tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499217243284937366.post361227327248597251..comments2024-03-18T07:44:24.908-04:00Comments on TKIN: Philosopher Encounters Modern Life: Sexual Intrusion And Sexual Harm: How Bad Is Bad?Patricia Marinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16087880431696831634noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499217243284937366.post-53517569906760021492015-09-21T15:48:06.707-04:002015-09-21T15:48:06.707-04:00Our fear has to do with the threat of actual harm ...Our fear has to do with the threat of actual harm - and if a man exposes himself, is he likely to go further and rape? Because our media loves violence we are exposed to so many stories of women being brutally raped and children sexually abused. And then parents who are afraid of sex education in school - afraid it will make them promiscuous.<br /><br />In the seventies I remember talking to a group of girls in the office and one said women should not make eye contact with strange men because they may see it as an invitation, then another woman who accused any man who spoke to her as them trying to get her into bed.<br /><br />Sometimes it's our fantasies that get us into trouble.<br /> Janet Vickershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01064735501871939254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5499217243284937366.post-53454271141825024702015-09-21T13:19:41.721-04:002015-09-21T13:19:41.721-04:00Patricia, this reminded me of an incident. I lived...Patricia, this reminded me of an incident. I lived in Japan for a year when I was 19-20 on an education abroad program. One day on the long, tree-lined drive on campus a teenager-looking dude wandered by on his bicycle exposing himself. I was all shocked and horrified and a little scared and outraged and when I went to report it the staff just laughed. They saw it as childish, immature, kind of embarrassing and not scary behavior. Thinking about this, it seemed like *because* they didn't think of it as that shocking or even really all that unusual or bizarre, then the follow-on thought natural to those raised in my culture -- what else might someone do, who would violate this social norm? -- wasn't there. And I think it's this follow-on thought that's actually so upsetting and frightening. To them he wasn't scary, just kind of pathetic and laughable. Maybe we could learn from this. <br /><br />On the other hand, while Japan is (or was then) extraordinarily safe generally speaking - we had no fear wandering around Tokyo at any hour of the night - it was also true that you ran the risk of getting groped on the subway. That happened only once to me and it was pretty upsetting (the guy scuttled away, he was no threat - helps that he was smaller than me, maybe, but honestly a threat or fear of further violence isn't really part of that situation, as I think it would be in the US. Usually it happens when the trains are super crowded and there's a lot of body contact anyway.). They have a real problem with it. Maybe these go together, I don't know.<br /><br />Not sure if this is related either, but there was also no fear generally of drunk people... guys don't tend to get drunk and aggressive and violent there; rather, people get - and expect to get, and are expected to get - kind of emotional and childish and goofy, maybe melancholic, maybe silly. Getting drunk is regarded as a kind of regression to childhood and drunk people are regarded with indulgence and amusement. Drunk people don't feel judged or get defensive and aggressive.<br /><br />Not sure how all these fit together. But it seems related. Something something Puritanism.<br />Linda Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15810333062085270319noreply@blogger.com