Letters

Sunday, July 28, 1996Fallacy of justice

Dear Editor:

When I read the July 15 article that confirmed that the San
Bernardino district attorney’s investigation against three members
of ZBT was not going to be continued, I was outraged. Needless to
say, I was also extremely pissed off by Sam Shabot’s July 22 letter
("Feminists out to make men pay").

Men fail to realize the stigmatization that is associated with
rape. I have had friends come to me and tell me that they were
raped, and when I asked them if they wanted to go to the police,
they refused. Women are afraid to report it and have their names
known because of the way they will be treated during and after the
trial.

In the case of the UCLA woman, you could see it coming before
the charges were dropped. People around campus were condemning her
for being in that situation in the first place. In what has come to
be typical of the white male dominated society, the victim was
immediately blamed.

It does not matter whether a nun or a prostitute is raped. Rape
is rape. Period. As a society, we have come to believe in different
levels of rape. But there are not. When someone is violated,
regardless of whether or not they put themselves in a bad position,
they are stuck with horrifying memories that will stay with them
for the rest of their lives.

Shabot claims that women make hysterical demands, but never want
any responsibility! Is it hysterical to ask to be treated like a
human being, and not like a piece of meat? Is it hysterical to ask
that when a male can’t live up to his responsibility as a father
and husband that they be compensated?

Shabot feels that family law dramatically favors women. Yet why
is it that when my girlfriend issued a restraining order against
her ex-boyfriend, it was not enforced? I have spoken with the San
Bernardino district attorney’s office, and I can tell you that they
don’t give a flying fuck about what happens to women. When I asked
them to help my girlfriend and arrest her stalking ex-boyfriend,
they basically told me that until she was dead, they wouldn’t do
anything.

I applaud the woman who had the courage to come forth and tell
what happened to her. I am sorry that you had to experience the
fallacy that says if you tell the truth you will receive justice.
To the rest of the women out there, I encourage you to bombard law
enforcement agencies with letters and protests until something is
done to protect women and their rights. And finally, to the men:
live up to your responsibility and treat women as human beings
instead of pieces of flesh.

Richard Copeland

Fourth-year

Business-Economics

Give men a break

Dear Editor:

Regarding the arrest of the three ZBT fraternity members, the
Daily Bruin is publishing quotes from many people in regard to this
issue, especially in the Viewpoint section, which are unwarranted
and often baseless. As responsible editors of the Viewpoint, it
would be appropriate for you to first find out where the quotes are
coming from, and upon what such individuals are basing their
information. I feel that Viewpoint is skewed towards feminists, and
as such offers an exclusive platform for those feminists to
disseminate their prejudicial conclusions and ideas.

In a recent article from July 15-22, "Rape charges dropped
against UCLA students," Heather McCarty, a UCLA student and
co-chair of the Womynist Collective was quoted as saying that she
would like to see, "the campus ostracize the men." Why punish these
three men when they haven’t been even charged, much less convicted
of a crime? Shall we persecute anyone whom we dislike?

Si Nguyen

Class of 1991

B.A. Economics

Inform yourself before you speak

Dear Editor:

Feminism has garnered much attention in the Daily Bruin lately.
Unfortunately, most of the assertions of the writers have been
based on misinformation.

First, there was Jessica Morgan’ s silly "Creative Feminism
Manifesto." Whether or not Morgan knows it, flirting has very
little to do with being a feminist or not being a feminist. The
dictionary definition of feminism is: "1. the theory of the
political, economic and social equality of the sexes. 2. organized
activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests." Nowhere in
that definition is a statement that precludes flirting.

I think Morgan can safely flaunt her femininity without giving
up her feminist credentials. The "feminist when it suits me"
attitude is much more worrisome. Whether or not Morgan chooses to
believe it, either "you’re a feminist, or you’re not." Either you
believe in the equality of women or you don’t.

Morgan suddenly drops in the phrase, "militant feminism,"
apparently to give women who are less interested in social activism
an out. All feminists do not have to choose activism. Although
Morgan may believe that militant feminism has done its job, there
are many who feel we have a long way to go (try turning on your TV
set, Ms. Morgan).

This week, I was shocked at the letter from Sam Shabot that
followed Morgan’s comparatively harmless piece. I kept waiting for
the satirical punchline in Shabot’ s diatribe, but if there was
one, it was too subtle for my eyes.

Shabot bristles at the possibility of all men being lumped
together as rapists or macho lechers, but does not blink an eye
when lumping together all feminists as "man-hating" or possessing a
"make ’em pay mentality." Either Shabot has been acquainted with
very few feminists, or he is simply severely deluded.

A feminist can be a lot of different things, and not the same
thing all the time. All feminists are not man haters. All feminists
are not lesbians. All feminists are not bra-burning activists. All
feminists do not work outside the home. All feminists are not
women! A feminist CAN be any of these things, or anything else she
or he chooses to be.

Shabot implies that women have some choice in whether they can
fight for their country. Apparently, he is unaware that men have
enacted laws that bar them from doing just that.

Shabot also seems to claim that the main reason women file for
divorce is so they can take the money of their husbands. So, the
many abused women in this country leave not because they are tired
of being beaten, but because they were only out for money in the
first place. There are many reasons women leave their husbands and
there are many reasons men leave their wives ­ for Shabot to
reduce so many human complications to the greed of women shows a
serious lack of awareness of the world around him.

I do applaud the Daily Bruin for printing different viewpoints
on feminism. At the very least, it highlights the issues
surrounding feminism. Also, as in the case of Shabot’s letter, it
can serve as a reminder of how far feminists have to go and what
they have to fight against.

Kara Sjoblom

Facts distorted

Dear Editor:

Mr. Sam Shabot apparently does not like feminists. That is his
privilege. As an attorney who has practiced family law for over 25
years, I cannot let go unchallenged some misinformation he sets
forth as fact. It is simply not true that California Family Law is
pro-women, nor does it "favor women." "Alimony" is now called
spousal support and is equally available to either party,
regardless of gender. I have obtained it for both.

Community property is simply divided equally. If Mr. Shabot
finds that as favoring women, then he disagrees with the concept
that partners in a marriage share the benefits and the burdens of
that marriage. While it may be true that "most divorce petitions
are filed by wives," the conclusion that this is because of
"economic incentives" is ludicrous. Most divorced women find
themselves in poverty after a divorce. Most men find ways to absorb
whatever economic hardship they endure within a few years because
of superior earning power. Much of the support that courts award is
never paid. It is my experience that women file for divorce more
often because they have to take responsibility for the failed
marriage and that men are reluctant to do so. That is not
universally true, but is frequently the case. It is not even true
anymore that judges favor women in custody disputes. The doors are
actually open to fair treatment for men. Again, it is my experience
that many men would rather cry about unfair treatment than take on
responsibility for the failure of their marriage. If men want
custody, all they have to do is take care of the child(ren). It
really is that simple.

Philip Hoskins

UCLA law degree, 1964