This week’s controversy over the New York Times Article “Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town” is another grim reminder of how persistent sexism is in North America. A child is gang raped, the mother is blamed, and the child’s clothing choice is blamed. Sympathy is expressed for the poor attackers, who must “live with this the rest of their lives.”
A lot of excellent blog posts have been written about the article, and there have been calls for demands for an apology from the Times. If you haven’t read the article yet, have a look. Amazing, isn’t it?
I’ve attached the above photo as a call to arms. It was a message written on the bathroom wall at the Sudbury Townhouse. When BB played there on our tour with Woodpigeon last year, Holly Andruchuk, Kenna Burima, Kathryn Aedy and I were all struck by the anonymous truths, warnings, fears, insults, secrets, and poems scrawled on the stalls and mirrors; the ladies toilet at the Townhouse is like a mini museum of girl to girl knowledge sharing. While the world is littered with articles like “Vicious Assault…” cultivating self-respect and mutual respect is a form of resistance.
Betty Burke 
One more grim reminder that feminism is still relevant
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This week’s controversy over the New York Times Article “Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town” is another grim reminder of how persistent sexism is in North America. A child is gang raped, the mother is blamed, and the child’s clothing choice is blamed. Sympathy is expressed for the poor attackers, who must “live with this the rest of their lives.”
A lot of excellent blog posts have been written about the article, and there have been calls for demands for an apology from the Times. If you haven’t read the article yet, have a look. Amazing, isn’t it?
I’ve attached the above photo as a call to arms. It was a message written on the bathroom wall at the Sudbury Townhouse. When BB played there on our tour with Woodpigeon last year, Holly Andruchuk, Kenna Burima, Kathryn Aedy and I were all struck by the anonymous truths, warnings, fears, insults, secrets, and poems scrawled on the stalls and mirrors; the ladies toilet at the Townhouse is like a mini museum of girl to girl knowledge sharing. While the world is littered with articles like “Vicious Assault…” cultivating self-respect and mutual respect is a form of resistance.
Written by bettyburkeband
March 13, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Posted in Political commentary and current events
Tagged with Betty Burke, feminism, holly andruchuk, James C. McKinley Jr., Katherin Aedy, Kenna Burima, New York Times, sexism, Sudbury Townhouse, Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town, Woodpigeon