Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Remembering Naomi, Anna, Marian, Mary and Lena
I am overwhelmed with sadness today. Again a man separated girls from the adults and boys and systemically killed the girls. Again.
I remember December 6th well; I was a young university student here in BC and it happened just as we were going into final exams. I remember the fear and realization that this could happen anywhere, merely because we were girls and women. I wasn't even a feminist yet, just a young woman who understood that 14 women died because of their gender. I remember being at my university and feeling very, very frightened.
Many people say about men who do this, "He was crazy" or ask "How could this happen?" In a society where violence against women is so commonplace it doesn't usually make the headlines, why should this come as a surprise? Where transition houses have to turn women and their children away because there is no space available, how can anyone ask if he was crazy? Are they all crazy? Whether it's the missing women in the Downtown Eastside, the December 6th Montreal Massacre, the recent killings of girls in the US, or the everyday violence that women face, the acts are premediated and thought out. A society that doesn't value women and girls shouldn't be surprised when women and girls die violent deaths. Let's not give these men an excuse; "He was crazy" should be replaced with "He knew exactly what he was doing," and then "How can we create a society where this doesn't happen anymore?"
Will the work I do ever be made redundant? I wish I could say an enthusiastic "Yes!", but I have to be honest and say it feels like it will never end.
I remember December 6th well; I was a young university student here in BC and it happened just as we were going into final exams. I remember the fear and realization that this could happen anywhere, merely because we were girls and women. I wasn't even a feminist yet, just a young woman who understood that 14 women died because of their gender. I remember being at my university and feeling very, very frightened.
Many people say about men who do this, "He was crazy" or ask "How could this happen?" In a society where violence against women is so commonplace it doesn't usually make the headlines, why should this come as a surprise? Where transition houses have to turn women and their children away because there is no space available, how can anyone ask if he was crazy? Are they all crazy? Whether it's the missing women in the Downtown Eastside, the December 6th Montreal Massacre, the recent killings of girls in the US, or the everyday violence that women face, the acts are premediated and thought out. A society that doesn't value women and girls shouldn't be surprised when women and girls die violent deaths. Let's not give these men an excuse; "He was crazy" should be replaced with "He knew exactly what he was doing," and then "How can we create a society where this doesn't happen anymore?"
Will the work I do ever be made redundant? I wish I could say an enthusiastic "Yes!", but I have to be honest and say it feels like it will never end.
