World, heal thyself

In the last month of every year, people look forward to a better year. It’s not exactly sane, not to.

When the first month of the new year comes to an end, one should take stock of what’s happened because invariably it portends what’s to come. Now, I’m well aware that sounds rather pessimistic, and without doubt a lot of good things will happen. But it’s rather necessary to expose the bad (or worse) to come.

And January has not been a good omen for 2014. It’s been more of the same – a really bad hangover from 2013.

Around the world in January alone, homophobia is on the increase, the scourge of rape persists, religious bigotry and fundamentalism seems to be enjoying a rebirth, murder and robbery continues unabated, racial intolerance and hatred just wont die out, hunger and disease persist in spite of monumental scientific advances, ignorance continues to be worn like a cloak of honour, civil unrest and full-scale wars go on with no end in sight, ethnic cleansing lingers on, kidnappings and piracy makes travel unsafe, insane suicide bombings being made out as heroic, and finally politicians degenerating into dirtier scumbags, if that’s at all possible. And I’m pretty sure you could add a few more things besides.

I will desist from listing specific instances of the above occurrences, but I’m sure Google will tell a fairly sorry tale. I’ve always hoped that as a species we’d evolve to become better people. Surely that’s how it’s supposed to be. But it seems that we far too many are hell-bent on becoming uncivilized.

Off course, there’s all the good people…

And so it would be patently remiss of me not to thank all those many people who have shed their religious, social, cultural and political baggage and phobias, who really do strive to become better people, and who ultimately make the world a better place in whatever way possible.

The Rape of Morality

And so I got this perplexing question on my Contacts Page from someone by the name of Samuel who prefers to call himself Ghastly:

God Is real how could you not look at something and not see the miracles inside of it? So you are basically saying you can rape someone and be fine because in the end it doesn’t matter.

I’m simply astounded at how he jumped to the conclusion that I’d find rape acceptable because I don’t believe in one of the gods. Why he chose rape instead of one of the other no-no’s like murder or infanticide is not important. What is of concern is the perpetuation of the myth amongst believers, that without some arbitrary god’s absolute standard, there is no basis for good moral judgement and action.

If you examine the logic of Samuel’s belief, he’s basically saying that if there was no god, then he would find it acceptable to rape or act amorally in some other way. That’s totally absurd.

By his reasoning all non-believers are either rapists or potential rapists. He’s intimating that all non-believers are just hanging around waiting for the opportunity to rape someone, and that believers are all saints. That is a patently laughable insinuation where it not so serious and off the mark.

Frans de Waal a primatologist and biology professor at Emory University has conducted extensive research on the behaviour of Bonobo apes and concludes that they have some grasp of morality. While he’s not saying that apes are conclusively moral beings, his research indicates that they have the “basic building blocks” for morality. Professor de Waal also doesn’t reveal if he’s observed any apes worshipping the gods. Have you?

Morality comes from within, not above.

The year of dressing dangerously

Over the years there were probably many isolated incidences around the world where a person’s dress, appearance and style of living attracted unwanted attention from a few loons, mostly from one type of religious persuasion or the other. But in 2013, these incidences started making the news.

In January, the same religious extremists who had earlier banned women from wearing jeans and tight trousers, inspired the mayor of Aceh, Indonesia, to propose a ban on women straddling bicycles and motorcycles when riding pillion. Then in February a Saudi cleric raged about forcing babies and young woman to wear burkas, which he claimed would prevent rape.

In March Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood opposed a UN Declaration on Woman’s Rights saying that granting them any basic rights would destroy society. They  proposed among other more absurd things that woman should not be allowed to travel freely, work, use contraception and control the household finances.

Earlier this month Hamas, the ultra-conservative government of Gaza passed an education bill mandating separate classrooms for boys and girls. This week in another act of pure madness Hamas lap-dogs who pass for Policemen were reported pulling young men off the streets, loading them into jeeps, insulting them and then cutting off or shaving their long or gel-styled spiky hair.

Now lest you think I’m singling out a particular religion by exposing this insanity, let me assure you that I’m not. If an adherent of [place your religion or political organization of choice here] compels me to dress or behave in a certain way, or inhibits me from exercising certain basic human rights, because it infringes some stupid law from their archaic religious texts, then I’m most certainly going to tell them to kiss my ass.

It’s not so much the religion that concerns me, as the jackasses that try to impose their understanding of it.

No religionist (or political organization) will ever prescribe to me how to dress, what to eat, how to live or what to believe.

*****

This just in…

Seems the madness has spread to Uganda too. Simon Lokodo an ex-Catholic priest, a misogynist and homophobe who is now masquerading as the Ethics Minister [fancy that?] is proposing legislation that will govern what women wear in public, including on television.

This same government-appointed keeper of the public’s morals was at the forefront of persecution and discriminatory laws against Uganda’s homosexual community not so long ago.

One Billion Rising South Africa

I attended the Rising at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, one of many held around the country. It was an emotionally charged evening of poetry, song and dance.

The poetry mostly spoke of personal experiences, and was very moving. It’s so sad and horrifying, this scourge of rape and gender violence. I’m left deeply mortified at how helpless woman, mostly, must feel at this onslaught.

Just a few pictures which don’t tell the real story…

May the rising continue until patriarchal attitudes are deemed a crime against humanity.

In response to a critic of V-Day

I read with dismay the article V-Day stands for… vapidity by Marelise van der Merwe in Daily Maverick, which dismisses the One Billion Rising campaign on 14 February 2013 as a mere “step, step twirl.”

On 14 February, “One Billion Rising” will take place – also known as the main project of the V-Day initiative. It’s a celebrity-endorsed attempt to get a billion activists worldwide to take part in a choreographed dance to end rape. The trouble is, it’s got bugger-all to do with rape at all. And it’s unlikely to achieve anything, either.

It’s a rather unfortunate, low snipe at both the event organizers and the potential participants. I happen to know some of the local event organizers and I can confirm with conviction that they’re not just looking for an opportunity to sway their hips for a few hours, in a bid to move “beyond armchair activism.” I happen to know that they’re actively involved in various initiatives to address violence against woman, gender equality and the patriarchal culture that dominates society.

It’s not just about protesting against rape as Marelise alleges. It is so much more. And it’s a much more civilized way to express outrage, than forming mobs and burning and looting, as is the norm with many protests around the world.

It’s no mean feat getting one billion people around the world to rise up and protest against oppression and violence in a coordinated effort. And to accuse these people of being vacuous and misguided is pretty shallow. Surely Marelise doesn’t think these people are stupidly expecting their protest to magically end the scourge of rape?

This campaign is meant to raise awareness which will hopefully go a long way to encourage greater participation in some of the good material suggestions Marelise herself mentions in her article. Because… silence is an act of complicity.

More apparel madness…

Imagine fashion conscious Paris having a law on their statute books that bans women from wearing pants? Yep, the 1799 law requiring women to get special permission from the police to “dress like men,” and although revised over the years to allow women to ride horses and bikes, has for some unfathomable reason never been repealed.

I pity the poor sod who tries to enforce it though, in these relatively enlightened times.

Enlightenment has still not reached some corners of this world however. The debate about the wearing of burkas by Moslem women still rages hotly in many countries, Paris being one of them. Whatever your views on this religious edict, the extension of the requirement to babies, should be considered ludicrous by anyone, no matter how insanely religious.

Yet, that is what is being proposed by a cleric from Saudi Arabia. A lunatic by the name of Sheikh Abdullah Daoud, claims that young girls and even babies should be forced to wear burkas to prevent them from being raped. In a country where Sharia law is strictly enforced, the incidence of rapes are on the increase. However under certain circumstances, rapists are unbelievably not subject to criminal prosecution.

Seems this idiotic cleric has not quite worked out yet, that a piece of cloth is not going to prevent some perverted bastard from raping a child. Is it because like many others inspired by archaic religious texts, he thinks that men are not to blame?

Break The Chain – In Support of One Billion Rising

Today I became part of the revolution of women and men who will WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to violence against women and girls on 14 February 2013.

ONE BILLION RISING is a global call to women and men across the planet to gather in their communities to dance and demand an end to violence against women and girls.

Will you join me? Sign up here: One Billion Rising

Thanks. Now enjoy the anthem for One Billion Rising, Break The Chain:

The day many South Africans sold their freedom to worship at the feet of a power-hungry fox

There was rejoicing in the streets of many communities and cities across South Africa today as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced  that President-in-waiting, Jacob Zuma, would not be prosecuted for criminal charges against him. While Lady Justice lay sprawled on the ground, writhing in agony from being repeatedly raped by a conniving fox, there were wild celebrations by ignorant supporters, to mark this inglorious day.

More disgraceful than the fact that Justice had its teeth kicked in once again by slimy politicians, was the behaviour of their supporters. Politically naive South Africans are all too eager to bestow demigod status on deceitful politicians, and therein lies many of this country’s problems. In a country with a more politically savvy population, this outrageous manipulation of the Justice system would not have been tolerated, and power-hungry schemers such as Zuma would be sharing a cell with Bubba.