Whats up with this....

[ghost]

Women and children take to the streets of Wellington tonight.


The annual Women Reclaim the Night Walk comes during White Ribbon Week, to raise awareness of male violence against women.


Charity group Jigsaw says the walk symbolises the rejection of the belief that women should not walk alone after dark. Chief executive Tau Huirama says current attitudes suggest it is the victim's fault for being out late at night or the way they dress. He says that needs to change.


The walk, which is for women and children only, starts at 8.30pm from Waitangi Park.


Time to give up fella's, as you decent blokes who treat people with repect have just been labled as women beaters and child molester.

Am I taking this sort of thing the wrong way? Is there only ever violence commited against women and children. Doesn't everyone have a vested interest in society? why do I find this disturbing that only women and children are invited on the walk.

Why would the organisers want to omit men, surely or hopefully the men that are the partners and fathers of these women and children....... Im stumped, but then again I am a law abiding, middle class, male so i suppose that makes me one of the ones they want to protest against? Maybe. Fecked if I know....... anybody.... throw me a friken bone here.....

[bert_is_evil]

Am I taking this sort of thing the wrong way? Is there only ever violence commited against women and children. Doesn't everyone have a vested interest in society? why do I find this disturbing that only women and children are invited on the walk.

Why would the organisers want to omit men, surely or hopefully the men that are the partners and fathers of these women and children....... Im stumped, but then again I am a law abiding, middle class, male so i suppose that makes me one of the ones they want to protest against? Maybe. Fecked if I know....... anybody.... throw me a friken bone here.....

I don't know much about the history of this but I think you might be - I did a bit of googling on the subject, a couple of quotes:

By remaining a women only event Reclaim the Night allows women to gain a sense of their own power to take a stand against violence.

Men are asked to support this event by respecting women’s need to organise independently against violence.

So I don't think the intention is to imply that all men are potential abusers, but rather to empower woman who feel they can only walk around at night in the company of men.

[The_Dover]

oooh, gain a sense of their own power..........

fuck there is some bullshit bandied about these days.

[carver]

sounds fem-in-nazi ish to me.

[crashe]

The Auckland group do the "Reclaim the night" march because of the rapes and beatings to women that happened down in Myer Park beside Queen Street over a period of time a few years back.
Yep some nasty men did this and the women never felt safe to walk back to their cars etc at night. So they are doing this to show the men that they are claiming 'that' power back for themselves.

The Auckland group start at the bottom of Queen Street and walk/march up to Aotea Square and hold a rally there.

It has slowly spread around the country into the bigger cities.

Women and children want to feel safe out there at night-time.

Note: most men are great guys, its just that some men are total arseholes and are nothing but scum of the earth that do these things to women and children.


Yes I know some men are also beaten up and robbed.
But not to the point that women are raped as well.


This march is only held once a year so its only a annual event.
Its not just about feminism it for ALL women and children to feel SAFE.

[ghost]

I don't know much about the history of this but I think you might be - I did a bit of googling on the subject, a couple of quotes:

By remaining a women only event Reclaim the Night allows women to gain a sense of their own power to take a stand against violence.

Men are asked to support this event by respecting women’s need to organise independently against violence.

So I don't think the intention is to imply that all men are potential abusers, but rather to empower woman who feel they can only walk around at night in the company of men.

Yeah, fair enough, but still think this is everyones problem and by excluding a large percentage of the population this is devisive in that it implies its only a womens problem. I have the same issue with the charge of "male assaults female". To me its all assault and should be dealt with equally.

To many small groups doing there own thing and no coheasivness (cant spell).

Nice bike by the way.

[carver]

oh, just on the theme, i remember seeing this quote "punch her in the face, to prove your right" with a picture from a anti-woman-violence ad.
so wrong......

[MSTRS]

It's bullshit (with respect to those that have suffered attack in the past). So a group go walking to 'reclaim the night'. Safety in numbers. No-one will be attacked. BUT the gullible and naive will get the idea that from 'now on' it will be safe out there.
Yeah right!

[Karma]

All those vunerable women in one place? That's a rapists dream.

It's be like that animal planet show...

Watch now as the rapish lies low in the undergrowth waiting for one of the women to break from the pack... one of them has gone for a coffee... and he pounces!






But seriously... good cause.

[The_Dover]

don't you have a curfew though weasel?

[crashe]

It's bullshit (with respect to those that have suffered attack in the past). So a group go walking to 'reclaim the night'. Safety in numbers. No-one will be attacked. BUT the gullible and naive will get the idea that from 'now on' it will be safe out there.
Yeah right!

No its not bullshit.

They are making a stand for ALL women and the children who have been raped and abused.

They are standing up to those still walking the streets and still doing it and never been caught yet.

They are saying look we can now stand tall and you cant take that power away from us no more. We will put up a damn good fight.
We are no longer meek and mild.

The men stand on the footpaths and cheer these women on... these men are their supporters. These men accept that the women need to do this on their own to stand up and feel free to 'reclaim the night' again.

[ManDownUnder]

TO be fair - I hate the way my wife an female friends have to take extra precautions because of the lunatic threats that are out there.

It's not only guys that are the perps. Kiddie gangs and te like are more likely too... I think a distinction needs to be made that guys tend to pose a more serious physical threat... and are therefore safer when they walk the streets alone.

The wild dogs pick off the weakest targets in the wild. So do the scage arseoles in society.

[Karma]

don't you have a curfew though weasel?

No mate, but I do have an injuction of going within 200m of any gathering of more than 3 women... :shutup:

[The_Dover]

yeah, I bet after this hairy arsed lesbo victim march the streets will once again be a safe place to be at night.

Thankyou SuperDyke you have saved the city.....

[MSTRS]

No its not bullshit.

They are making a stand for ALL women and the children who have been raped and abused.

They are standing up to those still walking the streets and still doing it and never been caught yet.

They are saying look we can now stand tall and you cant take that power away from us no more. We will put up a damn good fight.
We are no longer meek and mild.

The men stand on the footpaths and cheer these women on... these men are their supporters. These men accept that the women need to do this on their own to stand up and feel free to 'reclaim the night' again.
I understand. But I still stand by what I said. The animals out there that rape women will not stop because of a march. So, apart from feeling 'empowered' or something, what will change for women on the street at night?

[ManDownUnder]

No its not bullshit.

They are making a stand for ALL women and the children who have been raped and abused.

They are standing up to those still walking the streets and still doing it and never been caught yet.

They are saying look we can now stand tall and you cant take that power away from us no more. We will put up a damn good fight.
We are no longer meek and mild.

The men stand on the footpaths and cheer these women on... these men are their supporters. These men accept that the women need to do this on their own to stand up and feel free to 'reclaim the night' again.

I know what you're saying and while it has it's merits I think the claim is hollow. Women can't suddenly 'decide' to fight off an attacker... any more than I can.

And I say that with 2 reasons... in mind.

1) They ain't physcially strong enough. Simple physics. Big person and little person fight... little person lkely to lose
2) We're not allowed to fight back/help/intervene. We've all been told the state will help. If you're in trouble, ring the Police, and while it's a sensible thing to do, it's not likely you can ask them to take a break for a mo while you find your cell phone.

The sooned we're all allowed, and motivated, to intervene in this ycle of violence, the sooner we all win.

I'm not suggesting victims of violence or abuse simply take it either. Far from it. I'm just saying a sudden 'decision' that things have changed, to claim back their personal power... is a bit naieve

[bert_is_evil]

I understand. But I still stand by what I said. The animals out there that rape women will not stop because of a march. So, apart from feeling 'empowered' or something, what will change for women on the street at night?

Yeah, I was walking with another girl (5minutes) home to our flat after our sports team xmas function last year and got the sh*t beaten out of me by random strangers, had to have surgery etc as a result. I'm now scared to walk anywhere at night even with other woman, and a march wont make me feel more comfortable about it but I guess it's about raising awareness and rallying support (just like doing a march to stop whaleing isn't going to directly save any whales)

[GR81]

oooh, gain a sense of their own power..........
fuck there is some bullshit bandied about these days.
you must see the Borat movie when he talks to the pro-woman group.
so so funny!

[Lissa]

I would never go walking at night with myself... ever. This Walk tonight isnt about the fact that women and children Should Now Go Walking At Night, its just a way of coming together and supporting each other against domestic volence....

Although when I was a teenage... during the day I was walking down my street by myself, when this car pulls up.. a full grown guy and his two teenage sons, asking me if I wanted a lift, and when I said no, they started sexually harrassing me, I just ignored it.... but creeped me out enough, I never went walking on my own for a long time.

[The_Dover]

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I've been looking for

[Karma]

In the middle of the night
I go walking in my sleep
From the mountains of faith
To the river so deep
I must be lookin' for something
Something sacred I lost
But the river is wide
And it's too hard to cross
even though I know the river is wide
I walk down every evening and stand on the shore
I try to cross to the opposite side
So I can finally find what I've been looking for

Fag.

Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light
Those days are over
You don't have to sell your body to the night
Roxanne, you don't have to wear that dress tonight
Walk the streets for money
You don't care if it's wrong or if it's right

[Lias]

God bless teh interweb.

Now everyone can be offended!

[Damon]

I'm pretty sure the current trend is to walk the streets/invades homes and kill innocent men. ie last weeks home invasion in Howick, there's a good bashing going on almost every night in south auckland and alot result in serious injury or death, and it's men who are dieing, there's plenty of places in Auckland i won't walk at night, even if there's 4 or 5 of you your still not safe, but i guess thats just another thing men just have to suck up and stop being a pussy about. :shutup:

[The_Dover]

I don't walk anywhere at night.

I take the bike cos I'm a fat lazy prick.

[Timber020]

Im going out to support those women. I have my hockey mask and a big chainsaw. Im going to sneak up on some real fat ones and motivate them to do more to improve their health and try some running.

Anyone want to come, bring your own mask, I have about 18 saws to go around!:Punk: