Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Irene Weiser" <>]

A clarification.

Heather MacDonald's Op-Ed was published in the LA Times on Sun Feb 24.  This 
was not trivial exposure or small readership.
http://tinyurl.com/yshze9 ;

The LA Times op ed was based on a longer piece MacDonald did for the City 
Journal - the small right wing rag.  

There was a terrific response published in the LA Times a couple days later 
called Wrong On Rape
Read it here 
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oew-macdonald27feb27,0,6130673.story ;

I'm angry the LA Times gave MacDonald a platform - the damage done by that 
will never be known.  However, I'm VERY glad there as a swift and articulate 
response that was also published.   

The so called "fathers-rights" crowd, and the various other anti-feminist 
crowds are forever publishing their tripe amongst their own - as in the City 
Journal, or on the Mens News Daily website.  I agree it is not worth our time 
or energy to address what they say to their own misogynist crowd who have no 
interest in having their minds changed.

However, when, on the rare occasions, their nonsense does get a more 
mainstream platform - I feel STRONGLY that a response is needed - as did 
happen w/LA Times.

But now the LA Times incident is over and done.  I agree that at this point 
we should go back to the good works we do (and that keeps us plenty busy!) 
every day and let sleeping dogs lie.  


Irene Weiser
Stop Family Violence
331 W. 57th St #518
New York, NY 10019

607-539-6856
**************************************
www.StopFamilyViolence.org
the people's voice for family peace
**************************************


-----Original Message-----
From: 

 
[mailto:]
 On Behalf Of Juliette Grimmett
Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 11:11 AM
To: 

Subject: McDonald response from CALCASA

This was posted on the prevent-connect listserv and I wanted to share it
with you all before we consider a response.  I know that people in CA
are most connected to this, so I feel it important to follow their lead
here...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many of us have responded in a variety of ways to the LA Times Op Ed,
which claims that campus rape is a myth. Some of those responses were
quick, accurate and I think they were effective at reframing the issue.
While I am as frustrated by this type of attack as anyone else, I also
believe that we should hold it in context and be strategic about any
further response (or lack thereof). 

Heather MacDonald writes for an ultra-conservative think tank and has
specialized for the last ten years or so on anti-immigrant work. She is
not journalist. The City Journal, where she is published is nothing more
than a newsletter for that same think tank. It is no more reputable than
she is, and its readership are people who have come to expect (and will
never see otherwise in this “journal”) a very racist, sexist and
xenophobic brand of politics.

Knowing that, I think that a strategic approach to this issue is to
simply stop responding. Her OpEd was buried (and only comes up when we
link to it), and she was relegated back to her own little website (with
the aforementioned). Any further response on our part does little to
educate an already small and combative group, but rather serves to
promote their message and their agenda. 

I was pleased to see a response on this list earlier from Juliette
Grimmett at NC State, who said: “I hate the thought of spending a
moment of my life responding to her ridiculousness.” As a person who
spends all-day-every-day responding to the ridiculousness of policy
makers, law enforcement agencies, celebrities and real journalists
(sometimes I get to respond to the not-so-ridiculous) I could not agree
more. 

CALCASA, for one, won’t be helping to promote this woman’s message
beyond the small space from whence it came. As a movement of advocates,
we have so many very important things we do everyday, diverting our
energy on her behalf is unnecessary. After speaking with many of my
colleagues in California and all over the country, we have all come to
the conclusion that for this particular individual, the best response to
ignore her rather than feeding the monster.

Robert Coombs M.A.
Director of Public Affairs
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA)
Phone: 916.446.2520 ext. 325
Mobile: 916.743.6069
Fax: 916.446.8166
www.CALCASAPublicPolicy.org 
www.MyStrength.org 
www.CALCASA.org 


__._,_.___ 


Are you an NCSU student that is interested in being an Sexual &
Relationship Violence Peer Educator?  please contact Juliette for an
application and class information. 
 
"It's so liberating and important for men to understand that they can
actually be friendly to women instead of playing some gender-specific
role, and that women are in most ways the same as they are. I think that
lots of women already know that, but not so many guys do."  -my dad
8/3/07
 
Juliette Grimmett, MPH
Rape Prevention Education Coordinator
NC State University
Women's Center
3120 Talley Student Center
Campus BOX 7306
Raleigh, NC 27695-7306
Office: (919) 513-3232
24 Hour Sexual Violence Hotline: (919)618-RAPE (7273)
Fax: (919) 515-1066
email: 

website: http://www.ncsu.edu/womens_center
 
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