Inclusive Communities and Representations of Violence against Women

Why don't we end the name calling and just have a discussion?

Like I said earlier, my ideal is that the demand for eroticised depictions of sexual violence against women disappear. I have no idea what the answer is to ending violence against women, i seriously doubt it's everyone having access to more rape porn though.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against women (CEDAW) says the following:

Articles 2(f), 5 and 10(c)

"11. Traditional attitudes by which women are regarded as subordinate to men or as having stereotyped roles perpetuate widespread practices involving violence or coercion, such as family violence and abuse, forced marriage, dowry deaths, acid attacks and female circumcision. Such prejudices and practices may justify gender-based violence as a form of protection or control of women. The effect of such violence on the physical and mental integrity of women is to deprive them the equal enjoyment, exercise and knowledge of human rights and fundamental freedoms. While this comment addresses mainly actual or threatened violence the underlying consequences of these forms of gender-based violence help to maintain women in subordinate roles and contribute to the low level of political participation and to their lower level of education, skills and work opportunities.

12. These attitudes also contribute to the propagation of pornography and the depiction and other commercial exploitation of women as sexual objects, rather than as individuals. This in turn contributes to gender-based violence."

My contention is that extreme pornography, including some of the content in SL, contributes to rape and sexual violence supportive attitudes & beliefs and reinforces rape myths, like those highlighted in a 2005 amnesty survey:

"The poll, 'Sexual Assault Research', published today (21 November) as part of Amnesty International's 'Stop Violence Against Women' campaign, shows that similar "blame culture" attitudes exist over clothing, drinking, perceived promiscuity, personal safety and whether a woman has clearly said "no" to the man. For instance, more than a quarter (26%) of those asked said that they thought a women was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was wearing sexy or revealing clothing, and more than one in five (22%) held the same view if a woman had had many sexual partners.

Around one in 12 people (8%) believed that a woman was totally responsible for being raped if she'd had many sexual partners. Similarly, more than a quarter of people (30%) said that a woman was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was drunk, and more than a third (37%) held the same view if the woman had failed to clearly say "no" to the man."

It's absolutely not the only factor in shaping these attitudes - like I said several times previously, other socialisation is a major contributor - but it is, I'd argue, part of the problem. VAW doesn't exist in a vaccum, it's legitmised and supported by values and attitudes. Do you think, for example, that if there hadn't been a shift in values and attitudes in the US that Mr Obama would now be president? Would that have happened 30 years ago? As attitudes shift and change so do cultural norms and behaviours to reflect that (not that i'm saying racism has disappeared).

SL is a drop in the ocean in terms of user base, and it's contribution to extreme pornography availability miniscule compared to what else is out there on the internet, but it still contributes to a culture of minimising sexual violence against women and conflating sex with sexual violence.

A few examples:

One rp area has a garbage truck for sale so that you can,
'fuck her in the back and close the compactor on her head when you are done'.

Another area has what it labels 'erotic images' around the walls. One such image (real photo, not SL snapshot) is of a naked woman in chains, seemingly barely conscious and covered in what looks like cigarette burns. There are many others around, including a non-phographic visual depiction of a woman being impaled with a pole through the mouth and vagina. To facilitate the role plays, the area provides 'rape' and 'attack' pose balls and a body bag for when you're done.

'forced, roleplay, gang, rape, bang, kidnap, hangout, capture, cocktease, slut, tramp, whore, cumslut, toy'
or
'basement, dirty, backstreet, dark, alley, whore, forced, fuck, sex, porn hardcore brutal rape ass anal oral group mmf gang bang roleplay hooker escort machine bitch'
keywords used to advertise other rp areas.

You could also buy a 'bitch post', to chain your rp slave onto. Or use a glory hole and pay 25 lindens if a slut is available to service you. Or just use a disembodied vagina and pair of legs as a 'sperm bank'. Buy 'the real slut' 3 hole edition. Go to the cumslut cafe and use the forced oral poses or buy a sexual violence animation with knife included.

Doesn't any of this stuff say something about attitudes toward women? About perceptions of violence against women? I don't want to see men being dehumanised in the same way, but can I ask why you think the vast majority of these areas involve rp or images of women being violated?

Why don't we end the name calling and just have a discussion?

Like I said earlier, my ideal is that the demand for eroticised depictions of sexual violence against women disappear. I have no idea what the answer is to ending violence against women, i seriously doubt it's everyone having access to more rape porn though.

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against women (CEDAW) says the following:

Articles 2(f), 5 and 10(c)

"11. Traditional attitudes by which women are regarded as subordinate to men or as having stereotyped roles perpetuate widespread practices involving violence or coercion, such as family violence and abuse, forced marriage, dowry deaths, acid attacks and female circumcision. Such prejudices and practices may justify gender-based violence as a form of protection or control of women. The effect of such violence on the physical and mental integrity of women is to deprive them the equal enjoyment, exercise and knowledge of human rights and fundamental freedoms. While this comment addresses mainly actual or threatened violence the underlying consequences of these forms of gender-based violence help to maintain women in subordinate roles and contribute to the low level of political participation and to their lower level of education, skills and work opportunities.

12. These attitudes also contribute to the propagation of pornography and the depiction and other commercial exploitation of women as sexual objects, rather than as individuals. This in turn contributes to gender-based violence."

My contention is that extreme pornography, including some of the content in SL, contributes to rape and sexual violence supportive attitudes & beliefs and reinforces rape myths, like those highlighted in a 2005 amnesty survey:

"The poll, 'Sexual Assault Research', published today (21 November) as part of Amnesty International's 'Stop Violence Against Women' campaign, shows that similar "blame culture" attitudes exist over clothing, drinking, perceived promiscuity, personal safety and whether a woman has clearly said "no" to the man. For instance, more than a quarter (26%) of those asked said that they thought a women was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was wearing sexy or revealing clothing, and more than one in five (22%) held the same view if a woman had had many sexual partners.

Around one in 12 people (8%) believed that a woman was totally responsible for being raped if she'd had many sexual partners. Similarly, more than a quarter of people (30%) said that a woman was partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was drunk, and more than a third (37%) held the same view if the woman had failed to clearly say "no" to the man."

It's absolutely not the only factor in shaping these attitudes - like I said several times previously, other socialisation is a major contributor - but it is, I'd argue, part of the problem. VAW doesn't exist in a vaccum, it's legitmised and supported by values and attitudes. Do you think, for example, that if there hadn't been a shift in values and attitudes in the US that Mr Obama would now be president? Would that have happened 30 years ago? As attitudes shift and change so do cultural norms and behaviours to reflect that (not that i'm saying racism has disappeared).

SL is a drop in the ocean in terms of user base, and it's contribution to extreme pornography availability miniscule compared to what else is out there on the internet, but it still contributes to a culture of minimising sexual violence against women and conflating sex with sexual violence.

A few examples:

One rp area has a garbage truck for sale so that you can,
'fuck her in the back and close the compactor on her head when you are done'.

Another area has what it labels 'erotic images' around the walls. One such image (real photo, not SL snapshot) is of a naked woman in chains, seemingly barely conscious and covered in what looks like cigarette burns. There are many others around, including a non-phographic visual depiction of a woman being impaled with a pole through the mouth and vagina. To facilitate the role plays, the area provides 'rape' and 'attack' pose balls and a body bag for when you're done.

'forced, roleplay, gang, rape, bang, kidnap, hangout, capture, cocktease, slut, tramp, whore, cumslut, toy'
or
'basement, dirty, backstreet, dark, alley, whore, forced, fuck, sex, porn hardcore brutal rape ass anal oral group mmf gang bang roleplay hooker escort machine bitch'
keywords used to advertise other rp areas.

You could also buy a 'bitch post', to chain your rp slave onto. Or use a glory hole and pay 25 lindens if a slut is available to service you. Or just use a disembodied vagina and pair of legs as a 'sperm bank'. Buy 'the real slut' 3 hole edition. Go to the cumslut cafe and use the forced oral poses or buy a sexual violence animation with knife included.

Doesn't any of this stuff say something about attitudes toward women? About perceptions of violence against women? I don't want to see men being dehumanised in the same way, but can I ask why you think the vast majority of these areas involve rp or images of women being violated?

You may well find it "no less odious" than calling for censorship of roleplay, Qie . . . but please don't suggest that it is the SAME as calling for it. And that is what I have been accused of here, on a number of occasions.

BTW, I agree entirely with your comment about LL's problems with euphemisms that pretty things up. Let's just call a "rape" a "rape," shall we?

Nice (if rather sexist and homophobic) use of the word "effete" . . .

Still waiting for evidence of my "hidden agenda" . . .

Why don't we end the name calling and just have a discussion?
<snipped> lots of academic references

Stuff...
The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against women (CEDAW) says the following:

More Stuff......

Shane, no reputable therapist would ever advise someone to make themselves vulnerable in an online environment with complete strangers. Therapy relies on boundaries, a safe space & working with someone (aspiring to be) neutral to help you work through issues. I very much doubt they'd encourage anyone to re-enact a traumatic situation with someone who was masturbating over that re-enactment.

If you look at the established treatments for sex offenders you'll note that the interventions involve a disruption of the fantasy of abuse and discouraging the use of child pornography to aid that fantasy.

If you read over what I posted again, you'll also note that I stated my belief that extreme pornography impacts and reinforces attitudes. I've posted, somewhere,research links to support that assertion.

In terms of your claim about my sexist agenda, you'll note that I stated I wouldn't want men to be dehumanised in this way either. Can I ask you though, why you think the united nations and amnesty international have campaigns to end gender based violence against women?

Shane, no reputable therapist would ever advise someone to make themselves vulnerable in an online environment with complete strangers. Therapy relies on boundaries, a safe space & working with someone (aspiring to be) neutral to help you work through issues. I very much doubt they'd encourage anyone to re-enact a traumatic situation with someone who was masturbating over that re-enactment.

Nope, there is no pornography allowed in the middle eastern states. Yet rape and all that is higher there than in countries with it allowed. Those figures are easy to find too if you look.

You would think that these points would be obvious to those who rationalize SL (or other) depictions of child sex and violent degradation of females.

In SL, as on the Internet in general, there is no control over who interacts with whom.

Could you give us the URL of a reputable source on this?

I would think the OP's organization would be better served dealing with real cases abuse in the real world rather than perceived abuse by consenting adults on a fantasy website.

You need a link?

http://www.google.com

have fun

Till you stop and think about what controls you have on the situation.

You have mute, teleport, or alt-f4

So kindly think outside the agenda and realize that in SL you have the power to deal with any situation that arises.

Which is why many do use it as a means of therapy, similar to the use of other simulations for treatment of Post traumatic stress syndrome

So....you can't provide even one source for your claim. Do you believe that makes you more credible?

The issue was knowing the person with whom one was engaging in 'therapy'.

"Mute, teleport, or alt-f4" are irrelevant.

Like I said earlier, my ideal is that the demand for eroticised depictions of sexual violence against women disappear. I have no idea what the answer is to ending violence against women, i seriously doubt it's everyone having access to more rape porn though.

Well considering we used google to find links and did research to back us up.

You should work too.

but here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_by_region

Lists the laws and penalties for ya

So removing the prono should prevent all rape and such right?

Nope

They are very relevant.

Therapy is not just in the lab, SL is a stepping stone towards being a survivor and not a victim.

There is only so much you can do in the lab, SL offers them an environment that has the randomness of RL but the controls of the lab.

But I guess that doesn't come across to someone with an illogical hatred of something that prevents them from seeing other sides.

You don't have to know the person, many times you never know the name of the person playing a role in therapy. I do know in my sessions I was never told his or her name, and they wore no name tags. It was one way they tried to make it more realistic by you not knowing who they were.

You made the claim.

It is up to you to source the claim.

(Wikipedia? Really? )

Wrong. None of them have any relevance to knowing the identity of the person with whom you are doing 'therapy'. Which was the issue at hand.

As for your tangent: It would amaze me if you could find even one reputable therapist who would endorse doing therapy with anonymous Internet users. But feel free to try!

So....you can't provide even one source for your claim. Do you believe that makes you more credible?

All this from someone who describes themself as a 'widdle kid' and whose interests include 'playin and bein a general pain in the ankles of growed ups'.

Rock