I'D RATHER SEE YOU DEAD,
LITTLE GIRL . . .Recently, some military men were given medals for their part in a strange kind of battle that took place in in 1968. A battle against their own side. Heroes.
A group of soldiers, under the command of William Calley, slaughtered all but 11 people in a village called My Lei. They massacred women, babies, children and elders in the cruelest possible manner. Killers.
The heroes, under the command of helicopter pilot, Hugh Thompson, saw what was happening below them and were appalled. They landed their 'copter protectively between the remaining fleeing villagers and the mob, then trained their guns on the killers.
Their message was clear. "Stop!"
What caused one man to order the killing of the innocent without conscience, and another to protect the innocent without hesitation?
What each were taught that became core beliefs.
We believe that violence in the media had little to do with the training each man received, per se. What had most to do with it was: who most of the violence in the media is directed against and how culturally acceptable that violence has been and still is.
Gang rape, an all-American power play, provides a hometown look at the genesis of a My Lei complex. One after another, men will mount a helpless woman. Each will angrily force his penis into her vagina which is still dripping with semen and blood from the previous onslaughts.
But not all men present will do this. A few will refuse to participate, content to watch the "fun." Some may leave in fear or disgust but rarely is there a man with the courage to stop a gang rape.
Women certainly cannot stop one. Some even give tacit support by saying of the victim that, "she probably deserved it" or "she was asking for it."
The rape rite has always been a right, and we women have always been enablers out of fear and out of power. Now, we are, at best, un-indited co-conspirators as we continue to teach our daughters the politics of victimhood and the family values inherent in the rites (rights) of men. When one adds to the media influence what a male child learns from parents, teachers, society and books, there is a consensus that supports violence toward women in most situations -- violence of the strong toward the weak.
Violence by gender birthright.
But somewhere along the way, the heroes got the message that women and the weak have importance.
A message the killers never got.
The following is a description of a commercial seen and heard on "Jimmy Houston's Sportsmen's Digest." It was aired at 8:30 AM on 3/29/98 on ESPN in Chicago (sent to us by a 'Gapper's subscriber.)
Commercial for camouflage clothing:
BOY in camouflage hat and clothing is shooting at tin cans with a rifle. The holes in the tin cans are bullet holes. BOY is about 12 years old.
MOM calls from the porch of her house, ordering the boy to help take out the garbage and clean his room.
BOY keeps shooting (angry), then BOY runs into the woods wearing and carrying his rifle which he aims at MOM on the way.
-- Break for advertisement for camouflage clothing --
MOM has BOY by the arm taking him into the house. He is still carrying his rifle and is angrily pulling back to get away from her.
Most women viewers of this commercial are appalled and apprehensive for the mother. Most men are merely amused and appear to be rooting for the boy.
We know that when a boy sees battering as a way to control; when he sees guns as extensions of his god-given male power; when our whole social order declares his gender #1, his killer-training is complete.
Boys will be boys, we say, even as they practice cruel acts on small animals until the time comes that they, like daddy, can torture and kill large animals like rodeo bulls and horses.
Boys note that most language references man, men, he or his but references to females usually come as an afterthought or in parenthesis. Boys are exposed to religious teachings that emphasize a trinity of two males and a spirit. Clear message "No females allowed at the top."
So who is surprised that 2 boys killed 4 girls, a woman teacher and wounded several other girls in Jonesboro? The media downplayed the gender of all of the victims, mostly refering to them as "children that died or were injured." Only a very few noted that the choice of victims (female) was intentionally made.
The oldest killer, already with a charge against him for molesting a 2 year old girl, will see little time in jail and little or no punishment; same for the younger killer.
Role models in battle gear.
"I'd rather see you dead,
little girl, than see you with another man." .Four girls and a heroic woman are dead.
1998-015
Copyright 1998 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: TWANDA@ConnRiver.net.
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