By Doug Porter
The term rape culture became mainstream in 2014. Practices and behavior in society excusing or otherwise tolerating sexual violence were exposed. Activists around the country took to the streets to push back.
Examples, ranging from the callousness of the San Diego City Attorney’s office accusing a sexual assault victim of trying to bribe a police officer with her underwear to investigations into the widespread accommodation of rape in college fraternities, were given wide media coverage.
The ecological crisis facing the planet was another subject getting increased attention this year. Hundreds of thousands of people marched in New York and other cities, including San Diego, in September demanding action on man made climate change. Despite evidence supporting the impending dangers accumulated throughout the year, dirty energy apologists leveraged their economic and political resources, hoping to block actions limiting greenhouse gas in 2015.
Finally, there was some terrific news for a supporters of marriage equality this past year, as court decisions and legislatures rolled back restrictions on same sex marriage. These victories were a testament to the validity of persistent long term activism on many fronts as an effective strategy.
Welcome to Day Three of the Starting Line’s summation of 2014’s top stories. On Wednesday the focus was on challenges not met in San Diego. Yesterday I wrote about issues of economic and radial justice rising to the forefront of the local and national consciousness.
Rape Culture Exposed
What happened: News accounts throughout the year increased public awareness of how sexually related violence permeates society. Local manifestations of this coverage included a “Take Back the Night” protest assaulted by frat “bros” at San Diego State. A KPBS/inewsource story detailed a rape victim’s Sisyphean effort to get justice at the same institution. And then there was the stonewalling by the city’s legal establishment to hide the San Diego Police Department’s sordid history.
On a national level we had stories about domestic violence involving athletes and the lengths to which both amateur and professional institutions are willing to go to shield players from the consequences. Eighty five higher education institutions are currently facing federal investigations due to concerns with how they handle sexual violence on campus.
Bill Cosby, long considered an icon of respectability, has been outed as a sexual predator. I’ve lost count of the number of women who’ve come forth to reveal stories about drugged sexual encounters. Now we’re finding out about how Cosby’s “team” (read accomplices) used cash and influence over decades to protect their client.
And there’s something called Gamergate. What started out as an ad hominem attack disguised as quest for ethics in game development has revealed a whole world of misogyny as women who’ve dared to challenge the Man Culture online have been harassed, threatened and hacked.
Why it happened: At its root, misogynist violence (whether physical, economic or emotional) against women stems from sexism, embedded in cultural practices and ideologies that have arisen over vast stretches of time. A hierarchy of values encourage “male” attributes of aggression and leadership and relegate women to backing roles of mothering and pleasure providing. These attitudes equating femininity with passiveness and submission, are commonly expressed in so many places in our culture that they acquire the status of common sense. The bottom line is that women come to viewed as “things” rather than human.
Follow the money: Discrimination based on sex or race is a manifestation of the inherent bias towards inequality in our economic system. Differences (like the diminished wages typically paid to women) have historically been exploited to the benefit of the barons of capitalism. There is a social aspect to contemporary sexism beyond mere wage differences; many men feel challenged by the evolution of women’s role in the culture, driven in part by technological advances.
Where we stand now: The World Health Organization has declared that violence against women is an “epidemic global health problem.” Activists of every stripe need to keep agitating and educating on the issues surrounding and related to sexism. And it’s equally important for this increasing awareness to be understood as part of the the struggle for social and economic justice. Given that there is a very small legal risk attached to sexual violence (only 3% of rapes result in jail time) the task of changing attitudes and building awareness is a huge challenge.
Via Ello
Fighting Climate Change
What happened: Awareness of the tangible impacts of climate change grew to an all-time high last year. Activism aimed at influencing public policy towards reducing fossil fuel emissions has been countered by a furious campaign funded by companies profiting from the carbon based fuels creating those emissions.
Why it happened: The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), report, based on contributions from thousands of scientists from around the world, warned “Continued emission of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and long-lasting changes in all components of the climate system, increasing the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts.”
The data is mounting about human causes of climate change. The only question now is what to do about it.
Follow the money: The costs of non-fossil fuel based energy production is falling rapidly. Even with the recent decline in crude oil prices economists can now predict that traditional models of generating energy are going to be outmoded in the not-so-far future. The decline in oil prices also means that domestic oil exploration is no longer profitable.
The Congress, flush with dirty energy campaign contributions on both sides of the aisle, continues to give $4 billion a year in tax breaks for oil and gas companies that do not benefit consumers or the economy.
While I don’t think it’s possible to quantify the economic damage possible with climate change, there’s little doubt in my mind that much of cost will be borne by consumers and taxpayers
Where we stand now: Get ready for an all out Republican onslaught on every aspect relating to actions taken by the federal government on climate change. I fully expect Sen. Mitch McConnell and his minions to pass out coal flavored snacks as proof of their commitment to carbon based energy production.
On the other hand, the Pope has been drafting an encyclical on ecology to be released as guidance to the world’s Catholics in March following a visit to Tacloban, a city in the Philippines that was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan.
And there is certainly a lot of hope in the air coming off of last fall’s People’s Climate March. A network of activists has been created and I certainly expect them to speak loudly in the coming year. I can only hope these budding environmentalists will be able to see beyond the self-evident blindness in the past by similar groups towards people of color and others fighting for social justice.
A Win for the Good Guys: Marriage Equality
What happened: Laws banning same sex marriages are falling like dominoes. There has been a remarkably fast turnaround in public attitudes over the past decade. I think history will ultimately say California’s Proposition 8 was an example of a battle lost on the way to winning a war.
Why it happened: It would be easy to give a few good lawyers credit, given that most of the gains in this area have been through court rulings. But what gives lie to that argument are polls showing the shift in public opinion.
From an article in the Christian Science Monitor:
Research conducted by Gallup shows that opposition to gay marriage has evolved from 55 percent opposed in 2004 to 54 percent in favor now, according to its most recent data. The Gallup data show 43 percent opposed to gay marriage.
“What is really driving this is knowing gay people,” Walker said. He said personal contact with gay family members, gay friends, and gay neighbors is winning what activists call the battle for “hearts and minds.”
Follow the money: The shift in public opinion has been bad news for organizations involved in organizing political and legal opposition to gay rights. Financials released for the National Organization for Marriage in November show a 50% drop in donations, with most of the money coming from only two donors.
Where we stand now: There are lessons to be learned from this struggle. It wasn’t successful because of high profile leaders, or even one particular organization. It was the courage and dedication shown by millions of individuals that swayed public opinion. Winning came from actions on the street, at the ballot box and through personal testimony.
I like that word, winning. Here’s hoping we get to use it more in the not-so-distant future.
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This is an excerpt of Doug Porter’s daily column at our sibling online media partner, San Diego Free Press.
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