What The . . . . . ?

I'm still not sure I can believe this.

I've read the article twice, and I am still struggling to accept that this could have happened.

A gang of teenage boys, ranging from 17 to 14 years old, raped a 14 year old girl because she called someone a name. Don't get me wrong, there is never any excuse for rape, it is an entirely unacceptable and criminal act, but because she called someone a name ? It was described as a "punishment attack". What the fuck ? A punishment attack ? Please explain how that idea even occurs to a bunch of teenagers ? No, wait, I don't think I really want to know how this became seen as an acceptable and/or reasonable response to name calling.

The judge has decided that seven of those involved should be named in a bid to discourage. I'm not quite sure how that's going to work. Personally I'd go with hefty jail sentences. And maybe public apologies, and a hefty fine. Slap them with all of it and send a clear message that this type of behaviour is criminal and will be punished appropriately. Then someone should make it very clear that this type of behaviour does not make you a "big man" but a pathetic little weasel who deserves nothing but the contempt and disgust of all right minded individuals.

Of course, they should already know that.

What the fuck is going on in this country ? Well, the world really.

You see rape is used as a weapon in many places. It can be used to instill fear, to aid in ethnic cleansing agendas, and just because some people are complete and utter bastards. Raped because of your political opinion. Rape is heinous enough but to rape a child ? To mutilate your victim afterwards ? Part of me wants to say that kind of cruelty is not even human, but it seems that it is. What a sad world we live in.

The UN now recognises the use of rape as a weapon of war, but what does that actually mean ? Is that likely to deter anyone ? Somehow I doubt it. And a horrid thought crossed my mind; will recognising it as a weapon of war at the UN Security Council simply provide further justification in the minds of those who use it ? Perhaps a better recognition might have been as a war crime or a crime against humanity.

UNESCO video I found on Amnesty Internationals Protect The Human site.


BBC link.

It's not like rape as a weapon of war is a new thing but I thought we'd come far enough that shit like this would cause more outrage than it seems to.

But then why should it cause more outrage in that situation than it does at home ? That's a question , not my opinion.

Amnesty International recently found that:

"More than a quarter of those polled for Amnesty as part of its Violence Against Women campaign believed that women were responsible if they wore sexy clothing; 28 per cent thought they were "partially responsible" if they behaved in a flirtatious manner; and one in 12 thought a woman was wholly responsible if she was known to have had many sexual partners."

Excuse me ? How exactly does wearing "sexy" clothes mean that someone has the right to rape you ? Or flirting ? And was does someones consensual sex life have to do with the criminal behaviour of another ? And someone being drunk, or having had a drink is not a justification either.

Get a clue idiots. THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION. Not a one.

To anyone holding an opinion along that line I ask:

If I see you have a phone, handbag or watch that I want and I mug you for it, is it your fault for having it ? You are responsible for my criminal behaviour ? If there is something in your house that I want does, your owning it give me the right to break in and take it ? Fanfuckingtastic. I want an iphone, a macbook and some new handbags. Watch out, I'm coming for it, and you'll have no one else to blame but yourself.

Yes I realise that theft and rape are very different things but they are both defined as illegal and if one can be the victims fault then so can the other.

Of course the victim is not at fault in either case, the rapist, thief or attacker is. They choose to commit a criminal act. End of.

There is only one person at fault in the case of rape. That would be the rapist. The piece of shit masquerading as a human being. A creature so fucking low that he or she deserves to be despised and condemned by the rest of us.

So there.

Quote Of The Undertermined But Really Long Stretch Of Time.

I was reading Shapely Prose today, well I was reading things and following links, generally touring and stopping at anything that caught my attention, and I found this quote, and I fucking love it

"The fact is, I am “an unbelievably unattractive woman”–and also an unbelievably attractive woman, a kinda meh woman, a kinda cute woman, and everything else on the spectrum between “eww” and “ooh.” It all depends on who’s looking–"

It is true genius. And something I wish I could hammer into my head. I think I'm kinda average, Boyfriend thinks I beautiful and sexy and I find it difficult to marry to two images. I try to accept his opinion but I do find it a little strange. So a big thank you to Kate for this quote, and the whole rather fabulous post.

Television

We get home after a lovely evening at the theatre, and switch the tv on. Guess what the best thing we could find was ?

A freakin' Jean Claude Van Damme movie. Double Team, with Dennis Rodman.

No really, that was the best that 30+ channels had to offer. And if we had a hundred channels it would be the same.

Don't get me wrong, I quite like bad movies, I once made friends watch Tremors 3(I think, I mean who can really tell the difference after the epic brilliance of the first one ?)'cause I find it hilarious. But seriously, a Thursday night and the best tv has to offer is Van Damme in Double Team ? Couldn't it have been Universal Soilder or Street Fighter ? Or Tremors 2,3, or 4 to be very honest 'cause I can live without the Muscles from Brussels. And giant flesh eating worms are always cool.

Graboids. Heehee.

So over to the polar bears to express how totally underwhelmed by television I am these days.

So Totally My Car . . . . . . Someday

Yeah . . . Em . . . . Dunno

So I haven't posted for ages, can't decide if I'm ever gonna again. I seem to have way too much to do to bother with this lark anymore: jobs to hunt, a house to run, things to organise for other people, and driving lessons to name a few.

But I do like having this so maybe I'll keep it going awhile longer and try to post at least once a week. Plan.