Nationally Posted Letter #3

I've done it again! The fine folks at the National Post saw fit to print this in their Letters of the Day section, a shortened version of yesterday's post. Now I just have to go find a copy, which is difficult these days in Halifax. Enjoy!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when reading these columns, and the myths they attempt to perpetrate.
It is dangerous and outright false to suggest that we live in a matriarchal society when more than half of the women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of sexual or physical violence and 86% of the reported sexual assaults in Canada have targeted women. While Ms. Kay asserts that women are not the sole targets of sexual violence, they are still more than four times more likely to be sexually assaulted.
Also, radical feminism is not predicated on the view that women are “helpless victims.” I’ve spoken with a number of radical feminists who have been sexually assaulted, and none of them have labelled themselves as “victims.” They are survivors and they are striving to bring about a world that is more truly equal and representative of the values espoused in such documents as our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Professor Dutton’s article is just as damaging and misleading. It is true that a small number of women are the offending parties in domestic violence, but to hold up this type of story as reflective of the real world is complete malarkey. Again, I point out that 86% of sexual assaults target women. His effort here is nothing more than an attempt to prop up a myth so cherished by the patriarchy: Women do it too.
When rape, sexual assault and domestic violence target men at the same levels as women, this discussion may be more appropriate. Until that time, these are mere deflections to cover up the continuing systemic levels of violence against women.
Richard McAdam, MA candidate (political science), Dalhousie University, Halifax.