Cologne attacks: “This is sexual terrorism directed towards women”

[Dems to Win]

Last edited Tue Jan 19, 2016, 04:01 PM - Edit history (1)

As the extreme right exploits mass assaults in Germany to mobilize against refugees, European feminists are in a battle over where their sympathies should lie
EMMA-KATE SYMONS01.19.16

http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2016/01/19/cologne-attacks-this-is-sexual-terrorism-directed-towards-women/

snip...

Now, after all the victim blaming and despite what Spiegel magazine declared “the end of political correctness” in Germany, a pall of selective silence and victim shaming has persisted.

Except this time, it includes feminists who have found their voices and, their detractors say, are working against the interests of the women they are supposed to represent. Any discussion of the collective sexual assaults as ethnically, racially and ideologically motivated is off limits. “I am sad but not surprised,” Alice Schwarzer, the leading second-wave German feminist, and editor of Emma.de magazine told Women in the World.

snip...

Instead of frank and open discussion, an Omerta has been imposed. Its leading backers are mostly younger European women’s activists, cultural relativists and anti-racists, who are accused of being more concerned about not offending migrant communities and Muslim men than standing up for the women subjected to the marauding gropers, and group rapists who attacked so-called “easy,” “white” German “whores” (among the obscenities hurled at the victims as they battled their way through walls of grasping, pulling hands, crawling over their breasts and between their legs).

snip...

Laurie Penny raised the ire of some feminist critics when, in a New Statesman column titled “After Cologne we can’t let the bigots steal feminism,” she ridiculed the reaction to Cologne as mostly “excited” right-wing outrage that was just a “good excuse to bash Muslims and migrants”. “It’s easier to pin misogyny on cultural outsiders than it is to accept that men everywhere must do better,” Penny said in an argument that prompted Canadian political commentator Tasha Kheiriddin to assert that “cultural relativism harms women”.

Some have gone so far as to draw a direct parallel between the vulnerabilities of German women and Muslim men. “If I, with my black hair, were to ride the bus after eight o’clock in the evening in rural Saxony, I’m guessing it’s highly likely I would be accosted or verbally abused,” said Aiman Mazyek, head of the Central Council for Muslims in Germany, in a redirection of the post-Cologne debate onto Muslim men as victims. “But I would never allow myself to make assumptions about the whole of Central Europe on that basis.”

Long, excellent article. Overview, with links, of most of the feminist commentary about the New Year's Eve mass sexual attacks in Germany. I've read most of the links, and there is an awful lot of mealy-mouth contortioning going on to pretend that the NYE assaults were just another OktoberFest. Far too much disgusting minimization of the mass sex assaults that are UNPRECEDENTED in Germany, according to the police.

Self-identified German feminist groups are actually advocating silencing the victims:

German feminist groups like #ausnhamslos [no excuses] issuing “warnings” against open discussion because “it is harmful for all of us if feminism is exploited by extremists to incite against certain ethnicities.”

[thereismore]

1. Yes, yes it is. nt

[hifiguy]

2. So now women and LGBT people go

under the bus so cheap virtue points can be made and a horrible problem can be swept under the rug? Holy fuck, what next?

Cultural relativism is bullshit on stilts and steroids.

The left is handing this very real issue to the right by burying its collective head in the sand and ignoring simple facts.

[Dems to Win]

3. "lie back and think of multiculturalism"

After Cologne, Feminism is Dead

http://quillette.com/2016/01/18/after-cologne-feminism-is-dead/

[EllieBC]

12. As a feminist

I'll throw multiculturalism under the bus before anymore women are thrown under.

I don't care what the hell your "culture" tells you. Women, regardless of how they are dressed, what they are doing, or whether or not they are alone, have a right to not be sexually assaulted.

[Dems to Win]

13. I've long said "I'm a feminist, not a multiculturalist."

I don't respect cultures that don't respect women. And of course, I'm plenty critical of my own culture, too.

[EllieBC]

14. No culture should be free from criticism

Especially if they view one gender as inferior and act on those views.

I read a comment on one of the threads about Colonge. A poster said German culture will change and adapt. So I guess the idea is women will be forced into submission and will just have to accept it. Disgusting.

[Lizzie Poppet]

32. Not all cultures are compatible.

No amount of starry-eyed wishful thinking will change that. It doesn't matter one bit if the majority of immigrants from an incompatible culture are able to sublimate that culture's incompatible influences and elements as long as a reasonably significant minority are unwilling to do so. Especially not when that minority is attacking people.

Any culture that is at fundamental, core-value odds with modern progressive Western culture in terms of things like the status of women, LGBT rights, and so forth is simply incompatible. That's not to say immigrants from that culture are incompatible...but the onus to change and adapt is on them, the newcomers. That is to say, if they're not willing to reject, at least in practice if not in thought, those incompatible elements, then conflict with the culture of their new home will be inevitable.

Also, anyone who conflates objections to demonstrably harmful and incompatible effects of a culture with actual racism, please clear off back to the kiddie table. That has nothing whatsoever to do with race.

[smirkymonkey]

38. Hear, hear!

[nomorenomore08]

44. "The onus to change and adapt is on them, the newcomers."

Yes it is. And to argue otherwise would be absurd.

[TorchTheWitch]

58. Well said n/t

[leftynyc]

15. Same here

Those that are willing to kick us to the curb in the name of pic can kiss my ass.

[katsy]

33. +1000

[EL34x4]

50. Outstanding article (nt)

[Yo_Mama]

28. Several men reported being sexually harassed in Cologne also. I don't have a link.

You're not wrong.

[NaturalHigh]

4. Yes it is...

and I'm tired of people making "cultural" excuses (like we have seen in other threads) for them.

[Ace Rothstein]

5. I'm not sure what is more tiring.

Those making excuses or those burying their heads in the sand pretending this isn't even happening.

[mwrguy]

6. Laurie Penny is a great feminist standing up to Islamophobia

[Ex Lurker]

7. Laurie Penny is referenced in the OP, and not in a good way NT

[mwrguy]

8. "After Cologne, we can't let the bigots steal feminism"

The bigots certainly are trying.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2016/01/after-cologne-we-cant-let-bigots-steal-feminism

[Ex Lurker]

9. And some feminists have thrown women under the bus

in the cause of multiculturalism

[leftynyc]

16. WTF are you talking about?

I would easily say that the vast majority of those downplaying or deflecting from all these assaults wouldn't know a feminist if they got kicked in the crotch by one wearing a sign. As for only blaming whites, I would think all these threads about what's going on in Europe makes that statement a lie.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

20. I've seen more avoidance and deflection on this issue than anything else.

Most of the people I know that are still active feminists aren't even talking about this story. The ones that are talking about it just want to treat it as a garden variety example of rape culture, like scantily clad comic book characters. And then I find out that feminists in Germany are telling women not to report rapes so that the right can't use it to attack migrants, and I have to wonder what happened to Feminist ideology to get to this point.

[LanternWaste]

22. You have evidence that all feminists discussing the issue are treating as such?

"The ones that are talking about it just want to treat it as a garden variety example of rape culture..."

You have evidence that all feminists discussing the issue are treating as such? Or was that merely an allegation, predicated on your own biases and anecdotal evidence limited to an invalid sampling of your own "active feminist friends"?

[SolutionisSolidarity]

24. Fair enough - I'll change "most" to "some".

[leftynyc]

39. I'm not finding that

at all. I'm finding nothing but fury for the governments covering up the problems at the expense of women. I'm not really sure what you mean by active feminist.

[CTyankee]

26. Let me be the first to say bye bye to you...

[Dems to Win]

17. "Cultural Relativism Harms Women"

Article written by a Canadian Muslim woman in rebuttal to your link

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/tasha-kheiriddin-the-attacks-in-cologne-reveal-the-ugly-truth-cultural-relativism-is-harmful-to-women

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

30. She should of finished with.....

"......and if that means a few eggs have to be broken, oh well....."

Good job, M'aam.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

10. She should move to Saudi Arabia to be with her people.

Then she can tell us how abused and sad Muslims are.

[Act_of_Reparation]

19. Fallacy of Relative Privation.

Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

21. You do realize we aren't having a college debate, right?

If I want to use rhetoric, that is my prerogative. Besides, she loves Arab migrant culture, so I'm sure she would enjoy her new life in lovely SA.

[LanternWaste]

23. Hence, I read "if I want to use irrational though, that is my prerogative..."

You call it rhetoric, I call it irrational thought-- though I realize your appellation for it may be somewhat more self-validating, and thus, much more useful for your own biases.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

29. Thanks Commander Data.

[Act_of_Reparation]

25. And if I want to call your rhetoric "stupid", that's MY prerogative.

By the way, your rhetoric... it's stupid.

[SolutionisSolidarity]

27. Oh no, and your opinion was so valuable to me.

[Act_of_Reparation]

31. Fret not, friend.

Take solace, at least, in the fact you're not alone in your inability to recognize quality even when laid bare before your very eyes. "You can lead a horse to water", and all that jazz.

[katsy]

36. She gets it only half right.

She is correct that misogyny exists in every culture. But she is wrong to give Islamic law a pass in order to take a swipe at racists. Which is the wrong term anyway. You aren't racist for calling out an ideology for the piece of shit it is.

She states: "It’s easier to pin misogyny on cultural outsiders than it is to accept that men everywhere must do better - but any other attitude is rank hypocrisy."

No. As I stated in another op the ONLY people who own this atrocity against women are the Muslim ideologues who coordinated these attacks against women in such a fashion that LEO couldn't help them. The Muslim men OWN this. Their cultural upbringing, their religion sanctioning misogyny owns this crime.

I don't think much of the people who try to mitigate this crime by pointing out that rape occurs cross culture. It doesn't help to identify solutions.

In the west, rape is a crime period and we try teaching our male children better. Rape is still to prevalent and follow thru on complaints may be lacking. We're moving in the right direction. But not good enuf yet. Not by a long shot.

How does one deal with a shit ideology that sanctions misogyny, and violence towards LGBTQ, atheists, Jews, apostates? They need to shut that shit down. It had no place and is in conflict with western secular laws.

[nomorenomore08]

45. In that one tweet, at least, she's not entirely wrong.

Of course there are a great many who genuinely care about the situation of women in Germany, and the German government's attempt to shut up them up is disgraceful.

On the other hand, the phenomenon she speaks of does exist. You see it in this country too, where certain folks seem to only care about "violence against women" when they can use it to score race-baiting points - most often against black men.

[leftynyc]

18. Those young women aren't feminists

They're imbeciles.

[Dems to Win]

35. I disagree with that. They are very well intentioned, good hearted people

Trying their best to be good people, applying the tools they've been given by other good people. Twisting themselves in doughnuts to find a way to reconcile feminism and multiculturalism.

In particular, Germans are so very conscious of never demonizing 'the other.' Out of their own good instincts, and also as required by law. They can be, and are, charged under criminal law for 'intolerant' Facebook posts and tweets. So they muzzle themselves.

Talking about how Muslim men are taught by fundamentalist Islam to abuse and harass women, especially infidel women, might get them in trouble.

Women outside of Germany must continue speaking out realistically about the dangers posed by 800,000 unvetted single Arab Muslim men living among Germany's women and girls. The sisterhood is global.

[leftynyc]

37. So your contention is

that they're afraid of getting arrested for speaking out about the dangers of letting in so many young men who have never been taught they can't behave like animals around women? I understand the German history but that's insane. I will, of course, continue speaking out when women are being abused. Your defense of these young women doesn't change the fact that far, far too many posters right here, where there is no fear of arrest, have been downplaying, deflecting, excusing this behavior since it came to light. What's their excuse?

[Dems to Win]

40. Can't face up to incompatibility of feminism and multiculturalism

Well-intentioned people, but can't face the idea of letting go of multiculturalism.

[leftynyc]

41. Shaking my head

Well intentioned people don't throw women under the bus....not for anything. And certainly not to protect those abusing and assaulting women. Their true colors are shining through. They're so invested in their worldview - which obviously has nothing to do with reality and so concerned about being open minded, their brains have fallen out.

[JI7]

42. exactly. social media can be good but also allows idiots like this to get

More attention than they should.

[leftynyc]

43. I can't believe ANYONE

who claims to be a feminist would remain quiet about sexual assault. It makes me sick to think they think that's ok.

[davidn3600]

34. Cultural relativism is running amok in some progressive circles

It's amazing the lengths some of these progressives are willing to go to not criticize that religion or the people that practice it. Truly amazing.

If it were white, Christian men that did the attacks in Cologne, the outrage would have been EXTREME.

[nomorenomore08]

47. I agree that sometimes people need to forget about toeing the line, and simply speak the truth.

On the other hand, when you have people on the right basically calling for ethnic cleansing of Muslims - and not just refugees either - not wanting your voice lumped in with theirs is perfectly understandable.

[Dems to Win]

53. So then we reach a point where the only people seen to be outraged about mass sexual assault

is the right wing.

Just imagine what the outcry from feminists would have been if this had been done by skinheads in cities across Europe.

And the only media covering the ongoing story is the right wing, by and large.

And we see articles like this: After Cologne, Feminism is Dead
http://quillette.com/2016/01/18/after-cologne-feminism-is-dead/

[nomorenomore08]

57. I agree, which is why left-leaning people need to present their own voices and solutions.

Not that lefties are the only ones just hoping the problem will go away - Germany's "center-right" government has also done a pretty good job of hiding its collective head in the sand, apparently.

[Ex Lurker]

55. That's why it's important for the Left to not ignore that there's a problem

and to present its own, reasonable solutions. If the Right is the only side addressing the issue, that's the side worried people will gravitate too, and Progressives will wake up one morning wondering what happend.

[nomorenomore08]

56. Agreed. People need to stop being so scared of what others think, and actually get shit done. n/t

[hifiguy]

59. And far too much of the left is doing just that.

And it will bite them on the ass, big time, if they continue to ignore this problem and who is causing it in the name of political correctness.

[Warren DeMontague]

46. It's nice they're trying to protect what they think is REALLY important.

Namely, their preferred narrative.

Rest assured that if there was some way to blame the cologne attacks on sexy video game characters or topless British newspaper photos, they'd be all over it with "open discussion".

[nomorenomore08]

48. You never know, right? The myopia of some folks never ceases to amaze me. n/t

[Warren DeMontague]

49. I think everyone needs to be honest, and honesty requires acknowledging that there is a pretty

clear sociocultural component, here.

It's astounding to me that the people who can spin elaborate theses as to how Seth Rogen movies are responsible for Elliot Rodger, can't figure out how sexually repressive, anachronistic, censorious, religiously fundamentalist societies and ideologies can be instrumental in influencing these sorts of attitudes towards free, Western European women.

[nomorenomore08]

51. I think some may be more aware of this than you assume.

But when you have right-wing parties in Europe constantly demonizing "foreigners" in general, and Muslims in particular, it's easy to get defensive RE: any criticism of immigrants or refugees, even when said criticism is vitally necessary, as in this case.

[Warren DeMontague]

52. I'm sure they're aware of it. That makes it even worse, because it's disingenuous.

If the goal is to reduce things like sexual assault, awesome.

If the goal is to use things like sexual assault only when convenient as an excuse to wage completely ancillary cultural wars like trying to get the topless women off of page 3, that kind of sucks, doesn't it?

[nomorenomore08]

54. I think their goal genuinely is (at least in their minds) to reduce violence against women.

Of course, that doesn't stop them from going off on rather irrelevant tangents, as in the campaign against the (silly and outdated, but probably mostly harmless) "Page 3 Girls."

[prayin4rain]

60. Agreed. n/t