Due Sat. 4/9 by noon
What would you do to end sexual violence at the University of Alabama?
Using your articles for this week, write 1-2 paragraphs demonstrating your understanding of the social systems and social conditions that support male sexual violence against women and other men on college campuses. Then in 1-2 paragraphs, build upon the “Feminist Frat Boys” article and reflect upon some possible forms of action/activism that you and your peers (as well as the larger University system) can take to end sexual violence on the UA campus.
In society, it is easy to say that we are male dominated. In fact, it is the dominating factor that leads to a lot of the sexual violence not only on college campuses, but in the world in general. In Michael Kaufman's, "The Seven P's of Men's Violence", he explains that men don't necessarily act violent towards women because of women, but because of other men. That it is not the man himself, but society that effects the man's way of thinking. The existence of power, masculinity, and domination in society is what alters a man's way of thinking that he has the "right" to a woman.
ReplyDeleteIn "Fraternities and Rap on Campus", Martin and Hummer describe why fraternity men are mostly subjected to being sexual assaulters on campus. During their duration in the fraternity, they are taught to be the alpha male. With this mind set, their masculinity sky rockets, making them feel extra powerful over women. With alcohol involved, it is only more likely that sexual violence will occur.
I think that the article "Feminist Frat Boys", is a start to something that actually might work. By educating a room of men about rape in a different way, maybe a point could be put across. In a setting where it is woman dominated, such as a women's studies class, a man acts more masculine and is more resistant to the idea of changing the statistics of sexual violence among men and women. When put in a large room of other men, they are more likely to act themselves and be more relaxed, therefore more lenient to listen. On campus, we could individually spread the word to help stop sexual violence. By doing something along the lines of FPREP, we can target what statistics say are the highest sexual violence cases.
In our society today, it we see more and more male dominance over women in our every day lives. This alpha male dominace does not just affect one aspect of a person’s life but all of them and even the people who they come into contact with, more importantly the women. In crimes of sexual violence, we see that the male is trying for dominance over the woman, to prove once and for all that he has power over her in each way because that is how society has taught him. When in reality no man should be able to feel dominance over any woman or her body.
ReplyDeleteCollege sexual violence crimes occur than more people tend to want to think about or notice. This is especially shown in fraternity houses on campus, all of the boys are shown to be cocky alpha males. That kind of mind set can make any kind of rejection frustrating to a point of sexual violence especially when you throw alcohol into the mixture. Personally, I think that a program like “Feminist Frat Boys” could have the possibility to work and hopefully change some people’s lives. If we were to take something like just like we do when we take Alcohol Edu at the beginning of the year I feel like some things could be prevented and at least women would be aware more.
The readings from this week talk about how male are dominant in today’s society. They feel the need to seem like the most powerful ones over women. Because of today’s society men think that they have to live up to some kind of expectation that has been brought to the table by other males. They believe they have to be dominant over women and also have women at the same time. Because of this, I think that it leads to sexual violence against women. The men that partake in this feel as if women are of no importance and can do whatever they want to them because of who they are. They feel like they have to prove something to themselves and other people around them. In the 7 P’s of Men’s Violence” he talks about how society changes they way the man thinks. It isn’t necessarily who that man is.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, “Fraternities and Rape on Campus” the authors talk about how men in fraternities are most likely to be the ones on campus to partake in sexual violence towards women. Being in this fraternity around all these boys makes them think that they have to be super masculine and therefore make them think that they are ten times more powerful over women then they used to think. Also, at the fraternities there is probably going to be drinking around which would impair ones better judgment and maybe cause them to do something they might not normally do.
I think that if men in campuses today knew the statistics of how they are known to be subject to raping young women then maybe it would open their eyes and make them not want to be seen this way. I think that if this article or something of this matter was mandatory to read before entering school it would make the boys aware of what was being said and what needs to be changed and it would make women aware of what’s happening and be on their toes when they are put in bad situations. There could be a course taken on awareness of violence towards women and even men so everyone is aware of what is happening in today’s society.
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ReplyDeleteIn our readings this week we saw over and over again how men are mostly dominant in our society. In the "Seven P's of Men's Violence," it talked about how men are violent towards women to show their dominance over them. It also talks about how this "internalizes" in childhood when men are competing with one another for dominance. Also in "Fraternities and Rape on Campus," we know that men joining them gain a new mentality of masculinity. Some fraternities know they are getting women drunk and know what they are potentially doing.
ReplyDeleteIn "Feminist Frat Boys," I believe what they are doing could have potential to work. I think most men around campus are completely unaware of how often it is happening even on our campus. I think that if we voice it more and make men more aware of these things then it would change things. I agree with Payton maybe if before entering college they had a mandatory read like we have the mandatory AlcoholEdu it could have a huge impact.
Violence against women is more common than we may realize. Most individuals if not victims themselves, are likely to know other individuals who have been assaulted physically or sexually. Violence breaks through common societal obstacles such as age, class, geography and even race. Violence can and will only be stopped if we as individuals are able to understand its cycle. Only then will we be able to pinpoint the start of violence, after we ask ourselves why does this violence occur, and where does it start?
ReplyDeleteViolence itself is structured upon a system. This system is made up of hierarchies centered around male dominance. According to our reading "The Seven P's of Men's Violence," there are seven reasons for male dominance which are: patriarchal power, entitlement to privilege, permission, paradox of men's power, psychic armour of manhood, masculinity as a pressure cooker, and past experiences.Society is composed of a system of a patriarchy. Our patriarchal social system places male dominance as the primary authority figure. The violence that occurs is a result of our patriarchal society that implies male privilege and male rule; thus, explaining the sexual violence that occurs on campuses by fraternities. These fraternities assert theirr masculinity, even so sexually and by female objectivity.
In the "Feminist Frat Boys" article involved the Greek system in Women's Studies to address the issues of sexual violence on campus. Sexual assault activists encouraged fraternity members to participate in their cause by offering and academic credit for their involvement. I couldn't have thought of a better way to tackle sexual violence. Students are always searching for easy courses to ease their hectic schedules. The best for of action to me is by "word of mouth." Now that we all have been educated on the issue, it is our duty to pass this on in hopes to prevent situations.
@ Payton- I do agree that there should be some sort of mandatory read. I know everyone remembers how long and tedious the alcohol education course was that we had to take upon entering freshman year. It was long but the information stuck. If everyone was to take a course on violence then the issue would no longer be ignored.
ReplyDelete@ Malori- I believe that voicing it would could improve the situation but at the same time I'm sure alot of women voice their opinion by saying "no" when they are being assaulted, but yet they are still ignored.I think it will take more than just voicing our opinions, but somehow ending their idea of having privilege.
ReplyDelete@ Alex- I would have to say I agree with you most. I think the best way to make change is by idividually educating others of what we now know, giving them the option to prevent such circumstances.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this weeks readings, I never really understood the importance of this issue until now. The readings tell and show us how men are dominant over our society today. This issue is also affecting the lives of us on college campuses as well. Many men feel as if they need to fit this social mold as the alpha male in the relationship with a women, meaning being the dominant one in the relationship or who has the most power. Very seldomly do you see a women bossing a male around or how today it is not considered under the norm for a male to be at home with the kids, while the female is working and making the money to support her family. Many men use this type of power sometimes for the worst. Our social systmes play a huge role in the way a male thinks by labeling him to be the norm, which is the dominant one in the relationship. Therefore, some men take this into consideration and maybe alittle to far to actually hurting a women if she were to test his masculinity. This specific things alter the way a man thinks of himself and allows him to think he has the upper hand, which leads us into the article "The Seven P's of Men's Violence", which explains the reason why men are the way they are is because of society.
ReplyDeleteThe article we read, "Fraternities and Rape on Cmapus" written by Hummer and Martin allowed me to think outside the box. They explain how the fraterities try to allow their men into almost brainwashing them into thinking they are the alpha male, they are the dominant one. Of course they feel the urge to be impowering over women, because this is what they are being taught by the men they look up to, so of course they think this is the right thing to be doing. Here again is the social system coming into play because these men are following what they think are certain roles they need to play out.
I think a good way to help make these issues better known to our campuses and others is to be educated about the issues. Many fraternities or even anyone do not take the time to research sexual violence unless they see it on the news or have to for a class. College students need to be more aware of these issues because they occur more to us. Another easy and effiencent way would just be to tell everyone you know-word of mouth. If women and men knew more about this types of terriblw things happening on thier campuses, they would do something about it. So make it known to everyone on campuses, that these types of things are happening and we need to make a HUGE change to stop them.
The readings for this week really put into perspective how dominant male truly is over our society. Some men feel like they have to have the "alpha male" image and they have to have this powerful and controlling presence. This is a very apparent issue on college campuses because there are tons of males at that age who start to think they should be in control of something and this can result in violence. I feel like the true "powerful image" of a male in society, according to women anyway, would be the man who is in charge of his family and works to provide for them and protect them. But some men's testosterone levels let them decide that that is just not enough and they choose violence against women to show that they are powerful. The society who creates this image is the only one who can stop it from becoming any worse, and college campuses are an easy way to raise awareness about violence against women. We have access to groups and projects and every different type of person to spread the word to. It is going to take a large group of people to start an awareness project that people will actually pay attention to, but you can do this such as flyers and even acting out a scene like the unscripted group the lady discussed in class on Wednesday. It just takes someone with initiative to start a movement on campus and make our little piece of the world a little bit more safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is safe to say that in the times we live in, males dominate society just as much as they have for all time. The alpha male image is stronger than ever, and fraternities do nothing to minimize this image. As seen in our readings this week, frat boys are rewarded for their dominance over women. The more they sleep with, the better "standing" they have with their brothers. It doesn't matter how they get the girls to sleep with them, Wether using persuasion or alcohol, or anything else for that matter, the only thing that matters is the amount of women. These actions are explained with the "7 P's of mens violence" in which the author explains why men feel the need to show out for their friends through acts of violence. It is a patriarchal need. Men feel they are better than wome for whatever reason. They are above them, and because of this they feel that they can tell women what to do.
ReplyDeleteI think that the easiest way to prevent sexual violence on campus is to spread awareness. I was completely shocks when I heard the statistic that 1 in 5 college women will be sexually assaulted and 90% of them know thei attackers. I think if more women knew this, they would be more cautious as to who they are spending their time with. I think the easiest way to prevention is through knowledge. If women were more aware of what is possible to happen to them. They could be safer going to frat parties, if they knew what the possibilities o them being assaulted are. I think if women were more cautious, they could avoid a lot of these acts of violence.
The readings from this week reflected upon violence among women by men and it also talked about men's dominanace factor. In the reading "The Seven P's of Mens Violence" the author discusses the reasons why men are violent. It has been studied that men are not violent because of women, but more so because of other men. Dominance is a topic that I feel is debated about through society. Sometimes I feel as though we are the ones, subconsciously, who give the men their sense of control.
ReplyDeleteDominance is the leading factor to a lot of the violence that goes on with women such as sexual assault and rape. In "Fraternities and Rape on Campus" the author talks about how the leaders within the fraternities teach the guys to the be "alpha one" meaning the dominant. This is an example of the social system. Society teaches these guys that its okay to carry these actions out.
There are several ways that we can make our campus more aware on issues such as sexual violence, and rape. Most people fail to realize the severity of these situations because they have not heard enough about it. A lot of college students do not watch the news unless they are told to and sometimes the things going on elsewhere in society do not hit home for them until it directly affects someone that they know. So I think the University as a whole needs to get the word out more. We should reach out to the several fraternities that we have on campus, let them know what is going on and tell them that we are working to have these actions changed for the future. The more we put into it, the better the results will be.
@tariah: Good point. First, we must understand the cycle if we want to stop violence
ReplyDelete@Samantha Adams: So true, about their "standing" with their brothers. I think the core values and tradition of the Greek System has totally been corrupted and needs to be brought back to what brotherhood and sisterhood is suppose to mean.
ReplyDeleteThis week's readings spoke on a subject that I had been waiting for this course to present. Violence against women is a huge problem all around the world. Thankfully, although sometimes not reported and dealt with, the United States has strict laws against battery; unlike other countries around the world. I have never understood why men think they are superior to women and think they can treat them like dirt. I guess its just the way they were engineered. After reading “Survivor,” I was a little confused though. I has never heard a story where a young woman was raped by so many different men in so many different settings. It made me question whether rape was caused by her body language or if she just had bad luck.
ReplyDeleteI know people always say: “It wasn't your fault you were raped, you can't blame yourself.” When alcohol is involved anything can happen on college campuses. My opinion on this is really split because in high school on spring break there was a girl staying in the same house as I was and one night she had sex with one of my best guy friends, whose best friend was this girl's boyfriend. She felt guilty immediately after and came upstairs during the party telling people he raped her, which was not true at all. So I know the side of the spectrum where a girl will say this just to get attention or cover up something else. But I also know the other side where rape really did occur. One of my best friend's sorority sisters was a victim of fraternity rape earlier this school year. It was really hard on the girl as well as her friends and their relationship with the fraternity. I think it is a genius idea to have a course for frat boys to take about the study of women. All guys care about down here is having sex... this needs to change.
For this week we were assigned to read articles that discussed violence against women. Throughout the semester we have learned how men play a dominate role in society. This role continues through violence towards women either physical, sexual, or emotional. It seems to me that the men who do act in violence either do it because they believe they are in-control of the women or to do it to gain control. In the article "Seven P's of Men's Violence," it list the seven reasons for male dominance which are: patriarchal power, entitlement to privilege, permission, paradox of men's power, psychic armour of manhood, masculinity as a pressure cooker, and past experiences. Society is made of interlocking systems which are a leading factor for the "Seven P's".
ReplyDeleteFor this week's learning module we read an article called"Fraternities and Rape on Cmapus" written by Hummer and Martin. In this article it talks about how fraternity boys are taught to believe, think, and act as they are the "alpha male". I took interest in this article because I am part of the Greek system at Alabama. It made me realize there is some fact to this article because at events the include sororities and fraternities the males act like they are in charge. Another thing I realized is you never really hear things going bad at bars, parties, or sorority houses most of the time it happens at the frat house. This article just made me think outside my daily box.
@TariahHunt and @Alex I agree with you two the most. I believe we will have a greater affect by reaching out to people that we already know and trying to make them aware opposed to reach out to the University as a whole. I like that Tariah mentioned the AlcoholEdu thing, the University really should consider putting together a survey like this pertaining to sexual violence and rape. That would definitely get awareness out.
ReplyDeleteIn the society we live in today, men are looked at as if we play the dominant role. The "dominant role" is said to be traditional due to the fact that this distribution of power has been going on for years. Violence against women is a big problem in our society. Although many women tend to be the suspect of sexual assault, men can also be a suspect of sexual assault. Since the man is viewed as the dominant sex, many men tend to use that as a way to get to their partner. "The 7 P's of Men's Violence" demonstrated how society changes the way a man thinks.
ReplyDeleteThe easiest way to put a stop on sexual assault on campus would be to do a better job at delivering the message. In the reading "Fraternities and Rape on Campus",the reading showed me how Fraternities actually teach their men to be the "dominant male", or "alpha male". Sexual assault is basically accepted when it comes to Greek; their aim is actually to become inebriated and at the end of the night have any type intercourse. You cant stop sexual assault if its practiced.
@ Malori.. I agree I think that most boys in fraternities are unaware of these statistics and so they just don't care about what is going on. Maybe if they knew something would change for the better.
ReplyDelete@Chris Elliot- I agree with you that we as a University should do a better job on how we get the messgae to everyone. Fraternitites are the main ones but we cant just blame them and say that they are the only ones doing these things to women because their not, and that puts a bad rep for those guys who arent like that.
ReplyDelete@Taylor McNeil- I was really into this article as well because I am also in the Greek system here at Alabama. I agree because you do hear about the negative things when you go to the types of sorority and frat parties, but sometimes I think maybe its not only the guy. But it made me think differently as well.
@Malori I also agree that most fraternity members are unaware of the statistics because most of them are not like that.
ReplyDelete@Samantha I also agree women should be more careful about who they get so close to and the situations we out ourselves in
my comments never stayy grrr but here is my post:
ReplyDeleteIt is safe to say that the male gender is in dominance in our society. We are able to even further look into this through readings and statistics that show this in our society. The violence that women commonly experience is a problem in our society that sometimes is overshadowed. However seeing how relevant this happens and going to a college campus allows you to be more aware of this. As we read in the seven P's of men's violence we are able to see the explanations, reasonings and changing our ways to think as what a man may think. By doing this we were able to see some reasons why men may act upon this however there was no justifying it. I do not think that these reasonings can justify the violence women endure.
Sexual assault will always be an issue on college campuses due to this such as frat parties, alcohol, drugs, and the social scene colleges sometimes give out. However it should be a goal to reduce the occurrence and minimize the availability for this to happen. I think this is a topic that should be advocated more commonly. If it were not for this class i do not think i would know so much of it or being looking so in-depth of it. Our society and college students should be more aware of this and should know ways to avoid this and protect themselves.
@Malori.. i agree that they are unaware but i think as a university and as a fraternity they should be educated or more aware! I don't think they are all like this at all but i do think they should all still be notified of this problem!
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