Violence

The other week my the group I was in had to read a chapter about care-focused feminism. According to care-focused feminists women are innately more caring than men are. Because we have babies, because we care for the elderly and sick more women have more care in them than men do. In Bell Hooks chapter titles "feminist movement to end violence" she talks about how this kind of thinking is detrimental to working towards peace.  Bell states that when women claim that women are "inherently non-violent or life affirming" they are harming themselves.  Not all women are peaceful, women must accept that they as well as men condone the use of violence. Women need to see that although we talk about suppression all our choices are still our own. In Bells example " Even the woman who votes according to her husband's example is making a political choice. We need to see women as political beings." The acceptance that violence is a male trait is not only harmful when it comes to war but also the issue of domestic abuse. In her discussion of domestic abuse Bell brings up the point that domestic violence is not only perpetrated by men but also women against men and women in lesbian relationships.  Although women are violent as well violence is cultured as male and thus "working men are fed daily a fantasy diet of male supremacy and power." The one place that abusive men feel they can show their power and release pent up anger is at home on their wives and children. This article brought up points that were sad to face but true, I think the most important point that Bell made is to understand that women cannot label themselves as innately non-violent without showing themselves to be unequal to men. We must take responsibility for violence just as much as men do.