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« FEMINISTS ARGUING | Main | GOVERNMENT SHOWS NO INTEREST IN MALE VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC ABUSE - EXAMPLE 1,999 »

Monday, 10 January 2011

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Douglas

Overall, a good, believable presentation. One could nit-pick but it did a good job of putting over the plight of men in domestic violence, as well as highlight some of society's misandrist policies about it.

Sick of Lies

Sorry to post totally off-topic but what are your thoughts on Bristol Labour MP Kerry McCarthy's latest excuse on her blog that she wasn't being sexist when she agreed with a journalist that all men in Bristol should be DNA testing in the hunt for the killer of Joanna Yeates?

http://kerrymccarthy.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/the-dna-issue/#comment-839

Skimmington

The problem here I think 'Sick of Lies' seems to be one of mis-reporting and usual churnalism from the media (ie someone gets a story, then others copy it, twist it but never factcheck it) as she is saying she didn't say what she was accused of.

If she did say it, as one of Harman's fans she'd be proud of it.

Not that I feel comfortable sticking up from one of Harman's flunkies, mind you.

Sick of Lies

What she does seem to admit to is this, though:

“I think the outraged accusations of sexism from some quarters, i.e. why was I only asking for men to be tested, are to be frank, a little silly. I was only asked about men, so responded on that basis.”

It seems to me that a journalist asked her if she thought it would be a good idea for all males within a certain age group - and only males - to be DNA tested by police. Her answer to this question was basically 'yes'. So she was prepared to acquiesce in sexism.

The newspaper's seemed to report that it as if she suggested it, though. However, her revelation here still doesn't absolve her of supporting and actively endorsing sexism against men.

The tabloids' sensationalism would be kind of like (and I know this is an extreme analogy) newspapers in 1940 misreporting that Marshal Petain had invaded and occupied France - when, in fact, it was Marshal Petain who collaborated as head of the puppet Vichy regime with those who invaded and occupied France.

So, basically, whilst not being the prime instigator of the sexism against men herself, she is nevertheless prepared to go along with it to the extent of letting it be known that she fully approves of it.

Now, if Kerry McCarthy had spoken up and said she was in favour of DNA tests if it included women, too then she would not be guilty of supporting sexism. But she didn't; therefore, she is.

Sick of Lies

Curiously, she's also keen to point out later in her blog entry that she'd be prepared to give a 'voluntary' DNA sample herself.

No doubt she sees this as the ultimate proof that she is not being sexist against men - but the key word here is 'voluntary'. When it comes to men being DNA tested she agrees that it should be 'compulsory' but when it comes to her, as a woman, being DNA tested she accedes to this only on the condition that it is 'voluntary' (i.e. as a woman she should have the choice of being able to refuse to be DNA tested if she wants to whereas a man should not have the choice).

John Kimble

McCarthy comes from a party with a history of keeping innocent men's DNA on file.

She proved her man hating credentials in the prominent role she played opposing equality for vicitms of false rape allegations.

Anyone should refuse to give a DNA sample out of principle until labour's DNA database is purged of all every single last innocent individual.

Sick of Lies

Obviously, no disrepect to Joanna or her family as this is a very terrible tragic thing to have happened, but around the same time a 20-year-old man, Nathan Tomlinson, has gone missing too - similarly to Jo last seen after a works party just before Christmas.

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1404878_lost_and_heading_the_wrong_way_home_cctv_reveals_last_known_movements_of_missing_christmas_partygoer_nathan_tomlinson

Police, relatives and loved ones have noted that they are very disappointed with the lack of media publicity given to Nathan's disappearance.

Glen Poole

....I thought the play was excellent and the documentary v good too (and 95% positive for those of us who care about male victims)

The play was particularly pleasing for me because I was at a BBC Radio drama meeting in Manchester in 2003 when a up and coming woman writer pitched an idea for a drama on a male victim of domestic abuse. The BBC commissioner chairing the meeting dismissed the idea out of hand. The reason she rejected the idea was because she said ‘it didn’t happen’. I challenged this statement only to be told – “I don’t want to pull rank but I worked in a women’s refuge and I know it doesn’t happen

http://brightonmanplan.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/bbc-makes-a-drama-out-of-male-domestic-violence-victim/

Glen Poole

....on the issue of mass DNA testing the issue of sexism for me is more to do not with the focus on men as suspects - much as I find the idea of DNA testing every man in a city utterly distasteful the focus on men at least makes statistical sense

the issue of sexism for me is more to do with the fact that we seem to give far greater concern to female victims than male victims, read more on this here:

http://brightonmanplan.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/every-man-in-bristol-is-a-murder-suspect-says-mp/

Liz B


I am a woman and I believe the saying what is good for the goose is good for the gander. I wonder how women would feel if they had to go through the day to day fears every man has to go through. If they truly want "equality" it should be in all venues. It is time we stop hiding our heads in the sand and give men the same rights that women have.


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