The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation, because in the degradation of women the very Mountains of life are poisoned at their source. Lucretia Mott (1793 1880)
"Rape is . . . nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation to which all men keep all women a state of year. "Susan Brownmiller, b. 1935.
Both quotes from The Best of Women's Quotations, edited by Helen Exley of Exley Publications.
TWO weeks ago, after Marilyn Rynn's body was found, I wrote about crimes against women and wondered if I was over reacting. However, if as many women rang or wrote to their TDs as they did to me, the various political parties will be in no doubt about the views they can expect on the doorsteps next time they go back to the electorate.
It is worrying that all the replies came from women. Since I know that men read this column one can only presume that they do not have the same sense of unease about the way society is going as women. Can one presume that they do not feel as threatened as women. Have they not experienced crimes against themselves to the degree that women have? Can one also persume that men are, much less inclined about the rapid and damaging changes in Irish society? Is it up to women who are still largely without power to change things?, had to selected just a two letters for publication. Most of them expressed the same angry but helpless and frustrated opinions.
Mary O'Donnell sent in a fine poem, in sadness and desolation when Marilyn Rynn's body was found. From a woman in Co Galway
"Before reading your article 1 had made up my mind that I was going to write to our Minister for Justice. After reading it, the letter to Mrs Owen is in the post.
"I have recently moved to this area after spending seven years in a large town and the previous 14 years in a city. I must admit that living in the country is definitely more nerve racking than I would have perceived it.
I am a 40 year old healthy, largely active female. My daily routine is that once my husband and teenager have left for school and work, I bolt the front door, the back door and when I have to go into town, I set the alarm. I never did these things five years ago but what is very frightening about today's attacks is the viciousness of them.
As you rightly point out even travelling alone in a car as women we are more vulnerable. Going for my daily walk has to be thought out carefully. It not walking partner is unable to go with going through our beautiful is out as it is too risky, Instead I stick to paper and write to Mrs Nora Owen and let her see the views of the ordinary Josephine Soaps.
"I don't think you are over reacting. I'm sure, like me you feel vulnerable because you are a woman, because if someone broke into your home and you were there on your own, like me no doubt, your greatest fear would not be what they would take but what they would do to you yourself. I don't think I am over reacting either. After all, this is the first time I have ever written to any journalist, airing my views. Maybe, that's where I have been going wrong.
From a woman in Wexford "You have managed to express my feelings to the extent that I felt I had to let you know. I am sure that our views are fairly commonly held, but there is a meekness and acceptance of development's in society that is astonishing as well as shocking. Violence threatens everybody, particularly women and old people, but paralysis seems to have struck when it comes to trying to find a way of improving the situation.
"Short term, small scale, personal solutions abound, but it is only when something particularly horrendous happens and is taken up by the media that often repeated comments are made by the men in grey. And then there is the usual request for more prison places. Then off to shake hands somewhere again Why do we co operate with this system? Why are the photographers queuing up to immortalise the hand shakes?
"The gap between rich and poor, then and us seems to be widening all the time and I would not be, surprised if moats will come into fashion a again. Beautiful inflation figures or the Euro will not give people in general a motivation to live. Unemployment and spiritual bankruptcy are bigger issues to them. Hopelessness and desperation change people. Take what you cannot ever hope to get. Buy some dreams and leave reality behind. Stop eating, become beautiful and live happily ever after, etc, etc.
"It is rather depressing that so little is done to try to turn the tide. No, it is not only in Ireland that we have these problems, but Ireland should be in a better position than most countries to do something about it. Big problems are generally smaller here. ,Thank you for bringing up the subject.
From a woman in Clontarf Dublin "I used to love this country. I still do. But I'm beginning to hate living here. I hate being afraid. I hate being afraid to tell some young gobshite on the DART to stop smoking in case he pulls a syringe. I hate being afraid to look twice at someone in case they'll steal the handbag I have wrapped around my neck. I hate the feeling of it all being beyond my control. I hate this pervading sense of inevitability this pathetic paralysis. Have we no say? Have we no choice?
"I hate being involved passively in the destruction of a country and a way of life I once loved passionately. I hate being an accessory to this sad, sad fact. I hate the thought that my child will grow into a life that bears no relation to the life we grew up with. And I feel like a child crying out, It's not fair. I don't want to.
"Like you, I see photographs of broken, bandaged, now forever damaged, sad old people in the, kind of cottages knew hardly knew still existed and I think, what kind of people have we bred among us that ban do this kind of thing? What has happened to us? How did we get so sick? Can people just the sticks and iron bars to old bones with out a thought? Can we make nightmares of innocent lives and get away, with it'? I feel sick and ashamed. I lee like shouting Enough. This is not the kind of country I want. There are more of us than there are of them. And surely if enough of us were to stand up together
"Except that we're not really `us' are we? We're too afraid to be `us'. We run away from each other. We walk past the person on the pavement, just in case. We look away on the bus, just in case. We don't take the short way, just in case. We stare straight ahead and think about me fein and getting home in one piece rather than in shreds for forensics. We have lost our freedoms, freedoms we hardly knew we had. We ale losing our gaiety
And I am sad, imagining a future that frightens me, imagining minds what frighten me. I don't like being frightened I don't pay my taxes to be afraid. I want to walk the streets at 3 a.m. I want to smile at people. I want my basic human and civil rights. I want justice and freedom from fear. And I'm not alone.
Am I Another woman in Clontarf writes
"Beyond words, how can things change? Care for the vulnerable is central to any civilisation. Have we sacrificed this care for success in the economic field?
"I believe that 95 per cent of people who read your article will agree with it, will feel as frustrated and outraged as I do but will ultimately feel helpless.
"Why is this? `Words', `systems', civilisation progress have brought us to this. Would the reverse take place is away from it Perhaps it the alternative values were named articulated and given credence, the shift will occur. Actions start with thoughts and then words. We cannot however get stuck in words We must move on. What's the next step?
