Actor William H. Macy, who plays the priest in the movie Sessions, expresses healthy ideas about sex and violence in the movies. In an interview for The Guardian, he states that violence is accepted or even celebrated, yet sex is still treated as something that's shameful.
Macy says. "I don't know much but I know this: violence is bad and sex is good. Even the bad sex I've had was pretty good. But violence is bad – it's always bad, there are no exceptions. It's bad. And it's ugly and we've got to paint it as it is."
Chapter 16 of Clueless at the Top (pages 181-185) tells the story of a producer who works to change movie ratings, stating that if we rated sex and violence equally according to what people saw in real life, then the violence that we now think is normal for children to see is comparable to allowing a six-year-old to go to an XXX movie theater and allowing three-year-olds to watch sex orgies!
Macy puts it this way: "I think we're ill-served by our ratings board, who need to get into therapy, in my opinion."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jan/17/william-h-macy-bad-sex-was-good
Monday, February 11, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Climbing is Bad for Your Ethics
A study from the University of California concludes that climbing up the wealth hierarchy makes one more clueless.
“Occupying privileged positions in society has this natural psychological effect of insulating you from others,” said psychologist Paul Piff of the University of California, Berkeley. “You’re less likely to perceive the impact your behavior has on others.”
The researches conducted scientific experiments to measure the relationship between socioeconomics (SES) and ethics. They found that rude behavior rose with status, and high-SES drivers were roughly twice as inconsiderate as low-SES drivers. They also found that higher SES people were less likely to be honest, more likely to cheat.
A reviewer of the research said, "This work is important because it suggests that people often act unethically not because they are desperate and in the dumps, but because they feel entitled and want to get ahead."
According to Piff, unethical behavior in the study was driven by the nature of wealth in a highly stratified society that insulates people from the consequences of their actions.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/02/income-and-ethics/
“Occupying privileged positions in society has this natural psychological effect of insulating you from others,” said psychologist Paul Piff of the University of California, Berkeley. “You’re less likely to perceive the impact your behavior has on others.”
The researches conducted scientific experiments to measure the relationship between socioeconomics (SES) and ethics. They found that rude behavior rose with status, and high-SES drivers were roughly twice as inconsiderate as low-SES drivers. They also found that higher SES people were less likely to be honest, more likely to cheat.
A reviewer of the research said, "This work is important because it suggests that people often act unethically not because they are desperate and in the dumps, but because they feel entitled and want to get ahead."
According to Piff, unethical behavior in the study was driven by the nature of wealth in a highly stratified society that insulates people from the consequences of their actions.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/02/income-and-ethics/
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Communication Supports Hierarchies
When reading the Register-Guard January 13 article on the county's gang problem, the article used the word "youth" several times, but never the word "boys." One had to read between the lines to know that the problem is with boys, noticing that the word "masculinity" sneaked in once. If we have any hope of ending violence and crimes committed by males, we must begin to define the problem correctly, which means that we say clearly that males are committing the crimes.
In contrast, the Register Guard last spring wrote articles on local sex trafficking/teen prostitution in our county. The word "girl" appeared consistently throughout the article.
The two of us have been researching hierarchies for 30 years, and have seen time and time again that a top group [here it's males] is assumed to represent everyone, but when the subject is a lower group [here it's females], the name calls out that group specifically.
The problem with this language discrepancy is that it keeps problems unsolved. The top group can easily be kept immune from being held accountable for their actions.
In order to reduce crime and violence, we must address how we can make our male culture more healthy. That change can happen only when we name the problem correctly.
http://www.registerguard.com/web/news/sevendays/29296691-50/gang-gangs-local-enforcement-lane.html.csp
http://projects.registerguard.com/web/updates/27803707-41/eugene-trafficking-spriggs-sex-girls.html.csp
In contrast, the Register Guard last spring wrote articles on local sex trafficking/teen prostitution in our county. The word "girl" appeared consistently throughout the article.
The two of us have been researching hierarchies for 30 years, and have seen time and time again that a top group [here it's males] is assumed to represent everyone, but when the subject is a lower group [here it's females], the name calls out that group specifically.
The problem with this language discrepancy is that it keeps problems unsolved. The top group can easily be kept immune from being held accountable for their actions.
In order to reduce crime and violence, we must address how we can make our male culture more healthy. That change can happen only when we name the problem correctly.
http://www.registerguard.com/web/news/sevendays/29296691-50/gang-gangs-local-enforcement-lane.html.csp
http://projects.registerguard.com/web/updates/27803707-41/eugene-trafficking-spriggs-sex-girls.html.csp
Friday, January 11, 2013
Remarkable Progress
In a scene in the movie "Lincoln," the U.S. House of Representatives is debating the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery. The representatives opposed abolition are scared that passing this amendment will contribute to the "coloreds" getting the vote. And then someone says that the women might the vote and the whole room erupts in horror of the thought. The movie was set in 1864, only 147 years ago.
Our grandmother was born in 1894, only 30 years after the end of the Civil War. We're only four generations away from 1864, and it is amazing how far we have come in getting rid of numerous hierarchies. No matter how discouraged we may become about our present, it's encouraging when we focus on the trends of the last 150 years.
Our grandmother was born in 1894, only 30 years after the end of the Civil War. We're only four generations away from 1864, and it is amazing how far we have come in getting rid of numerous hierarchies. No matter how discouraged we may become about our present, it's encouraging when we focus on the trends of the last 150 years.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Rape - Address Cause not Symptoms
Between December 16th and January 4th, 501 calls for harassment and 64 calls for rape were recorded by the Delhi Police in India, but just 4 were followed by inquiries. Throughout India, of the 256,329 violent crimes recorded last year, 228,650 were against women. Huffington Post also describes India as having an institutionalized rape culture, with a number of examples to prove it.
After the brutal rape and murder of a woman in India, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the country has to crack down on crimes against women with an "iron hand," and has called a meeting of law enforcement officials from around India to consider how to improve protection for women. He said that each police station will now have women officers at all times.
Police protection of women is obviously important. But in order for the crimes to stop, focus must also be on the source of the rapes - the men. The same is true for the United States, where almost all of our talk on rape-prevention concerns females – how females can defend themselves and lower their chances of being raped by males.
In any hierarchy, it's easier to set up a program that focuses on a lower group, because it's so difficult to hold the top group accountable for the detrimental effects of their actions on lower groups. This is the case with almost all discussions of rape prevention.
In reality, we are only addressing the symptoms and not the cause of the rapes when we focus on the females. The only way to solve the rape problem is for males to stop raping females. Rape will not stop until men stop being violent, and the men in the community stop accepting other men's violence.
The situation of only providing protection to women is analogous to a community who puts it resources, year after year, into cleaning up the river from factory pollutants, but doesn't make the polluting company stop dumping pollutants in the river.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-hendry/indias-gang-rape-problem_b_2379047.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20907453
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape_case
After the brutal rape and murder of a woman in India, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the country has to crack down on crimes against women with an "iron hand," and has called a meeting of law enforcement officials from around India to consider how to improve protection for women. He said that each police station will now have women officers at all times.
Police protection of women is obviously important. But in order for the crimes to stop, focus must also be on the source of the rapes - the men. The same is true for the United States, where almost all of our talk on rape-prevention concerns females – how females can defend themselves and lower their chances of being raped by males.
In any hierarchy, it's easier to set up a program that focuses on a lower group, because it's so difficult to hold the top group accountable for the detrimental effects of their actions on lower groups. This is the case with almost all discussions of rape prevention.
In reality, we are only addressing the symptoms and not the cause of the rapes when we focus on the females. The only way to solve the rape problem is for males to stop raping females. Rape will not stop until men stop being violent, and the men in the community stop accepting other men's violence.
The situation of only providing protection to women is analogous to a community who puts it resources, year after year, into cleaning up the river from factory pollutants, but doesn't make the polluting company stop dumping pollutants in the river.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-hendry/indias-gang-rape-problem_b_2379047.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20907453
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Delhi_gang_rape_case
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Trend or Isolated Incident? Depends.
"Some polling suggests that Americans view high-profile shootings as isolated events, not evidence of a broader problem in American society," quotes an article in the Washington Post.
This quote illustrates the point that, in a hierarchy, it makes a difference whether criminals are from a low group or a high group. If there are some undesirable behaviors, real or perceived, among some in a lower group, most often this problem will get spread to all members of the group. But when there is detrimental behavior from members of a top group, it's not perceived as specific to a group, but as individual, unrelated instances.
Here's an example. If one person who is a lesbian or gay molests a child, all of a sudden there is a widespread cry for all lesbians or gay men to be banned from teaching school. Anita Bryant led a coalition called "Save our Children" that stirred up a nation-wide panic.
We've heard no one suggest that white males should be banned from teaching because they are most likely to bring a gun to school and shoot the students. Hierarchical position does make a difference in how we in this country perceive criminal behavior.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/2012/12/14/91940c90-4631-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.htm
This quote illustrates the point that, in a hierarchy, it makes a difference whether criminals are from a low group or a high group. If there are some undesirable behaviors, real or perceived, among some in a lower group, most often this problem will get spread to all members of the group. But when there is detrimental behavior from members of a top group, it's not perceived as specific to a group, but as individual, unrelated instances.
Here's an example. If one person who is a lesbian or gay molests a child, all of a sudden there is a widespread cry for all lesbians or gay men to be banned from teaching school. Anita Bryant led a coalition called "Save our Children" that stirred up a nation-wide panic.
We've heard no one suggest that white males should be banned from teaching because they are most likely to bring a gun to school and shoot the students. Hierarchical position does make a difference in how we in this country perceive criminal behavior.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/2012/12/14/91940c90-4631-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.htm
Monday, December 3, 2012
Commitment
The United States Military Academy at West Point has hosted it's first same-sex marriage held in the Cadet Chapel.
Charlotte visited West Point in the early 1990's for a research project, and was impressed with how committed they appeared to be in providing equal opportunities for women. A faculty member explained that even though individuals at West Point may not have wanted women, once it was decided to admit women, the officers got behind the command to make it work, no questions asked. One story she remembers was that male cadets who heckled female cadets at a football game were immediately disciplined.
It looks like the same commitment has been made about equal opportunity for lesbians and gays. We are well aware that parts of the culture that are sexist and homophobic take generations to change, yet at least the command at West Point appears to be giving the right message.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/30/west-point-same-sex-marriage/1738665/
Charlotte visited West Point in the early 1990's for a research project, and was impressed with how committed they appeared to be in providing equal opportunities for women. A faculty member explained that even though individuals at West Point may not have wanted women, once it was decided to admit women, the officers got behind the command to make it work, no questions asked. One story she remembers was that male cadets who heckled female cadets at a football game were immediately disciplined.
It looks like the same commitment has been made about equal opportunity for lesbians and gays. We are well aware that parts of the culture that are sexist and homophobic take generations to change, yet at least the command at West Point appears to be giving the right message.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/30/west-point-same-sex-marriage/1738665/
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