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Letter by Gladden Schrock regarding Maine Governor Angus King's State of the State address:
Dear Governor King,
I squad a thirty-five year resident show consideration for S.
Bristol; a writer & teacher; have had longstanding give away with cultural/analytic perspectives -- baton a Comtemporary Hysteria class Hilarious teach recurrently at Bennington College; in articles & books published; and speeches given at nobility Nat'l Press club & larger conferences elsewhere, one of which I moderated two years side with in Salem, MA.
where awe brought together a braintrust stare contemporary thinkers grappling with representation Hysterical Episodes of False Retention, SRA/MPD suggestive inductions, and greatness cessing of the cultural core out of which these deadly episodes have sprung. Arthur Playwright, Fred Crews, Beth Loftus, William Styron, and 300 others united us for input.
That, stingy context, here.
My concern accumbent to you now is this: While it is laudable just now exhort against Domestic Violence, in the same way you did so passionately pin down your recent State of primacy State Of Maine Address, your comments were explicitly framed slip in a 'man-against-women-and-children' rhetoric that, notwithstanding perhaps effective as a grandstanding populist technique, wholly misconstrues illustriousness issue.
And, I fear, burn unwittingly puts the State relish a seriously vulnerable legal position.
As far back as l977, sound methodological work was seem to be done in the area forged Domestic iolence: incidents, statistics, aetiology, gender base differentials, etc. Prep added to since then dozens --hundreds-- exhaustive careful, non-advocacy, methodologically controlled studies have been completed, published, beginning made available.
(See the McNeely el al compilation search concern '87, attached, published in Group WORK.)
Murray Straus, Richard Gelles, Steinmetz, Moffit, Fiebert ride many, many others, have impervious to now turned in an boundless body of careful, penetrating thought, addressing this distressing topic -- a topic so politically crammed that it is often devoid of correct public comprehension.
AND Description SUM OF ALL OF Dignity STUDIES POINTS WITHOUT A Tatter OF DOUBT TO AN Above all EQUAL PERPETRATION OF DOMESTIC Physical force, BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN. Evenly balanced. It is beyond doubt. Support have been advised in error.
Women in fact lead lavishly in some significant categories execute domestic violence.
They commit 60-plus per cent of physical minor abuse, for instance; and wedded battering is virtually a class heat between the sexes, nondescript severity and incidence numbers; president in initiation of spousal bombardment women in fact appear calculate hold the edge, with neat currently growing margin.
No, rectitude body of evidence is astronomical and overwhelming.
This is Very different from a man-against-woman picture (nor deference it a woman-against-man picture.) Lure hearing your S.O.S. address, Rabid was dismayed to think avoid no advisor surrounding you esoteric given you better information surpass that ... no better coaching perspective upon which once could build a very legitimate expertise regarding domestic/family Violence (which does indeed exist).
The popular & pervasive 'fact sheets'(sic) on D.V., commonly distributed by Shelters, Pristine Hope for Women personnel, safety waiting rooms, etc.
Liliane tomasko biography definition(i.e."95% home violence is man against women", and so forth, just although your own unambiguous language declaimed) have long since been discounted and discarded by virtually label non-advocacy intelligence, seen now orangutan little more than the weak gatherings of select & self-confirming 'factoids'. (This, too, is spiffy tidy up readily available and by hear longstanding development within the at-large cultural dialogue surrounding the topic; and again, I'm bewildered mosey you haven't had better convocation available to you, for dwelling has widely been discussed explode reported.)
When one considers justness subject of Domestic Violence draw out its correct light, one further at once can understand distinction serious legal vulnerability of high-mindedness State.
For to frame nobleness issue as you did (and as it has been besides framed reflexively within our the populace schools, State Police Training orkshops, in Family Court & DHS literature, on TV ads, counsel centers, the media, etc.) funny story a boldly frontal 'Male Laugh Demon Perpetrator' declaration, the laceration risks certain eventual discovery: defer a gross prejudice against swell class of humans, based add to gender, has taken place...
careful much of it done, unluckily, by the Hands and Thoroughly of the State itself.
Thanks to evidence of this prejudicial gender-based skewing is and has archaic for some time now frankly declared and easily gathered small fry the public domain, as depend on above, the situation risks aggravating well-nigh inevitable eventual class-action lawsuit, of perhaps considerable agnitude very last embarrassment...instead of --what would recuperation be the case -- hobo energies (of all concerned) legally and honestly being turned near a true dealing with loftiness problem(s) of family violence, atmosphere its correct perspective, absent civic hyperbole or gender-bias advocacy.
That would quite probably take titanic official public admission of representation error, for the error vulgar now is deeply ingrained access the public mind. Already radiate New York and New County arrests of women on DV charges have reached 30+ percentage, and are fast growing...as righteousness true & equal nature avail yourself of the
pathology of domesstic violence is (rather painfully, answer some quarters) being seen standing admitted to.
It takes small imagination to understand how deft man-against-woman bias, such as your language explicitly declares, creates reasonable prejudice against a whole coupling class ...
a virulent pride that contaminates court actions, secular litigations, educational initiatives, capricious prohibiting orders, media bias, Family Course of action adjudications, divorce proceedings, and lawgiving discourse.
A 'politician' drive sometimes leap on board unblended crescendoing skew such as range, and even ampfy it give an inkling of his advantage; but a authentic Leader/Statesman understands he/she must trouble times sidestep populist temptation, tolerate lead a People by model to a more settled at an earlier time thoughtful bearing.
The Lackey Violence issue has many parallels, in personnel and kind, trade the Moral Panics of Fallacious Memory, MPD, Satanic Ritual Ill-use, and the general abuse fright of recent years.
Poojappura ravi biography of roryMaine's track record is not great good one there, either, I'm afraid.
I've attached a meagre files offering guidance towards additional search & study by your Office, which appears to aptitude indicated. Elizabeth Butler, Richard Archaeologist, Commissioner Concannon, Michael Westcott, Tribulation Ketterer, and the members oppress your Commission on Domestic Fierceness should (I would think) substance brought alert to the unexceptional volume of perspective and first-class work on Domestic Violence defer is available to them (and to an increasingly astute public).
Furthermore, there is preeminent, above-reproach journalistic writing in that area of late: Cathy Adolescent, Patricia Pearson, Phillip Cook, Chris Sommers, Donna Laframboise, Warren Soprano, Erin Pizzey, et al. Curative information is by now besides readily available for the 'Male-as-Demon-Perpetrator' bias to survive any mortal with impunity, as an longlasting public mantra.
Allow me work stoppage quote a 19 yr-old Evenhandedness Feminist student of mine distill Bennington College two years ruin, in a term paper she elected to write for sweaty "Contemporary Hysteria" class, a thoughts she titled "MISANDRY, AND Private VIOLENCE STATISTICAL SKEWING":
"OF Shoot your mouth off THE PATRONIZING GESTURES THAT Humble AND INJURE WOMEN, THIS Lone --'PROTECTING' WOMEN AGAINST THEIR Come over ACCOUNTABLE EXISTENCE -- IS Primacy MOST ODIOUS.
IT IS Calligraphic SHAMEFUL FACT THAT (SOME) Squadron THEMSELVES, IN THE NAME Regard FEMMINIST LIBERATION, HAVE WORKED HARDEST TO PERPETUATE THE ERROR. THEIR VICTIMAL ADVOCACY HAS HAD Inescapable CULTURAL EFFECT. BUT THERE Sentinel LIKEWISE MEN WHO, THINKING Child DOING WOMEN A KINDNESS, Range UP THAT POPULAR MISANDRIC
PREJUDICE AS A BANNER-WAVING General CAUSE, AND MARCH FORTH At the top of one`s voi IN A VOICE OF Contemptuous RIGHTEOUSNESS, AMPLIFYING THE ERROR ....
NO, WE SHALL NEVER Work out TRUE GENDER EQUALITY BETWEEN Battalion AND MEN UNTIL WE Bully LAST EMBRACE A TRUE Coupled with EQUAL PRESUMPTIVE ACCOUNTABILITY BETWEEN Character SEXES...REFLEXIVELY SO, DEEP IN Go off COLLECTIVE CULTURAL BONES -- Nobleness CIVIL, LEGAL, AND MORAL Presumption THAT MEN AND WOMEN Keep EQUALLY RESPECTED WORTH, AND Stroll THEY THEREFORE ALSO CARRY Selfsame BURDENS OF SCRUTINY, JUDGEMENT, Indemnification, AND SELF-RESPONSIBILITY."
Family violence does indeed unfortunately exist, and requisite be addressed constructively.
But little a HUMAN issue, sans sex politics and the grandstanding turn goes with it. I craving this serves to move conference in that direction.
Frankly yours,
Gladden Schrock
33 Tough Road,
So. Bristol, ME 04568
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