Wanted: An Honest Discussion About the Violence Against Women Act

Submitted by Matt on Thu, 2012-02-16 02:20

Article here. Excerpt:

'But this year Republicans, previously feminist-pecked, are taking a harder than usual look at VAWA. Senator Charles Grassley, ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has had the audacity to offer a counterpoint bill that, while not perfect, would introduce more stringent accounting policies and altogether eliminate the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. Headed by Susan Carbon, this office administers VAWA, doling out grants nationwide for shelters, often staffed by feminist ideologues, and law enforcement training, often grounded in feminist theory.

The Office on Violence Against Women’s budget request this year is $454,898,000, and, while that is certainly less than was poured down a green rat hole on Solyndra, it should raise eye-brows in economically tough times.

What is at stake in deciding whether to reauthorize VAWA is not whether domestic violence is a serious problem—it is. To the extent that VAWA has made the public aware of this, it is to be applauded. But unfortunately VAWA activists have primarily sought to use the law and their funding to further the feminist cause, which is not always the same as the cause of women.

The “must-arrest” policy advanced in VAWA, for example, may sound like a winner to anti-male ideologues, but it's more complicated for real women. Knowledge that a call seeking help can set off an irrevocable process may also discourage some true victims of violence from seeking help they need. It also means that women who have begun the process of pressing charges against violent partners are often not allowed to drop them if they change their minds. Obviously, a woman’s decision to take a bum to court deserves society’s utmost support, but the current policy has often forced women who might otherwise have opted for counseling for both parties in an effort to save a marriage to go ahead with more drastic measures.

And only the most naïve would assume that women don't recognize that a charge of domestic violence is itself a powerful weapon. It's also a weapon that's almost exclusively used against men, even though women are known to be instigators of violence, too.

The problem with VAWA is that it makes women not just victims of crime, but special victims, with special rights and special standards of what is right and wrong.

And while VAWA may have succeeded in raising awareness about the problem of domestic violence, it's also encouraged the dissemination of misinformation too.'

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Comments

I feel that Republicans look at disenfranchised men as just another tool to push their main political agenda. I don't like it. Global Warming denialism, hypocritical fiscal hawkery, and general sexism rolled into a Men's Rights issue. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

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Submitted by dungone on Thu, 2012-02-16 16:08

Oh I know, there are others. Much smaller though and the cards are stacked against them because of rules made up by the two dominant parties. Fact is, both parties are hopelessly corrupt. At this point, we vote for the lesser of two evils. It's the best we can do. So all you're left with is this: Would you as a man rather live under a Democrat majority or Republican majority in the government? I'm not asking which is the most right about any given issue, just which would you rather live under given that you have just the other party as your only other viable option?

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Submitted by Matt on Fri, 2012-02-17 02:15

Democrats are all about wasting money pandering to women, while republicans are all about wasting money starting wars and using men as canon fodder. I'm not sure which is better.

Granted, it's not much better in Canada. We have 4 main parties, but 2 dominant ones. And it is always a lesser of two evils kind of deal. Thankfully the conservatives aren't too trigger happy when it comes to war, so I'd choose them over the feminist liberal party anyday.

Evan AKA X-TRNL
Real Men Don't Take Abuse!

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Submitted by xtrnl on Fri, 2012-02-17 05:01

I agree with xtrnl's point. We have to change one or both of the parties, otherwise men's rights will never get anywhere.

The way I look at the Republicans is that they took a system that's on the brink and pushed it over the edge. 8 years of Bush policy caused the "man-cession," pushed a lot of men into the abyss not just economically but domestically and socially. They are putting a band-aid on it now and I think it's because they must sense that they are slowly losing the male vote.

Republicans are wrong on most issues facing men - economy, war, education, prison, gay rights, minority rights, the 1%, etc. They have spent the last 4 years with an apparent strategy of blocking every piece of legislation that would help move this country forward in an attempt to make the Democrats look bad. They haven't earned my vote yet. Plus, they're still married to the religious right.

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Submitted by dungone on Fri, 2012-02-17 16:31