual cycles to try to extract clues from the ebb and flow of hormones in their mysterious female bodies. In recent years, these researchers have told us that the status of our monthly cycle on Election Day can influence our decision to favor Mitt Romneys chiseled individualism or Barack Obamas maternal healthcare policies; that our periods determine whether we feel like nesting with our partners tonight or heading out to proposition a stranger; and that our cycle urges us to swing with Tarzan at our most fertile and cuddle up with Clay Aiken when that months egg is out of the picture. Last month, psychologists at the University of Southern California published a meta-analysis of 58 research experiments that tested whether a womans preferences for masculinity, dominance, symmetry, health, kindness, and testosterone levels in her male romantic partners actually fluctuate across her menstrual cycle. The answer: They do not.
The analysis, published in the appropriately-titled journal Emotion Review, looked at studies that used a variety of sociological tools to examine womens preferences for a host of masculine cues, such as a mans gait, body hair, chin length, facial symmetry, or social interactivity, all through the prism of their menstrual cycles. They looked at studies that were focused on testing womens preferences in short term relationships (like one-night stands) and long-term commitments (like marriages), and at studies that didnt specify a relationship type at all. They included experiments that charted a womans menstrual cycle and fertility using hormonal tests and self-reports, ones that included women on hormonal contraception, and those that did not. All in all, they found that both fertile and non-fertile women preferred men who were more masculine, dominant, symmetric, and healthy; that those preferences remained relatively constant across their menstrual cycles; and that they applied to womens feelings about both short-term and long-term relationships. Meanwhile, women who were at the non-fertile stage of their cycleswhere they experience similar hormones to pregnant womendidnt suddenly prefer kinder, gentler men.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/05/02/menstrual_studies_debunked_women_do_not_make_mating_decisions_based_on_their.html
What do women want is the wrong question. What do people want is the correct one.
Study Finds That Women Aren’t Run By Their Periods. Scientists Everywhere Confused.
I wish someone would pay me a bunch of money for these studies. The article is kind of interesting, although heteronormative and focused on male partner preference of course. (Sigh)
What do women want? Over the past two decades, scientists have endeavored to answer this question by bringing women into their labs, asking about their sexual preferences, and then monitoring their menstrual cycles to try to extract clues from the ebb and flow of hormones in their mysterious female bodies. In recent years, these researchers have told us that the status of our monthly cycle on Election Day can influence our decision to favor Mitt Romneys chiseled individualism or Barack Obamas maternal healthcare policies; that our periods determine whether we feel like nesting with our partners tonight or heading out to proposition a stranger; and that our cycle urges us to swing with Tarzan at our most fertile and cuddle up with Clay Aiken when that months egg is out of the picture. Last month, psychologists at the University of Southern California published a meta-analysis of 58 research experiments that tested whether a womans preferences for masculinity, dominance, symmetry, health, kindness, and testosterone levels in her male romantic partners actually fluctuate across her menstrual cycle. The answer: They do not.
The analysis, published in the appropriately-titled journal Emotion Review, looked at studies that used a variety of sociological tools to examine womens preferences for a host of masculine cues, such as a mans gait, body hair, chin length, facial symmetry, or social interactivity, all through the prism of their menstrual cycles. They looked at studies that were focused on testing womens preferences in short term relationships (like one-night stands) and long-term commitments (like marriages), and at studies that didnt specify a relationship type at all. They included experiments that charted a womans menstrual cycle and fertility using hormonal tests and self-reports, ones that included women on hormonal contraception, and those that did not. All in all, they found that both fertile and non-fertile women preferred men who were more masculine, dominant, symmetric, and healthy; that those preferences remained relatively constant across their menstrual cycles; and that they applied to womens feelings about both short-term and long-term relationships. Meanwhile, women who were at the non-fertile stage of their cycleswhere they experience similar hormones to pregnant womendidnt suddenly prefer kinder, gentler men.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/05/02/menstrual_studies_debunked_women_do_not_make_mating_decisions_based_on_their.html
What do women want is the wrong question. What do people want is the correct one.
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Gender: Do not displayMember since: Mon Aug 23, 2004, 10:18 PM
Number of posts: 42,014