People Working in Women's Centers
Since November 1997 I have been volunteering at the Houston Area Women's Center with the intention of bringing them the tools of RC and the wealth of information about women's liberation that we in RC have uncovered. I'm finding that even though (in my mind) the women at this center should be advanced with respect to women's liberation, they don't know how to make men their allies. They are still in male-bashing mode. This is understandable, given the abuse they see and hear about and don't get to discharge about. There is a feeling that violence and rape will never end, that perpetrators don't want to be helped.
This has gotten me thinking and discharging about people targeted for destruction due to their distresses. I am convinced that we cannot end violence against women without also seeing to it that the offenders (mostly men) are given caring, respectful counseling. It bothers me that the women at the center fully understand that people who are abused when they are young probably become abusive as adults unless they are helped, yet they do not consider the abusing adult a victim.
There is no support for "rehabilitating" offenders. I would like to do something about that. One thing I did do was look into a recent radio commercial for the women's center that was very oppressive to men. It turned out to be a one-time thing (a disc jockey ad libbed and showed her feelings), but I did get to give a little information about men's oppression.
I am convinced that if men didn't feel so bad about themselves in the area of sexism we could educate and heal them much more easily, and they would even seek out help! So far, most people I've told this to have not responded with much enthusiasm. I'm going to try getting together a volunteers' support group and see if I can help people start discharging.
I would like to be Information Coordinator for People Working in Women's Centers.
Doni Langlois
Spring, Texas, USA