Intersectionality of Abuse

Today’s readings were riddled with pain and suffering. These stories provided differing situations and results among themselves, but the issue was quite clear. Women today, all over the world, are still being regularly victimized by the patriarchal systems in which they live. Religion and politics have shaped the ability of men to control women by threat of sexual violence and, as is clear in the readings, this dominance will not end until there are major changes made within the social system that perpetuates it. In “War Crimes” Helen Clarkson recounts the experiences of several women raped in the Congo. Already shocking enough, this article tells of one woman’s experience that I feel demonstrates one of the major problems with today’s social relationships. This woman, raped in the fields while working, says that “Suddenly we saw a group of armed men approaching us. My husband managed to flee but two men caught me. They raped me and at the same time they hit me on the back” (613). The woman’s rape is certainly a sad story, but the most disgusting part is that her husband deserted her, leaving her to be gang-raped by dangerous men. One of the major tenets of any patriarchal society is that a husband take care of his wife. Wedding vows commonly include a statement about lifelong caring and honor, especially on the part of the wife. But who in their right mind would leave the person they love to be violated while they ran to safety?
This issue has been documented among other cultures as well. In America husbands have been deserting their wives for years, as well as their children. While this isn’t out of the question for women either, it is much more prevalent among males. Dominance is a leverage point for men who know that their wives are not strong enough to fight, physically or mentally. In “Mapping the Margins”, Kimberly Crenshaw asserts that women of color in America, particularly Latino immigrants, are skipped over by many social outreach programs because of their inability to conform to certain restrictions and bylaws. On page 202 she asserts that, “many immigrant women are wholly dependent on their husbands as their link to the world outside their homes. Immigrant women are also vulnerable to spousal abuse because so many of them depend on their spouses for information regarding their legal status”. These women are forced to believe whatever their husband may say, because they may not know English. This language barrier allows their husbands the unique ability to lie about their status, and therefore control their lives. Non-English speaking women cannot call help lines, cannot reach out to their neighbors, and cannot request the assistance of clergy without an interpreter.
While this week’s readings exhibited very differing accounts of abuse they also formed a common bond around the issue of inequality of women in any society. Like I said before, these issues will never be resolved until the patriarchal societies in which they flourish are significantly changed.

Fluid Identities

After reading these pieces I noticed identity as a very common theme. I realize that, in today’s world, using the term “identity” could be saying thousands of different things, and this is exactly what these readings did for me. They showed me, in 4 readings, more perspectives on identity crisis and struggle than I have ever heard before. They catapulted me into a tizzy, questioning myself, “Have I gawked? Do I assume gender? Who have I offended”? Hopefully, not too many.
As a (mostly) heterosexual, white woman, it is hard for me to really understand what it feels like to be labeled in such a ridiculous manner. I will bitch and moan about being seen as a hippy, or a country person, or whatever; but I have never faced discrimination anything like that of Clare, Martin, or Alsutany. I strive to put myself in their shoes, to feel their resentment, their passion, their embarrassment, their pride….. But I just can’t do it. Even though I have had my fair share of crazy times in my younger days, I have never really experienced city life on a level like these authors have.
I really enjoyed Alsutany’s outlook on being an “other”. In “Los Intersectios: Recasting Moving Spaces” she writes that, “My body becomes marked with meaning as I enter public space” (292). This is the absolute truth. Any person’s identity is differing from how others see it. In a public space you are constantly judged, categorized, and placed into brackets. Even at the grocery store people are watching how you walk, how you talk, and peeping in your cart to see what you’ve got. It happens to me all the time and, like I said before, I’m just a boring old country girl. Public spaces are exactly what they seem –Public. No covers, no umbrellas, no hats. Just you and thousands of others who are going to put you into some checkbox in their mental bank.
Speaking of public spaces, I must say that I adored Clare’s friendly “fuck you” attitude towards gawkers. On page 225 she says, “They think I’m that pane of glass”. This can be read many, many ways. First of all, I think she is saying that they seem to gaze through her, like she won’t even notice their staring or gasping. This is a good option, as bigoted people will usually think someone under them (in their mind) is not as smart or mentally competent as them. Secondly, I noticed that this quote is similar to other ones I have read regarding women’s rights. The early Western woman, particularly the Victorian woman, was commonly related metaphorically to a looking glass, or the likes. These women were seen as dainty, sheltered women who spent their days tending to their children and brushing their glorious hair in the image reflected by their vanity’s looking glass. Many other women have asserted that they would not be fitting into this looking glass. Clare, like Martin and Alsutany, will not either

Three Things About Me

1. I have a fantastic 7 year old daughter named Kaia.
2. I LOVE bacon.
3. I have three rescue dogs. Two are Pit-bulls and the other is a Toy Poodle.