Pistorius denies girlfriend’s murder.
Is this about a man or a woman? Or the beginning of a tragic story of a fallen hero? Who becomes heroic against the odds? Nobody knows what really happened that night. Perhaps we never will. What will Mr. Pistorious be remembered for?
What is clear is that there had been previous incidents between the couple at their residence.
Sympathy must be with the family and friends of Reeva Steenkamp. Whatever happened.
Along with the soul searching that India is going through. Looking at its attitude towards women through a series of horrific rapes. The issue of domestic abuse is high in the worlds’ awareness. Mr. Pistorius has highlighted this issue.
There are female perpetrators of domestic violence. But most perpetrators are men. The attitude of men towards women is influenced by many things. Family. Race. Culture. Peer group.
The subjugation of women by men has been happening for centuries. Only in the 19th Century did feminism begin in the UK with the Suffragettes who were trying to win the right to vote. Feminist thinking developed in the 1970s attempting to theorise the oppression of women. It is the idea of patriarchy that men lead the world for men. Men do not allow women into that world. This motivated the Feminist movement.
But it is not just the subjugation of women. Humans seem to want to subjugate someone. Equality is an idea which has to be enforced with legislation. Are we still animals? The strongest dominate the weakest? Hierarchies are needed to keep groups of humans out of trouble?
Today an enormous amount of energy is used to fight subjugation and inequality. But who wins?
In the information age the victim has more opportunities to find help or report the behaviour to the authorities. Today there is more chance that the perpetrator will be forced to attend a domestic violence programme.
For Mr Pistorius it looks like the end of a life as he knew it: and too late for programmes for Reeva Steenkamp.
Copyright Adrian Scott North London Counsellor Blog 2013
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Disclaimer: This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only.
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique.