VERBAL ABUSE
SOCIETY AND MALE DOMINATED SOCIETY:
Although both sexes can be victims hundreds or thousands of years of male dominated societies have created negative attitudes towards women among many men, leading boys to grow up with a deeply en grained sense of entitlement that women will do all the work of looking after them, even if the woman is also going out to work. While some women are aggressive and dominating to male partners the majority of abuse in heterosexual partnerships, at about 80%, is by men.
Fundamentalist views of religions which have developed in male dominated cultures tend to reinforce these attitudes. All the major world religions historically taught the dominance of men over women. Thus the book of Genesis states “in sorrow thou shall bring forth children: and thy desire shall be be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Such ancient texts provide men with justifications for abusing female partners. Fundamentalist religious prohibitions to divorce make it more difficult for religious women to leave an abusive marriage. A 1980s survey of Methodist clergy found that 21% of them agreed that no amount of abuse would justify a woman’s leaving her husband.
Many older and some not so old children’s stories contain gender stereotyping, and music videos and computer games for children and teenagers have been criticized for continuing to portray men as aggressive and in control, while the females are there only for their sexual allure; women are portrayed as wanting to be chased and caught when they run away.
Legal systems have in the past endorsed these traditions of male domination and it is only in recent years that abusers have begun to be punished for their behaviour.
LOSS OF CONTROL:
Abusers may blame the the victim’s actions for causing them to lose control of their temper. It is often apparent however that they do not behave in that way with other people. When abusers smash up property in apparently random acts it often turns out that they avoid damaging their own belongings, and if law officers, called by alarmed neighbours, arrive the “uncontrollable rage” will be instantly switched off. At this point the abuser, who is calm, will often pass the blame to the victim, who is likely to be visibly disturbed.
VIDEOS
WORDS OF WISDOM!
may the sun
bring you new energy by day,
may the moon
softly restore you by night,
may the rain
wash away your worries,
may the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
may you walk
gently though the world and know its beauty all the days of your life. by Apache Blessing
“If women know how to be faithful to each other, perhaps we wouldn’t be governed by man.” AKS
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars.
In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. by Marx Ehrmann
never
never
never
give
up by Sr. Winston Churchill
” Promise yourself, no matter how difficult the problem life throws at you, that you will try as hard as you can to help yourself. You acknowledge that sometimes your efforts to help yourself may not result in success, as often being properly rewarded is not in your control.” by Raj Persaud
” Violent criminals often describe themselves as superior to others – as special, elite persons who deserve preferential treatment. Many murders and assaults are committed in response to blows to self-esteem such as insults and humiliation. (To be sure, some perpetrators live in settings where insults threaten more than their opinions of themselves. Esteem and respect are linked to status in the social hierarchy, and to put someone down can have tangible and even life-threatening consequences. “
Although both sexes can be victims hundreds or thousands of years of male dominated societies have created negative attitudes towards women among many men, leading boys to grow up with a deeply en grained sense of entitlement that women will do all the work of looking after them, even if the woman is also going out to work. While some women are aggressive and dominating to male partners the majority of abuse in heterosexual partnerships, at about 80%, is by men.
Fundamentalist views of religions which have developed in male dominated cultures tend to reinforce these attitudes. All the major world religions historically taught the dominance of men over women. Thus the book of Genesis states “in sorrow thou shall bring forth children: and thy desire shall be be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” Such ancient texts provide men with justifications for abusing female partners. Fundamentalist religious prohibitions to divorce make it more difficult for religious women to leave an abusive marriage. A 1980s survey of Methodist clergy found that 21% of them agreed that no amount of abuse would justify a woman’s leaving her husband.
Many older and some not so old children’s stories contain gender stereotyping, and music videos and computer games for children and teenagers have been criticized for continuing to portray men as aggressive and in control, while the females are there only for their sexual allure; women are portrayed as wanting to be chased and caught when they run away.
Legal systems have in the past endorsed these traditions of male domination and it is only in recent years that abusers have begun to be punished for their behaviour.
LOSS OF CONTROL:
Abusers may blame the the victim’s actions for causing them to lose control of their temper. It is often apparent however that they do not behave in that way with other people. When abusers smash up property in apparently random acts it often turns out that they avoid damaging their own belongings, and if law officers, called by alarmed neighbours, arrive the “uncontrollable rage” will be instantly switched off. At this point the abuser, who is calm, will often pass the blame to the victim, who is likely to be visibly disturbed.
VIDEOS
WORDS OF WISDOM!
may the sun
bring you new energy by day,
may the moon
softly restore you by night,
may the rain
wash away your worries,
may the breeze
blow new strength into your being.
may you walk
gently though the world and know its beauty all the days of your life. by Apache Blessing
“If women know how to be faithful to each other, perhaps we wouldn’t be governed by man.” AKS
Be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars.
In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. by Marx Ehrmann
never
never
never
give
up by Sr. Winston Churchill
” Promise yourself, no matter how difficult the problem life throws at you, that you will try as hard as you can to help yourself. You acknowledge that sometimes your efforts to help yourself may not result in success, as often being properly rewarded is not in your control.” by Raj Persaud
” Violent criminals often describe themselves as superior to others – as special, elite persons who deserve preferential treatment. Many murders and assaults are committed in response to blows to self-esteem such as insults and humiliation. (To be sure, some perpetrators live in settings where insults threaten more than their opinions of themselves. Esteem and respect are linked to status in the social hierarchy, and to put someone down can have tangible and even life-threatening consequences. “
Rainer Maria Rilke
ADRIANA SASSOON 
Adriana,
Let me know if you were able to see the photos. Otherwise, I will send them to you in some other way.
Arturo
Hello Adriana,
I just want to share with you my artistic view regarding the “Fundamentalist views of religions”.
In the attached photos you can see a piece that I presented during my BFA graduation exhibit.
The text in Hebrew at the top of the sculpture, is the part of Genesis 3:16 that you are quoting: “And he shall rule over you”.
/Users/arturomartinez/Desktop/Genesis.jpg+/Genesis.jpg
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/Users/arturomartinez/Desktop/Genesis.jpg+/DSC_0035.jpg
Until this is demythologized, that behavior will prevail.