Standing Up to Rape Culture

Today, I’d like to talk about what many people have dubbed “rape culture” and what some people have been planning to fight it.

Yes, you read that right. My third post on this blog and the first one in a couple of weeks is going to be about rape.

I’m sure at least some of what I’m going to say is going to make someone feel really uncomfortable, or maybe even angry. Well, this isn't an easy subject for me either. In fact, the very concept of rape is something that disturbs me on a deeply fundamental level. I don’t like to talk or even think about it, but there are some things that need to be said. I’m not the first person to say them, and I most definitely won’t be the last, but there are just too many people who don't understand what rape is really all about. The more people who say what I have to say, the better.

The reason why I'm writing this now is due to a new movement that started in Toronto back in January. On January 24, 2011 a representative of the Toronto police department told students at Osgoode Hall Law School that women can avoid being sexually assaulted by not dressing like "sluts." Naturally, this insensitive remark angered a number of women who were tired of society's "blame the victim" approach to dealing with rape, and on April 3rd an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people took to the streets of Toronto in what was the beginning of SlutWalk. The purpose of this demonstration was to stand up to the damaging and misogynist stereotypes of women who are said to be "asking" to be raped because of how they dress and act. Those participating in the walk wanted everyone to remember that no always means no, no matter how provocatively a woman is dressed. The movement has proven successful enough to inspire others to organize satellite SlutWalks all over Canada, the US, and even Europe and Australia.

As a heterosexual male, I'm sure I'm expected to have certain reactions to the whole SlutWalk movement. I could make a lunkheaded comment about how I'd like to see a bunch of hot chicks parade around in skimpy outfits. I could dismiss the SlutWalkers as a bunch of man-hating feminists who need to be put in their place. I could laugh the whole thing off and make the old joke about rape being surprise sex you didn't know you wanted. I could even miss the point completely and shame the SlutWalkers for being indecent enough to present themselves as "sluts." There are bound to be reactions just like these all across the board from a lot of people, but I cannot share their point of view. I know there would be people who will be asking for my man cards for saying this, but I'm all for SlutWalk. I think it's about time that people stand up to the disgusting practice of shaming rape victims and show everyone that no woman deserves to be raped. Not even the "sluts."

As much as people like to deny it, rape culture is a very real thing. Since the beginning of recorded history men have been seen as the stronger and more dominant gender, while women have often been viewed as property to be used as men saw fit. Women seemed to exist as nothing more than servants to their husbands, and it was perfectly acceptable for men to belittle, beat, and even rape women to put them back in their place. We can tell ourselves that we now live in a more civilized society where that behavior is frowned upon, but the truth is that old habits die hard. While women do have rights that they didn't have hundreds of years ago, the idea that they exist primarily to serve or please men is alive and well. We can see it whenever a woman is judged by her appearance, as if she's worthless unless she's pretty enough to catch a man's attention. We can see it whenever rapists justify their actions by saying that their victims "asked for it" with the way they dressed. We can especially see it whenever a woman is seen not as a human being but a "bitch" or "slut." Yes, we can tell ourselves that we live in a civilized, politically correct society where men and women are treated as equals, but this clearly is not the case. This is why movements like SlutWalk are so important. The women in our society who have been belittled and shamed for the crime of being "sluts" need to have their voices heard.

If you want to know more about SlutWalk, you can visit the main website at http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/. As a Minnesotan, I also would like to point out the upcoming SlutWalk in Minneapolis. It's still in the planning stages, but you can check it out on Facebook or follow it on Twitter. Just go to the Satellite SlutWalk link on the main website and scroll down to SlutWalk Minneapolis (or just follow the link right here).

Well, I think I just outed myself as a feminist with this post. I'm still not turning in my man cards.

What's in a name?

One of the hardest things for me when I decided to start this blog was deciding what to call it. I wanted something catchy and memorable, but I also didn't want it to sound too goofy or irreverent. After all, I still plan on keeping this sounding more professional even if it's still a personal blog. I didn't want a name that was too stiff and formal, but I still want people to take some of what I have to say seriously. That's not going to happen with a silly blog title that is only funny to me.

As you can probably guess, I tend to over-think things like names and titles. I can't help it; I guess it's in my nature. Strangely enough, it has proven to be my undoing at times. I've been known to throw my hands up in frustration and give up on stories, articles, even characters in role playing games (yeah, I'm a geek) just because I can't find just the right names for them.

Messed up? Maybe, but like I said, it's in my nature. It's like a kind of writer's block, or maybe an excuse for having writer's block. Whatever it is, it's one of the reasons why I sat on my grand scheme of creating a public blog to act as my soapbox for so long.

Fortunately, I've got a great resource in the form of my beautiful, clever, and all-around wonderful wife. She was the one who came up with the name "Herding Cats" while we were thinking of possible titles. Perhaps you think it's a strange name, but as I gave it more and more thought it grew on me. I'm not planning to have a central theme to this blog; it will be about whatever I think happens to be worthy of discussion. It won't be all random thoughts and observations about life, but it may have a bit of organized chaos, kind of like trying to herd cats.

That, my friends, is the reason for the title. For what it's worth I think it's catchy, memorable, and general enough to fit a blog that's about a little bit of everything. It also happens to describe my life at the moment, but that's a story for another time and another blog.

P.S. My apologies to cat lovers who may stumble in here looking for a pet blog. I like cats, but I don't have a whole lot to say about them.

Allow me to introduce myself

I've been meaning to start my own blog, and now I've finally gotten around to it.

Anyway, my name is Thomas Plante, and I'm currently trying to make ends meet as a freelance writer and musician. I may add "viola teacher" to that as well. I have lived in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota for my entire life, and despite the bitterly cold winters that tend to scare a lot of people away I actually do like living here. I love the changing of the seasons, and it's nice to live in a place where the arts are appreciated.

I can't say that I have a definite focus for this blog yet, but those of you who take the time to come back and read this regularly can expect posts about writing, literature, music, film, society, and whatever else happens to catch my attention that I think warrants a blog entry. This is intended to be a semi-professional/personal blog, and while I'd like to use it as a place to post some of my more professional writing, I may include more personal posts about myself and what I'm doing, but I promise not to indulge myself with rambling posts about how much my life may or may not suck. I have a Livejournal account if I really need to vent.

Thanks for stopping by my new corner of the blogosphere. Things may be pretty sparse at the moment, but I plan to keep this thing regularly updated. I hope to see you again soon.