Links - February 18, 2013

Links Roundup for February 18, 2013

Feminist Current - Girls explains the difference between porn and nudity in half an hour (nsfw)

Feminist Current - There is No Feminist War on Sex Workers

CODE RED for gender justice! - Can One Billion Rising End Violence Against Women?

Michael Laxer - No exception for Assange: Rape apologetics and the left

Candice Chung - Do men really prefer rental girlfriends?

Zoe Williams - Baby health crisis in Indonesia as formula companies push products

Michael Zhang  - Woman Photographs Herself Receiving Strange Looks in Public 

 Mike Blanchfield - Highway Of Tears: Human Rights Watch Alleges RCMP Officers Raped, Abused Aboriginals In BC

Rebecca Watson - The Privilege Delusion

Bo Winegard and Ben Winegard - The New Atheists, Political Narratives, and the Betrayal of the Enlightenment The Real Delusion: Part 1

Re-Re-Opening the Abortion Debate in Canada

photo from the straight

"We don't want to re-open the abortion debate" is a popular line deployed by the majority MPs in Ottawa when a minority of Conservative MPs - backbenchers like Stephen Woodworth – bring up a woman’s right to choose.   

As I have documented before, there have already been backbencher attempts at re-opening "the debate.” The most prominent attempt was by Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth who felt that all members should get together to discuss what legally constitutes life.

 And so, after many Canadian women became rightfully pissed off and tweeted, blogged, marched, signed petitions and spoke up in parliament, the Woodworth-induced outrage subsided for a while.

Unfortunately, as I was tuning into the ever-entertaining circus that is Question Period yesterday (for my non-Canadian readers, this the live televised proceedings of parliament in which members of all parties can address various issues and policies) I learned that the "debate" was emerging once again. Megan Leslie, the NDP Health Critic, asked the Prime Minister why the issue is being raised yet again.

In response to Leslie, Harper replied:

"I think all members of this house, whether they agree with it or not, understand that abortion is legal in Canada and this government, myself included, have made it very clear that the government does not intend to change the law in this regard”

Why then, did a trio of Conservative party members – Maurice Vellacott, Leon Benoit, and Wladyslaw Lizon – go out of their way to compose and sign a letter to the RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson regarding abortions after 19 weeks and the “killing of born children”?

 First of all, as many of us know, the Harper government tends to silence any in-party dissent (such as during the lead-up to the CNOOC deal) so why is abortion the exception?

Why does this particular practice, which neither involves nor impacts any of these white Conservative men, continue to surface? What are the possible repercussions for women’s reproductive justice, sense of bodily autonomy, and access to health services and resources in Canada?

 The content of Vellacott and Co.’s letter, however, seems even more troubling as they discuss the possibility of women being charged with homicide. Rather than discussing the concept of “life” and who is considered legally “human,” this letter alludes to a potential criminality of pregnant women or women who, for whatever reason, require abortions at or beyond 19 weeks of pregnancy. These late-term abortions, however, are very rare in Canada as 90% of all abortions take place in the first trimester.

But I digress,

The CBC news article features part of the letter to the RCMP Commissioner on their website, it reads:

“From 2000 to 2009 in Canada, there were 491 abortions, of 20 weeks gestation and greater that resulted in live births," reads the letter dated Jan. 23.

"This means that the aborted child died after it was born.”

It is quite clear in this letter that the authors, similar to Stephen Woodworth, have confused human children with developing fetuses in their interpretation of Criminal Code Section 223(1). In  Section 223(1) of the criminal, a fetus becomes a human after it completely emerges from a woman’s womb, breathes on its own and has an independent circulatory system.

These statistics, which were gathered by the MPs from a blog called “Run with Life,” was followed by a reference to Section 223(2), which contradictorily defines  homicide of a child as causing injury to a child “before or during its birth as a result of which the child dies after becoming a human being.”

This definition of human, however, does not seem to match the definition in Section 223(1).

These MPs feel, because of this seemingly contradictory set of laws, that “late-term” abortions (those after 20 weeks) do constitute child homicides under the Criminal Code Section 223(2) even though Section 223(1) disagrees. These Conservative MPs feel that these alleged “killings of children” must be investigated by the police as the “killing of Canadian children may continue to grow if these apparent crimes are not investigated, and the perpetrators prosecuted.”

However, unlike Stephen Woodworth who held a televised, public debate on his interpretation of Section 223(2), Vellacott and Co. took a much more furtive approach by directly contacting the head of the RCMP, suggesting he take some form of legal action.

Leon Benoit, one of signatories, spoke about the letter in Ottawa yesterday:

"But I thought the letter said exactly what I said — there was an attempted abortion, the baby was born alive, then killed."

He continued, "In fact, that's not what it says. It says there was an attempted abortion, the baby was born alive and died as a result of the injuries caused through the attempted abortion, so I just wanted to correct the record as to what this is about."

Benoit continues on to say that the 19-week mark is not really an issue for him (like the letter suggests) in fact, he’s mainly concerned about this supposed “botch” abortion wherein a doctor allegedly killed a baby that fully emerged from a woman’s womb. But why then, does the letter say something much different?  

Yesterday unlike in the letter, Benoit asserted that there was AN attempted abortion and THE baby was born alive then killed – indicating there was ONE incident of a born-baby being killed.  The letter he signed, on the other hand, alludes to far more of these incidents.

Nevertheless, this letter—like the Stephen Woodworth debate—is part of a much larger campaign by Harper’s Conservatives to challenge the legal status of abortion in Canada. 

As Canadians, we must stand up and defend women’s human rights. We must understand that all of these attempts are dangerous and may impact all Canadian women.

Let us all stand up, like Megan Leslie did in Question Period yesterday, and remind the Conservative Party of Canada that abortion is NOT murder.

Why Misogyny is Never OK: NDP’s Pat Martin’s use of Sexist Slur on Twitter

*TRIGGER WARNING*

As most of my readers know, I am a leftist and I sympathize with left-wing groups and individuals, however, I try not to define myself by organizations or political parties. When I do vote in elections, however, I tend to vote for the New Democratic Party of Canada or the NDP. While I do not agree with all of their policies and perspectives, several MPs in that party are truly inspiring, honest and caring individuals. However, last night one MP from the NDP, Pat Martin, expressed his anger at the cuts to vital program funding for Aboriginal Canadian youth by sending out an angry message containing a sexist slur on twitter. Mr. Martin tweeted that the Conservative party of Canada was a bunch of “rat-faced whores.” In fact, his full tweet looked like this:

According to the Toronto Star, 

            “Martin’s night began by expressing anger over the role of Vic Toews’ involvement in Winnipeg’s Youth for Risk project for at-risk youth that has received $3 million in federal funding. He said the First Nations in the community were concerned that the “building was empty” and that the money for the “inner city youth went to ‘Youth For Christ’, who are Vic Toews’ donors and buddies.”

It is clear that Toew’s behaviour warrants outrage and dissent, however using blatant misogyny is neither an effective nor appropriate tool for opposing the Conservative Party. There many other words that come to mind that could effectively oppose the Conservatives, so why did Pat Martin choose “rat-faced whores?” Furthermore, why are NDP supporters and other members backing Martin and defending his words? Yes, we can despise the Conservatives but is it really constructive to use highly dehumanizing and patriarchal language that has and continues to be used against women and girls in order to make a point or oppose unjust policies?

Nevertheless, numerous NDP supporters and other leftists – mostly men, but some women – have been angrily messaging me on twitter, outraged with my outrage. People seem bewildered that I would “focus on something so stupid” instead of looking at why Mr. Martin was so upset with the Conservatives' Vic Toews. A man tweeted me with the Merrian-Webster definition of “whore” to inform me that, in fact, the term means “a person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.” I informed this man on twitter that the term “whore,” despite its formal definition has been and continues to be used to degrade, abuse, shame, vilify, and pathologize women and girls. Several other mansplanations were given to me, but a personal favourite was sent out by a charming young chap. After rejecting the dominant definition of ‘whore,’ this man informed me that I was “semantically singular” and “preposterous.” Well! let me tell you something – that had me set in my ways, I tell ya! What was I even thinking, trying to explain why I felt a man saying “rat-faced whore” in any context was absolutely fucked up? Another young fellow even reflected the awe-inspiring words of the lead “singer” of the faux-punk band NOFX, “blaming men will never change anything.” Yes, because of course, calling men out on their use of vile misogyny to express political opposition is “blaming men.” While various men and several women were excusing Mr. Martin’s 8^th grade boy’s locker-room patois, there was one male tweeter who seemed to get it. "David D." truthfully tweeted: It's entirely possible to tweet without regrettable or inappropriate language--or without bringing gendered insults into it.

Then there were others on Twitter expressing their belief that Pat Martin’s remark was “anti-sex work,” more than anything else. However, I would argue that women and girls are called “whores” for many, many reasons that do not depend at all on sexual activity or sex trade activity. The fact that several men and some women said that the term “whore” is and I quote, “an equal opportunity” term rather than a gendered term, is extremely troublesome to say the least. The attempt of those on the left and right to try and neutralize the political and gendered use of the term “whore” (as it is used today and historically) is incredibly irresponsible and harmful. If we pretend these terms have no meaning or are somehow apolitical, we trivialize the very realities of women and girls all over the world who are called "whores" and know how the word feels. “Whore” is often used in mainstream porn to degrade women and titillate misogynists, it is often used against women who have sex and women who don’t have sex. Women and girls are also called "whores" when they are being abused, bullied, and raped. 

The importance of language must be emphasized. The use of oppressive language is particularly important when it is employed by those in a place of power, specifically white, middle to upper class men in Canada’s House of Commons. 

If the NDP wants to continue supporting women’s rights in Canada they must stand up and reject the normative patriarchal sociocultural perception of women as less-than-human. They must do this by calling out other members when necessary. Blindly following everything that every member does in order to maintain a façade of party unity is irresponsible and reflects the Conservative’s approach to party politics. 

Today Mr. Martin deleted his Twitter account after sending out this apology.

However, this is not enough because Pat Martin did not directly address why his tweet was so problematic. I truly hope that he decides to offer an apology that is directed to women and girls.

Also, to Pat Martin I’d like to suggest that maybe it is time to wonder why the first thing that came to your mind whilst enraged was “rat-faced whores.” Are those the words of a progressive? How do such words reflect the Canadians that voted for you?

Finally, and this applies to all people of all political ideologies, in the words of Toni Morrison:

"Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge." 

Post-Secondary Pimping: Strip Clubs Recruiting at Ontario High Schools Now Targeting Colleges

It appears that sleazy male strip club owners in Ontario and around Canada are angry about the conservative government’s decision to ban stripping and sex industry related visas as it limits their “supply” of migrant sex trade workers. Now don't get me wrong, the conservative party of Canada is on my shit-list and their opposition to the sexual exploitation of women is not feminist in any way, shape or form as they want to criminalize women in the sex trade and promote the patriarchal capitalist status quo. Further, their overall foreign temporary workers program is exploitative and problematic as are their policies and beliefs surrounding labour rights in this country.

from the Windsor Star

But I digress,

Rob Katzman, the 50-something male owner of the Leopard's Lounge Broil Strip Club in Windsor, Ontario casually told Global News that there is a growing “need” for local “talent” in Canadian strip clubs due to the ban on foreign stripping visas. The search, they affirm, should be conducted on campuses.

The media, being the patriarchal institution that it is, is assisting in promoting such a recruitment campaign. The news is portraying this as nothing more than a simple economic issue – a question of supply and demand. Evoking the economic-rationality argument is commonplace in media discourses around the sex industry as it allows for normalization and the invisibilization of harm. 

In the same news segment, young women are talked about as commodities, existing only to meet the sexual demands of male strangers. They are not discussed as though they are full human beings. This is yet another tactic used in normalizing the sex industry. 

Katzman's reasoning for this post-secondary recruitment includes the issue of expensive tuition in Canada, especially for those women just moving to the city for the first time. He boasts that this campaign to get young women interested in stripping is rational and sound, especially when looked at through a neo-liberal economics standpoint. The strip club even hired their own sleazy lawyer to further their cause, stating that they are willing to take the issue to court to ensure the adequate supply of sexually available young women. Previously, however, Ontario strip clubs were targetting high schools and young girls under 18, hoping they would change their future aspirations and opt for stripping after graduation. Nevertheless, preying on high school students created too much controversy, so now their focus has shifted exclusively to post-secondary students. With this, flyers and pamphlets are to begin circulating throughout Ontario campuses. 

Katzman is seemingly satisfied with his hunt for college-aged strippers, claiming that these “entertainers” will be “classier” and “smarter." Clearly, those women working through temporary foreign visas were just not meeting the qualifications of classiness. Now, Katzman and those who frequent his club represent not only blatant misogyny, but also classism and racism.

The Global News story, which focuses predominately on the pro-sex industry perspective, two female college students (the first and only ones featured in the entire segment aside from random clips of women stripping) were asked what they thought of strip-club owners coming onto campuses to recruit students. One woman responded positively, stating that she needed the money – so why not? The other woman said that the whole thing was inherently predatory as it took advantage of young women who may have just moved to the city for the first time.

It is predatory, but it also assumes that women should consider stripping, lap-dancing and other forms of “sex work” as inevitable, rational, and even liberating employment options. It normalizes the patriarchal notion that men are entitled to women’s bodies on demand and that women can and should only find power through their appearance and ability to provoke erections.

This is a feminist issue and I hope that all feminists, particularly those living in the province of Ontario can speak out about this as it is unacceptable. Educational institutions and all public spaces for that matter, should be free of predatory pimps. 

Sexual Harassment and a Culture of Misogyny In the RCMP Pt. 3: Cpl. Brown's S&M Photos

Trigger Warning: Violence against women and sexualized violence

The RCMP tries to portray itself as a noble, courageous, and moral institution that upholds “the rule of law” and strives to “serve and protect” all citizens, but this is an illusion as the previous posts confirm. However, recently there has been even more controversy facing the force. When RCMP Cpl. Jim Brown’s photos were found on a bondage/sadomasochism website, many began to question his ability to appropriately oversee an investigation on murdered and missing women.

Once the images of the corporal were made public, many Canadians were disturbed to find an officer featured online in photos that fetishize violence against women. One photo shows Brown posing next to a woman bound in saranwrap and another displays him stepping on the back of a woman with his mountie boots. The narrative under the saranwrap photo was reiterated by Dr. Mike Webster, “He comes upon a woman on the street. He stalks her, he captures her, he takes her somewhere, it’s a private location, he wraps her in cellophane … he puts his feet on her, he cuts her, she bleeds.” 

Cpl. Jim Brown image found on AM980

The website even featured a photo of Cpl. Brown holding a butcher knife to a naked woman’s throat.  According to the National Post, “The narrative of the still photographs, posted on an S&M website, progresses from an apparent street scene of the woman walking past Brown sitting on a wall; he overpowers her; he hog-ties her, he imprisons her in a cage, he threatens her with a large butcher knife and he slashes her.”

Hilla Kerner, a worker at the the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter told the Vancouver Sun “It is absurd to think that his [Cpl. Brown] personal, private behaviour has nothing to do with his professional role as a police officer.” 

But those coming to Brown’s defense believe that his private life is based on individual choice and utterly detached from his public life. Psychology professor,  Del Paulhus (I know, I know it does look a lot like phallus) affirms that folks who are sadomasochists or those who “practice” bondage in their “home” life do not neccesarily behave that way in their careers or public lives. “In particular, the S&M community seems to be a group of people who are normal in every respect, except for their interest in sadistic and/or masochistic activities.” However, many that know that this is not entirely true, as several ex-BDSM aficionados have recently spoken out about sexual assault and a lack of real consent in some S&M circles. 

But I digress

Paulhus’s public/private theory suggests that we are all to believe that Cpl. Brown’s private activities (though they were published online by Brown) have no influence whatsoever on his ability to successfully and responsibly investigate a serial murder case involving 49 women.

Feminists are familiar with this notion that the public and private spheres of one's life are disconnected and detached. We argue, however, that they are connected and very intimately so. It does not take much brain power to understand how domestic battery and marital rape are not merely "private" matters, for instance. Feminists have long argued that this notion of a public/private divide is harmful to women as a class and further perpetuates a culture of misogyny, where violence against women is considered "a family matter" or a "private affair." Nevertheless, as per-usual under patriarchy, Cpl. Brown’s job will remain secure and he will continue to inhabit a place of authority despite this blatant conflict of interest. 

Cpl. Brown’s fetishizing of violence against women when placed alongside the workplace sexual harassment, rapes, verbal abuse, “fat parades,” and porn consumption, it is suffice to suggest that the RCMP is very anti-woman work environment.

But, what now?

How can the RCMP change when the misogyny is so deeply embedded as a part of the “culture?” What hope should we have, if any, in real change when the RCMP simply blames the women reporting abuse?

Cpl. Galliford’s courage to come forward with what she endured in the RCMP has inspired many other women to come forward, but what will be next for future female officers? For the missing and murdered women all over the country? The workplace harassment coupled with the violent photos of a male corporal merely makes a joke out of violence against women. This type of behaviour in the RCMP perpetuates a culture that views misogyny and violence against women as sexy, fun, and harmless. It pushes domestic violence, rape, and femicide into the private sphere and further discourages women from reporting abuse or safely escaping male violence. 

We must ask ourselves if a mere reformation of an institution that was founded on male-supremacy, colonialism, power, punishment, and social control is enough to put an end to a culture of misogyny.

Sexual Harassment and a Culture of Misogyny In the RCMP Pt. 2: More Women Speak Out

      TRIGGER WARNING for sexual abuse, rape, eating disorders, and victim blaming

      Since Cpl. Catherine Galliford came forward with sexual harassment and abuse allegations against the RCMP, many other women have begun speaking out. There are now as many as 150 women who have joined in the lawsuit against the RCMP. 

      

      Here are just some of those accounts.

Image from Cop Watch Vancouver

When Cst. Susan Gastaldo launched a lawsuit against her boss, Staff Sgt. Travis Pearson, accusing him of raping her on more than one occasion, she found herself taking the blame. Pearson denied the allegations, arguing that their "affair" was consensual and the sex was never forced. He admitted that he had an inappropriate affair with an officer but affirmed everything was completely consensual. Pearson even gave his cellphone to the reviewing panel to show them the text messages of an apparent sexual and/or affectionate nature that he exchanged with Gastaldo as "proof." After reviewing the text messages, the panel called for discipline but decided that only Gastaldo's job would held in question. 


Gastaldo's lawyer argued against the penalties, “He is the supervisor, she is the subordinate. He gets a $4,000 fine. Are we really going to impose upon her loss of job, loss of income, pension, promotional opportunities, benefits in the range of $4 million? That would be very disconcerting."


Gastaldo maintains that she was raped on numerous occasions and that their “relationship” was not consensual. Nevertheless, the panel reviewing the complaints decided that she was lying. “The board isn't convinced that a person who has been sexually assaulted would readily communicate with their assailant," stated male chairperson John Reid on the exchanged text messages. Even the lawyer representing the British Columbia RCMP concluded that Gastaldo has "never accepted responsibility for her actions." [Emphasis mine]

Photo from Flickr

Another lawsuit that gained publicity was launched last December by Cpl. Elisabeth Mary Couture who accused the RCMP of upholding a work environment of "fear and control." The men involved in her civil claim include the BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General as well as three RCMP officers and the Attorney General of Canada. Couture worked with the drug and organized crime awareness service but found herself becoming more panicked and anxious on the job. These symptoms, she affirms, were caused by her work environment. The panic and anxiety worsened to the point where Couture was forced to take a sick leave. 

Her civil claim states that “the defendants wilfully engaged in this outrageous conduct, deliberately and intentionally imposing the various unreasonable rules on Couture and deliberately and intentionally interfering with the conduct of her work." 


Everything she did was scrutinized and controlled, she says, even out-of-office coffee and lunch breaks were frowned upon if the top management was not involved. On one occasion she was even accused of being “too wordy” and was instructed to speak to her supervisors only “in a minute or less.” Nevertheless, on another occasion, when she spoke quietly to a co-worker, she was yelled at harshly by a supervisor.

Cpl. Couture remains on a sick leave from the RCMP but her lawsuit is growing stronger and larger, with many more women speaking out. 

The first Aboriginal female Mountie in Winnipeg, Cst. Marge Hudson, who worked on the force from 1979 to 2009 brought forth her own sexual harassment and abuse allegations in May 2012. Hudson did not only experience sexual harassment on the job, she also endured racism, bullying, and discrimination throughout her 30 year career.

Photo from Flickr

Further, while non-Aboriginal officers worked their way up the ranks, Hudson spent three decades without budging from her position as constable. “Am I brown, is that the reason? Am I female, is that the reason?” she told the CBC’s Sheila North-Wilson in an interview. “I had two shots against me right there — being aboriginal, being female.” 

She encourages more women to speak out about the clearly pervasive abuse in the RCMP, “Women are not just going to disappear … and they must treat us women fairly, which I know they haven’t. And that’s obvious to see, with 150 female members coming forward.”

One of the 150 has filed her second lawsuit against the RCMP. The most recent allegations come from Cst. Karen Katz, a prominent officer involved in investigating biker gangs in BC.  Her lawsuit which was launched in early July outlines similar incidents of abuse, harassment, and humiliation within the RCMP.  Her first lawsuit, which has yet to go through the courts, named fellow officer Baldev Singh Bamra, the Federal Minister of Public Safety, the Attorney General of Canada, and the Solicitor General of British Columbia as the offenders. Similarly to Galliford, Katz states that she endured harassment and abuse as soon as she began her career in the RCMP in 1980.

Katz filed a second suit this month, alleging disturbing harassment campaigns such as “fat parades” on the job, among other things. These “fat parades,” she recalls, consisted of male officers telling the female officers to “weigh-in” and then “parade” around the station and reveal their weights to the male corporals. The male officers and superiors would then proceed to shame, humiliate, and belittle the female officers about their bodies, size and overall physical appearance. The male officers continued to tell Katz that she was fat whenever they could, going as far as screaming at her for eating dessert in the cafeteria. 


 But it did not stop there.


A male officer even requested oral sex from Katz. The accused colleague worked alongside Katz in her first placement in Prince George, BC and had reportedly told Katz, “you are just the right height to put a beer on your head and you can give me ... (oral sex)." Other male RCMP officers would inquire about her sex life, describe their penises to her and boast about their own sexual experiences. As if this was not enough, Katz was even subjected to pornography on the job, unwelcome cheek kisses, and shoulder rubs. Due to the traumatic experiences of humiliation and sexual harassment, Katz developed bulimia, unbearable stomach pains, and post-traumatic stress disorder. "The reasons I stayed was because I've always wanted to be a police officer in the RCMP and serving the Canadian public," she said.
"I tolerated it, but I tolerated it with a notebook on the side, taking notes ... getting copies of my health services files, my personnel files, my every file, keeping track, knowing I was a target." Katz has been on sick leave since 2009.

Unfortunately, these are not the only women who have been harassed or abused in the RCMP or in any workplace for that matter; there are many more women in many more jobs. Women are frequently subjected to workplace sexual harassment, abuse and bullying by male co-workers and superiors. Jobs traditionally held by males and that are perceived under patriarchy, as being “masculine” or “male”–such as medicine, engineering, mechanics, trades, business as well as policing and fire-fighting–can be volatile work environments for women. These male-saturated workplaces may try to preserve their ‘boys club’ perv-o-sphere through harassment campaigns to push out female employees. Sexual harassment is about male power. As Burn states so simply in her women's studies text, "it [sexual harassment] arises from and reinforces the subordinate position of women in society. By intimidating and discouraging women from work, male dominance occupationally and economically is assured" (p. 118).




















notes:


S. M. Burns, 2005, Chapter 5 Women's Work, Sexual Harassment in "Women Across Cultures: A Global Perspective," 2nd ed, p. 119.

Sexual Harassment and a Culture of Misogyny In the RCMP Pt. 1: Cpl. Galliford's Allegations

Photo found here

Many Canadians are shocked by the increasing cases of sexual harassment, abuse, and overall misconduct within the RCMP or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Unfortunately, we are not enraged enough. 

Just this month another female Mountie brought forth allegations of workplace humiliation, sexual abuse, and harassment dating back to the 1980s. These new allegations coupled with the recently obtained photos of an RCMP Corporal on a BDSM website provides the public with more insight into the misogyny-drenched, so-called “old boys” culture within the RCMP. This kind of workplace abuse and overall contempt towards female employees and victims of male violence should rouse anger in all Canadians.

Aboriginal Women’s Overrepresentation in the Sex Trade

This research paper was written for my Contemporary Aboriginal Issues course last semester and due to its length, it will be placed under a cut.

photo found here

Sociobiology Study: Low voices more "trusting" and why the discipline is sexist, racist nonsense

For the last two nights now, listening to cbc radio one, I have found myself hearing of a ridiculous study conducted by a woman who has clarified her interest in discovering the "evolutionary basis of human behavior" aka sociobiology - you know, the train of thought that fascists hold of human behavior being fixed and unchangeable that lead to war, genocide and oppression.


But I digress.


This new study focuses solely on human voices and how lower voices are apparently more likely to show "dominance" and "leadership." According to this study, several people were asked to listen to the voices of men (yes, they failed to even include women in the study) and judge which voice is more "dominant" -- the findings showed that the lower voices were preferred for whether or not the person speaking could be trusted.


All of this was brought to my attention last night during the airing of my favourite radio programs, "As it Happens" and of course, the amazing Carol Off called her out on her clear sexism by asking why she did not include women. Whenever Carol would ask about what her study presented, especially about non-masculine voices and women in generally in political leadership positions, the woman kept responding with, "we didn't really think about that one..." or "well, that is a good point." She even went so far to highlight how Margaret Thatcher went through voice training to make her voice lower. Rather than critiquing WHY this might be, they simply seem to believe it is all "natural" and not something caused by a sexist society.


And so, tonight as I was listening to a separate program on CBC, the same study comes up as a way to say that a female politician in Canada may be at a "disadvantage" because of what this study has found. There is so much wrong here and no one is discussing this -- this problem is with the study itself. This study is biased in its biological deterministic, sexist, and restrictive approach to research. First of all, why would such research be conducted to begin with? Why would a woman be interested in such a study?


As someone who spends days of her year studying human evolution in Anthropology, I can confidently say that human behavior cannot be studied in the same way that other, non-human animal behavior are for the simple reason that we have culture. Our cultures and upbringings teach us behaviors, socialization skills and ways of being in our world  -- a voice, whether deep or low, is not a starting ground to discuss who makes a better or worse political leader, or who is more "dominant" -- it simply tells us that a group of people who were asked to listen to voices and happened to find the lower ones more "trustworthy." Why are we circulating the story around like it has made some groundbreaking scientific discovery? How can we draw such huge, sexist conclusions about ability to leadership from such a ridiculous "evolutionary trait." Dominance in human societies is something that has a social basis -- dominance in chimps is very different, for example, than dominance in humans and should not be studied using the same guidelines. The pathetic part of this study, too, is the realization that such ideas still exist -- ideas that human behaviors are fixed and unchangeable, relying solely on evolutionary processes that take place in a naturalist scenario. The people who have supported such ideas include eugenicists, racists, sexists, and fascists. These are the people who are "concerned" with trying to "prove" that human behavior has some intrinsic, biological cause. Why must we continue on with such harmful misinformation disguised as "scientific data."


Notions about people being "naturally" one wayor "naturally" another has lead our world into bloody wars, oppression, discrimination, and genocides. This is all in the name of "science" which is allegedly above all scrutiny. An example of this that I did an extensive research paper on regards one  J. Philippe Rushton, a evolutionary psychologist who continues to publish academic papers trying to show that cranium size dictates intelligence. With this, Rushton conducted "research" of measuring skull volume and skull size to support his fallacy that some "races" as he asserts, are of "superior intelligence" than others. Of course, all of his conculsions illustrate a deep racist bias as he constnatly places people of African descent on the lowest level of intelligence. And yet, his work continues to be published because some people still think that sociobiology, evolutionary psychology and the like, are legitmate schools of thought and have a basis in reality when they do not. Sociobiology attempts to create a "science" of segerating humans and pigeon-holing groups of people by attempting to say their learned behaviors and cultures are some how rooted in a "difference" in biology. It takes the "nature vs. nurture" debate and takes a steaming dump on the "nurture" and thus breeding a climate of ignorance and segregation based on "science." This published study is no different.




Here is an opinion piece regarding this topic

When Cops become Johns and Other Findings from The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry

The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry opened on October 11 and continues in its inquiry as to why so many women have disappeared from Vancouver’s Downtown East End and why the police took so long to find the man responsible. This man, of course, is deranged murderer Robert Pickton. 

                              Photo from EVE - Formerly Exploited Voices now Educating

The inquiry also set out to investigate how these women were treated by the police and legal system. The inquiry, despite many advocacy groups pulling out due to lack of funds, continues to reveal much about the the Vancouver Police Departments’ misconduct. ¹  

A recent finding from the inquiry has revealed that members of the Vancouver Police Department, the VPD, forced many of the women they picked up on the East End to perform “sexual favours” in order for the women to avoid arrest. In a study conducted by Kate Shannon, it was disclosed that the VPD treated these women with “apathy, indifference or outright harassment.” The study included interviews with 255 people involved in the sex industry in Vancouver’s East End. 237 of those interviewed were women and 48% of those women were First Nations women of Canada. Furthermore, Shannon found that such incidents of police harassment and abuse made the women highly unlikely to report crimes. In her study, Shannon also found that 87% of the women interviewed said that they have experienced “absolute homelessness” at least once in their lives while one and five were living with HIV. An unsettling one in four were raped and 30% experienced violence by johns – 57% of them at least once in a 19-month period. ²

Despite such alarming findings, Shannon claims she believes that the only solution to such violence committed against these women by johns (mostly men) and now by the Police (mostly men) is to decriminalize prostitution and move it indoors. Shannon told the court during the inquiry hearings that,

"The current criminalization results in enforced displacement, which as we've seen, both pushes people away from health and support services and increases the risk of coerced sex and violence." She continued, "being able to allow sex workers to work indoors and in safer indoor spaces would be really important, both for allowing sex workers to have some measure of safety, access to services and reduced exposure to violence." ³

While I agree that criminalizing those within the sex industry may restrict their access to health services and support, decriminalizing the johns and pimps will not further women's access to health services or physical safety. Moving people indoors to be purchased by predominately men will not solve anything. Also, if we know that police officers are now playing the role of the john and the cop, then who will protect these women, indoors or outdoors? How will this prevent the extensive violence committed against them by johns and pimps? Will the police suddenly begin to care and respond appropriately to the concerns of these women if they are indoors? It is doubtful and Shannon’s report suggests this. In this same report there is even a direct quote from a woman regarding her fears. She is quoted stating that she feared “police, pimps, dealers, strangers, and partners.”²  Another interviewed woman warned, “once buddy’s got you in the car, you’re fucked.” 

Moving women indoors may prevent them from getting into cars, but who will protect them while inside?  Will it be the pimps or brothel owners who protect them from violent johns? My proposition is that rather than simply relocating these women, why don’t we challenge the men who feel entitled to purchase them?  Why not challenge the racist, sexist and colonialist implications that come with nearly half of these women being First Nations women? We cannot continue to ignore the intersections of class, ethnicity, and sex when discussing prostitution. We must realize that really terrible, disgusting things are happening to women because we live in a society that thrives on exploitation, greed and male-dominance. Let us create opportunities for all, put an end to poverty and see how well prostitution survives in such a humane and compassionate climate. It wouldn’t survive in that sort of society because there would be no demand.

Prostitution has been a recent spot of interest for Canada with these inquiries as well as the hearings from supporters of decriminalizing johns. More recently there has even been several political speculators who think the recent allowed continuance of the safe-injection drug sites in Vancouver may lead to a change to Canada’s prostitution laws. However, I am unsure how women being bought like commodities are the same as providing safe needles for heroin users. Nevertheless, I stand firmly on my support for the Nordic Model regarding prostitution laws, which decriminalizes those “selling” and criminalizing those “buying.” It also provides opportunities and support services for women who want to exit safely. This whole “decriminalization of johns will prevent violence” notion is a mere mirage in that it promises those in authority, like police officers, will “protect” these women. We now see that they are not being protected by the police, in fact, they are being coerced and harassed by the police.

"Laws" created by the ruling class aside, I also support the notion of radical change to society. This change would allow a society where we would see others as valuable and worthy of respect. A society where women are not systematically raped, murdered, purchased, traded, devalued, or despised. Prostitution simply would not exist in such a world. This is because prostitution and the sex industry at large, is in and of itself , an institution. It is a product of a domination/submission paradigm that has been sustained by a laissez faire global economic system as well as a laissez faire

Notes:

1.      “B.C.'s missing women inquiry opens,” CBC News, October 11, 2011, accessed October 22, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/11/robert-pickton-inquiry.html

2.     Suzanna Fournier, “Vancouver cops forced prostitutes to perform sexual favours, inquiry told,” Montreal Gazette, October 19, 2011, accessed on October 22, 2011.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Vancouver+cops+forced+prostitutes+perform+sexual+favours+inquiry+told/5570043/story.html

      3. The Canadian Press, “Pickton inquiry focus shifts to prostitution laws,” CBC News, October 19, 2011, accessed October 22, 2011. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/18/bc-pickton-.html