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• Friday, October 27, 2006 02:22 PM

  Why do men allow themselves to be insulted like that?

  I won't even dignify the "she was asking for it by leaving the house" comments by responding.

  I like to think that our modern world, with its skin-bearing, varying hemline, unisex, white-after-Labor-Day attitude toward clothing is a reflection of the progress we have all made at being able to live together on the planet. The argument that women should remain covered because men can't handle the temptation reduces those men to compulsive savages. This argument is usually raised by religious groups, who are allegedly following holy books of conduct that use morality to regulate impulsive behavior. Shouldn't that be enough? Shouldn't the rape of a woman be cause to punish the perpetrator, who seems to have forgotten all the religious laws telling him that the public will not tolerate his behavior?

  Or do they think the religious and civic leaders do not have enough power?

  I've listened to men make libido jokes or comments my entire life, but not one of them has ever expressed an actual lack of control over his behavior or choices.

  I'm sure most self-respecting men would be insulted if they were told that they couldn't be trusted to avoid committing a violent, criminal act at the mere sight of a stranger with a bare head (or face, or elbow, or knee).

  What will it take for them to say it, in public?

  Obviously, women should be treated with respect, and victims shouldn't be blamed for violence committed against them, but with stories like this one, it sounds like religious leaders don't think very much more of their men.

  —L*G Read L*G's other letters
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