I hope everyone is enjoying the new year! I’m usually ‘anti’ any sort of holiday, even if it’s not religious, but the fresh start of a new year is quite tantalizing. Anyone have any good resolutions to share?
Also, here’s a video review of the film Provoked:
Watch Provoked for free online, here.
Order the book, here.
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one comment
Jenna,
Thanks for letting me know about the film and the book "Provoked" because I have not previously heard about either and they sound very interesting and thought-provoking.
I like that you pointed out that one of the highly problematic issues in regards to battered women's syndrome, particularly when thinking about this issue from a feminist perspective, is that battered women's syndrome use as a defense largely relies on utilizing the assumption that women are both physically and mentally inherently weaker than men.
While I truly have the utmost sympathy for women who are pushed to the mental breaking point where they view killing their abusive partner as the only escape, in my opinion, it is unfair to allow women to use this as a defense.
I feel that it is unfair because if you examine the history of the vast majority of people who end up committing violent crimes and murder they have a history of severe abuse that most likely was a significant contributing factor as to why they have continued this pattern of behaviour.
To me, ignoring one person's history of abuse completely because they are male offenders while prioritizing another person's (i.e. a woman using this defense) because their abuse unfolds in a format that reaffirms gender roles is another form of sexism and therefore I can not support it.
Regardless of my opinions about battered-women's syndrome, I think the film would be impactful if it could be shown to men (and women) who have been convicted of spousal abuse and/or are in support groups for abusers, not as a thinly veiled threat about what might happen to them if they do not stop abusing their partner, but in an attempt to help educate abusers about the unimaginable level of pain and torment that their spouses must experience as a result of the abuse that they inflict upon them.
Posted by Christina Travis
January 4, 2009, 10:36 PM
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