If anyone was in any doubt that feminism was as - if not more - relevant now than ever before, the please read the repugnant comments by Richard Littlejohn regarding Ken Clarke's opinions on the causes of rape here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1388963/Ken-Clarkes-rape-gaffe-Its-rape-victims-betrayed-system.html
In fact, don't click there and contribute to their ad revenue. Instead take my word for it. To summarise the piece, Littlejohn defends Clarke's assertion on Five Live that not all rape is rape. Clarke suggested that date rape is different to "forced rape" and there should be a distintion made between date rapes and "serious, proper rapes". While all right thinking people are horrified by a (sort of) elected official not only believing but uttering such horrifying medieveal views, Littlejohn proudly backs him in today's Mail stating tht rape victims should "chalk it up to experience and vow to go easy on the chardonnay in future". Just when you think Littlejohn cannot stoop any lower he surprises us all.
Like most people I thought that this belief system had died out long ago. But then Mr Clarke is clearly the kind of man who wishes the Pankhursts had never succeeded in 1918.
Well, at least it's only a senior politician and the country's best paid and most read newspaper columnist that hold these views. It's not like it's the police still think the same... oh wait...
Last month a Toronto police officer made equally reprehensible comments during a lecture to the University Of Toronto stating that women can prevent being raped by not dressing like sluts (again, I honestly thought that the myth that rape was caused by men being aroused by temptresses rather than an act of hate and violence was long gone).
Bear in mind, that this is what senior police, politicians and journalists are happy to broadcast. Publicly. Just imagine what they are saying behind closed doors in the police locker room, the House Of Commons and the Daily Mail editors office.
Sickening. Horrifying. And downright disturbing.
I think we can all agree that the third wave feminist movement needs to be supported by all of us. You can do so here:
http://www.feminisminlondon.org.uk/
Most people have a hero that they look to when making important life decisions. Mine would have to be the Pankhursts. So:
Question: What would the Pankhursts do?
Answer: This
http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/about/what
Friday 20 May 2011
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