Tag: women

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Discussing Sexual Assualt

Take Back the Night, Houghton’s annual weeklong examination of the effect of sexual assault across college campuses, is fast approaching. Discussing a controversial topic is hard. We all know this. Nothing worth talking about isn’t. Take Back the Night will attempt to encourage dialogue that seeks to explore the relationship between victim, perpetrator, and bystander. More broadly, the event examines the ways in which men, women, boys, and girls, by reasoning together, can address the issue in a more holistic way. The goal is to promote unity and to understand sexual assault as not merely a “women’s issue.” The language we use when discussing sexual assault is important, as it is with all matters pertaining to injustice. Such a dialogue should be engaging and accessible to an audience that may not fully understand the extent of the issue. It is of the utmost importance to avoid using language that risks alienating key members of that audience.

No one would disagree that sexual assault is a huge problem. It is an atrocious, dehumanizing act that robs victims of their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. However, like all matters of injustice, the mere suggestion of sexual assault can elicit a variety of powerful responses. Preconceived notions run wild, and speculation about the victim’s character begins to form.. Again, no one would deny that sexual assault is anything less than horrific, but our reactions are not always appropriate to the situation.

As important as conversation around this issue is, many men are unwilling to participate in dialogue with proponents of social change because they feel that admitting the problem could make them complicit in the culture that surrounds assault.  No one wants to feel targeted, but these feelings are often due to a misunderstanding of the argument. However, part of that misunderstanding stems from exclusive language that can delegitimize the experience of men.  Such language is unhelpful, and removes a voice from a discussion that direly needs multiple perspectives.

The way we react to being told there’s a problem is important. By flying to Twitter or Facebook to rant, we very rarely achieve anything of real substance. Hearing a buzzword in an argument, lecture, or chapel and tuning out because of some perceived loss of the speaker’s credibility isn’t productive. It stifles progress and builds up barriers. By refusing to take part in a conversation we risk drowning out real change and we open the door to more of the same: misconstrued arguments, the alienation of key demographics, and language that divides rather than unifies.

This has to be avoided at all costs. Where sexual assault is concerned, there are challenging systemic problems that have to be addressed. For example, why are the perpetrators of sexual assault overwhelmingly male? Where in the male developmental process does the behavior that fuels it begin to show? This is a conversation meant to be had by men and women,  so that together, we can advocate for an end to sexual assault.

Seminars, surveys, and informational videos certainly communicate a clear message against harassment and improper behavior, but their effectiveness is hampered greatly by their oftentimes dry execution. We need more than that if we expect to see a change in the way society deals with sexually based offenses. Critics of the seminar/survey method call such measures like sensitivity training a mechanical response unlikely to amount to substantial progress. What many psychologists and activists recommend instead, is leadership training and tying the issue back to the initial point of the value of communication.

By holding ourselves to higher standards, by governing closely the words that leave our mouths, and by holding others to those standards accordingly is how a culture begins to change. Martin Luther King Jr. cautioned, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” He urged his listeners to not sit idly by while their brothers and sisters marched in the streets, but to make their voices heard. Individuals against sexual assault share the same vision.

Jackson is a senior political science major with minors in Spanish and business administration.

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Opinions

Abortion: The Elephant in the Room

Abortion. The unspoken elephant in the room. We need to talk about this. We need to be proactive about addressing this issue.  Abortion is not going away. No amount of guilt-driven Facebook posts or verbal assaults of condemnation will ever end this injustice.

WebQuoteMost Christians can agree that abortion is immoral. But the way many Christians handle this issue is embarrassing.  A typical response is close-minded and shallow. If clarification is needed: I am a Christian. The reader needs to know that I have had experience with this issue. Unlike many, who voice their opinions, I know firsthand what it feels like to consider abortion. I was raped when I was eighteen. Put in context, I became a Christian two years later. But after the assault, I had a choice to make. I didn’t want to face the shame and consequences that accompany sexual assault.

After I became a Christian, one night at a worship service I felt a deep regret for the actions I chose in the aftermath of being raped. The message had nothing to do with abortion, but I left with a need to address the consequences of my actions. I decided to join a post-abortion Bible study at Carenet, a local crisis pregnancy center near my hometown.

The reason I bring this topic up is because I haven’t been able to avoid it in my private life. One night this summer, I was spending time with a good friend. The end of the night approached and I was driving her back home. She didn’t know about my past. Two minutes before we reached her house, she blurted out, “Abortion is murder! If I were raped tomorrow I still would never choose abortion!” I applaud her for her passion, but I couldn’t help but call her bluff. There is no way she could know what her response to being raped would be.

It seems to me that for abortion not to be a viable option for many women, there must be structural change in education and welfare. This could be approached in two phases. There needs to be greater efforts in prevention that would include improvements in education, self-defense, and building a more positive self-image in Christ. To clarify, I feel there is a lack of proper education about what abortion is and what other options there are to choose from in the event of an unexpected pregnancy. There is also a lack of instructing women that their worth does not come from men, but from God. I also feel strongly that there needs to be self-defense classes taught to girls in high school, so that in a time of need she is prepared to defend herself.

The second phase would be improvements in assistance to those women who have chosen to carry their child until full-term. If the woman was raped, she needs counseling. I commend the efforts that have been made to aid women. At Carenet if the woman, or a couple (men do come too!) goes through an education program they will end up with a special gift at the end, such as a stroller, car seat, or crib. Ministries like this are a great start to addressing this issue!
My last concern addresses a subtle trend that accompanies the issue of abortion as well as the issue of premarital sex. I am disgusted with the immediate “labels” people, including Christians, assign to women who choose abortion, as well as the label given to women who choose to carry to full-term but don’t have the father present. In these situations, women are either considered murderers or whores. It is a lose-lose situation. Is this anyway to talk about a person? I don’t think so. We need to think carefully about how quick we are to judge a person’s actions before we know the entire context.  We, as representatives of God, need to stand firm in our convictions; but at the same time, acknowledge that action is what brings about change. Our beliefs should drive our actions. Let’s bring glory to God and truly make an effort to end the global epidemic of abortion.

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Sports

Athlete Profile: Kristen Moose

art&sports_athleteJunior captain Kristen Moose came to Houghton from Swain, New York to play basketball. Although she has had to sit out the past couple games due to illness, Moose continues to lead the women’s team.

“Moose is a quiet leader, she is not vocal, but she leads in her actions and her work ethic. Her teammates catch on to that and it motivates them to work hard too,” said Coach Alicia Mucher, “She is definitely an asset to a team and in a lot of ways she is a coach’s dream to have. Very coachable, listens, right now we just wish she were healthy.”

“I think her sickness has affected our team, but I think it has caused Moose to reflect on her role on our team more,” said freshman teammate Maggie Reynolds.Moose has been playing basketball since she was a little girl. She began playing with her dad, starting organized competition in elementary school. She competed in soccer and softball as well, but basketball won out as the more favored sport.

“Sometimes it’s probably a bad habit, but I tend to put basketball ahead of school. It probably isn’t the right thing,” Moose said, “But generally it is pretty easy to balance school with basketball.”
Moose is studying both physical education and health at Houghton. She aspires to be either a teacher or coach post-graduation. Her teammates and coach foresee her excelling in this field.
“Moose is definitely one of the hardest workers I have ever coached, if not the hardest worker. She has worked so much and put so much time into her individual development that she is really starting to reap some of those benefits,” said Mucher, “There is no question she is an outstanding basketball player.”

Last year, Moose received player of the year in the American Mideast Conference. This year, she leads the Empire 8 in points per game, averaging at 17. She leads the team in turnovers, field goals, three-pointers, assists, and free throws. She has earned player of the week twice this season as well.

“Moose is a very hard worker and that’s her style of play,” said Reynolds, “She does a good job pushing our team to excellence.”

“I just always want to be the best that I can be. I don’t ever want to look back and regret it,” said Moose, “The better I do individually, the more I can help the team out.”

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Opinions

Women in Combat, A Next Step Toward Equality

Women in Combat
Women in Combat

In case you have missed the recent headlines, one of Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta’s final significant policy decisions, the military’s ban on women in direct combat situations has been lifted.
We as an editorial staff collectively say, “Finally.” We find compelling the case presented by the four servicewomen who sued the Pentagon and Panetta over the ban, pointing out that women have already in essence been serving in combat situations, and yet have not received formal recognition for their work and their sacrifices.

In an interview with Eyder Peralta for NPR, former Navy Lieutenant Carey Lohrenz said, “We have women in combat roles right now. We are just not able to promote them.” This denial of formal recognition and promotions has gone on too long, and Panetta’s lift of the ban is, in the words of Democratic Senator Mazie K. Hirono, a “great step toward equality.”

Others who read and commented on Elisabeth Bumiller and Thom Shanker’s New York Times coverage of the story don’t see it as such. A New York Times pick comment on their website by the username Harry from Michigan reads, “Next feminists will tell me that women can handle a man in hand to hand combat. How about we have women play in the NFL or any other pro sports…”
First, this comment villainizes feminism, a movement that has made and continues to make great strides in human rights issues for years. Next, to the dismay of Harry, we would point out that some women actually can handle men in hand to hand combat. There are many women who are more athletic than men, just as there are many women who are less athletic than men.

Veteran and Republican Senator John McCain has issued a statement supporting Panetta’s decision, and he added that, “As this new rule is implemented, it is critical that we maintain the same high standards that have made the American military the most feared and admired fighting force in the world – particularly the rigorous physical standards for our elite special forces units.”
Women will now have an equal opportunity to enter direct combat positions, but they do not expect any special allowances. In fact, the key is that servicewomen do not want to be treated any differently from servicemen.

Another online commenter on the New York Times article going by the username Keeping It Real wrote, “Why do American women want to be men? (Or is the real question, “Why are American women not allowed to be women?”)” New York Times pick commenter Academia Nut from Canada retorted, “Why would you limit a woman’s choice to be whatever she wants to be and is capable of being?”

Women have been moving into spheres traditionally occupied by men for years, and as Lohrenz said to Peralta, “We have women in combat roles right now… They’re on the ground in Iraq; they’re on the ground in Afghanistan. This is strictly formalizing and recognizing what their contributions currently are.”

The backlash from commenters such as Harry and Keeping It Real seem to be knee-jerk reactions to the blurring of lines between what is masculine and what is feminine that in the past have been more clear. They are focusing on the differences between men and women when the differences among men and women are much more significant.

This change in policy is not the first of its kind; New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Germany, Norway, Israel, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland all already permit women to serve in direct combat. There is no word as to whether women have ruined professional sports in these countries yet.