I didn’t expect Gloria Steinem to talk about violence; well, I sort of did, but only in the context of domestic violence. But police violence, wars, & terrorism?
What did she just say?
The single biggest determinant of whether a country is violent within itself, or is willing to use military violence against another country is not poverty, religion, or degree of democracy. It’s violence against females.
OMG!
Police?
In the police force, 40% of the families of police officers have had incidents of domestic violence. [what!] Yet, there is no training program that takes that into consideration. Behavior associated with violence against women should be applied to ferret out police officers most likely to use violence.
Wars?
Had the concept of ‘violence against women the biggest indicator of all other violence’ been part of U.S. foreign policy, we would have known better than to arm the Afghan Mujahedeen, well known for their repressive views of women. That war was the precursor to 9/11. Read Sex & The World Peace by Valerie Hudson.
Shootings?
George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012. The neighborhood watch coordinator, he had faced allegations of domestic violence. Mass shootings have their root in delusions of superiority that seek to oppress women.
Where USA & Pakistan Converge
Listen to this: The ultra-right believe that feminism is a Jewish plot to destroy the Christian family.
Hmmm! Didn’t I hear a similar argument from the extremists in Pakistan.
As I walked out of the auditorium, I spotted my ‘she-ro’ at the street corner. Rushing over to her side, I blurted: “I was in Pakistan just a few weeks ago. They have passed a women’s protection bill that criminalizes domestic violence. . . and the extremist clergy are saying ‘it will destroy families.’
We shared a chuckle.
My blog on Pakistani women
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