The Hook - LETTER- Society accepts women's degradation

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December 2007

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by published on 2/22/2007 in the Letter category

published on 2/22/2007

in the Letter category

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LETTER- Society accepts women's degradation

published 2/22/2007 12:00:00 AM

God bless Courteney Stuart for her thorough and humane article on the murder of Sarah Crawford ["Guilty," cover story February 15]. This story is shockingly common-- a woman tries to leave her abusive husband and is threatened, abused, or murdered.

This violence is so common in our culture that it has become invisible. During a several-month period last year when school girls at an Amish school and at a Colorado public high school were singled out for sexual assault in one case and murder in the other, news organizations and people across the country largely ignored the fact that girls alone were the targets. The notable exception was an editorial by Bob Herbert in an Oct0ber 16, 2006 opinion piece in the New York Times:

"[After these crimes] little was made of the fact that only girls were targeted. Imagine if a gunman had gone into a school, separated the kids on the basis of race or religion, and then shot only the black kids. Or only the white kids. Or only the Jews.

"There would have been thunderous outrage. The country would have... mobilized to eradicate the murderous bigotry. There would have been calls for action and reflection. The attack would have been seen for what it really was: a hate crime.

"None of that occurred because these were just girls, and we have become so accustomed to living in a society saturated with misogyny that violence against females is more or less expected. Stories about the rape, murder, and mutilation of women and girls are... as familiar to us as weather forecasts."

Sarah Crawford was attacked and killed because she was an ordinary woman trying to leave a bad relationship. Her story, tragically, has become as familiar as a weather forecast. Stuart's article shines light on her as a human being with problems, dreams, friends, a job, parents, who has now died in a brutal, humiliating way at the hands of someone she once trusted and even tried to help.

Until we begin to pay attention to these women and girls, unless we raise the visibility and end the complacency around such crimes, they will likely continue unabated. I pray that they don't continue to be as familiar as a weather forecast.

Thank you to The Hook for giving the story the attention it deserves.

Christine E. Black
Charlottesville

Dear Christine, I agree with your statement. I was absolutely horrified how in the murderer in the Amish School House Massachor only singled out the girls and let the boys go free. The media never really discussed it much. The Amish Leaders (all men of course) only seem interested in telling us how they want to forgive the murderer give the murderers family money while never letting us know how the surviving girls are doing. The press wanted us to be impressed with Amish forgiving the murderer but never talked why the murderer singled out only the girls. Amish are the last people on earth who should lecturing us about forgiveness when I know for a fact that Insest and rape is a really big problem within the Amish community and the do a very poor job in dealing with it. They also make girls wear close that make it hard for them to run or defend them selves. They also use excessive corporal punishment on the children. I feel so bad for Amish girls who got shot but I also feel bad them for being girls in the Amish Community. posted by Jeffrey Kornfeld at 3/4/2007 3:14:52 AM
To the Hook staff- Why is this listed as NEWS when it is clearly an editorial. Please make the correction. With regards to the content of the editorial: I think you are absolutely wrong in your assessment of the Amish school murders when you write: "None of that occurred because these were just girls,..." I remember that event, they were ALSO singled out BECAUSE they were AMISH. The fact that he singled out girls was mentioned in all the news coverage I saw/heard. It wasn't dwelt on because it is useless to obsess on the "why's" of a deranged individuals actions- especially one who is dead and cannot be questioned. Additionally if there were "complacency" with regard to crimes against women there would not be the plethora of laws that already exist and are designed to protect and aid women. posted by Bill Wells at 3/6/2007 1:32:32 PM
If women are so equal them why do they demand that men protectthem every time the going gets rough. It's getting old listening to women complain about things. They own half the money and all of the vaginas. What more could they possibly want???? posted by won hung guy at 3/6/2007 2:46:33 PM

Dear Christine,

I agree with your statement. I was absolutely horrified how in the murderer in the Amish School House Massachor only singled out the girls and let the boys go free. The media never really discussed it much. The Amish Leaders (all men of course) only seem interested in telling us how they want to forgive the murderer give the murderers family money while never letting us know how the surviving girls are doing. The press wanted us to be impressed with Amish forgiving the murderer but never talked why the murderer singled out only the girls. Amish are the last people on earth who should lecturing us about forgiveness when I know for a fact that Insest and rape is a really big problem within the Amish community and the do a very poor job in dealing with it. They also make girls wear close that make it hard for them to run or defend them selves. They also use excessive corporal punishment on the children. I feel so bad for Amish girls who got shot but I also feel bad them for being girls in the Amish Community.

posted by Jeffrey Kornfeld at 3/4/2007 3:14:52 AM

To the Hook staff- Why is this listed as NEWS when it is clearly an editorial. Please make the correction.

With regards to the content of the editorial:

I think you are absolutely wrong in your assessment of the Amish school murders when you write: "None of that occurred because these were just girls,..."

I remember that event, they were ALSO singled out BECAUSE they were AMISH. The fact that he singled out girls was mentioned in all the news coverage I saw/heard.

It wasn't dwelt on because it is useless to obsess on the "why's" of a deranged individuals actions- especially one who is dead and cannot be questioned.

Additionally if there were "complacency" with regard to crimes against women there would not be the plethora of laws that already exist and are designed to protect and aid women.

posted by Bill Wells at 3/6/2007 1:32:32 PM

If women are so equal them why do they demand that men protectthem every time the going gets rough. It's getting old listening to women complain about things. They own half the money and all of the vaginas. What more could they possibly want????

posted by won hung guy at 3/6/2007 2:46:33 PM

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