Trying to make sense of what happened (and what’s happening) in Steubenville, Ohio, where two members of the high school football team raped an intoxicated 16-year-old girl, is too much for my brain to want to handle. Luckily, former Black Flag singer Henry Rollins has found the exact right words for me.
It is obvious that the two offenders saw the victim as some one that could be treated as a thing. This is not about sex, it is about power and control. I guess that is what I am getting at. Sex was probably not the hardest thing for the two to get, so that wasn’t the objective. When you hear the jokes being made during the crime, it is the purest contempt.
So, how do you fix that? I’m just shooting rubber bands at the night sky but here are a few ideas: Put women’s studies in high school the curriculum from war heroes to politicians, writers, speakers, activists, revolutionaries and let young people understand that women have been kicking ass in high threat conditions for ages and they are worthy of respect. (Via)
I’m always surprised at the people who are still shocked that Rollins has such insightful things to say; he’s been an intelligent public speakers for decades now, someone who isn’t afraid to share his feelings on any and every topic. Here are some of his most thoughtful and important-to-remember quotes from over the years.
On abortions (via):
On how to flirt with women (via):
On the glorification of murder (via):
On why suicide is never the answer (via):
On gay marriage (via):
On music (via):
On letting idiots listen to their idiot rock, and why it shouldn’t bother you (via):
On lying, with help from Beavis and Butthead (via):
On band philosophies (via):
On travel (via):
On the correct way to tell someone you don’t like them (via):
On jokes (via):
On impersonating bloggers, probably (via):
On weed (via):
On life in general (via):
