I am still writing my dissertation, but before I could write, I had to to go "in the field." Doing research in the field meant two things for me. Not only did I have to copy government files from archives located in Kingston and Spanish Town, Jamaica and London, England, but I also had to collect oral histories and conducted interviews with residents of Jamaica's Accompong Maroon community. I could regale you with so many stories of the bizarre interactions I had with men while doing this work (this is a kind characterization). Any woman who would dare to go, by herself, to do this work is fair game. Without a man by her side to make sure someone else's butt would get kicked, we are fair game, whether or not by choice. When Logan's story broke, I could only think but for the grace of God, so go I. But I also knew that many other women had to endure such indignities to conduct their research. The way that we dress, conduct ourselves, decide who we will speak to, develop relationships with so that we can have allies to turn to is a reflection of the threat that (sexual) violence plays as we simply do our work. I know that I have a silver band I always wear on my left hand, 4th finger to signal that there is potentially a man in my life who will make sure things are taken care of. I also know that I'm slightly safer bringing my young son along with me than if I went by myself. SICK!
This only reminds me of the extent that male domination effects all of our lives. Did I really write "male domination?" I certainly did. The process by which a male asserts themselves over another displaying their "power." The important thing is that such an assertion of power is not only experienced by females, but males as well. Nir Rosen, the journalist who tweeted such inexplicably thoughtless and brutish tweets in the wake of the Lara Logan's assault demonstrated this point thoroughly. Not only did he explicitly state that Logan's assault was just an attempt to take the spotlight from CNN's Anderson Cooper (implying that something real had not happened) and implying that it was even deserved, he also tweeted wouldn't it be funny if the same thing had happened to Cooper.
Funny?! Is sexual assault (ok, any assault) ever funny?! Under what circumstances? So why would he say this? It would have been "funny" if Cooper had been punked - raped by another man? What disturbed man would imply this? Not only was it ok for men to assert their domination over a pretty gal who thought she could be a foreign correspondent and become a star for her work, but it would also be ok for the same to happen to a pretty, rich boy as well. And the silence about this point was deafening! For people who go in the field, male or female, it is alright to assert your dominance by raping them and . . . well what will we accomplish, Nir Rosen, when this is done? Male dominance is a critical component of sexism and clearly, it does not discriminate whether its target is male or female.Finally, for those of you who are determined to make the lives of us who do work in the field as painful as possible, know that we are undeterred. We will continue to publish our stories, teach kids, deliver medical care, and write histories because we love what we do. We will do the best we can to flexibly handle the sexism and male domination that crops up along the way. And to Lara Logan, pull your community together and heal as quickly as you can. Many of us are cheering for you. We need your voice and it cannot go silent in the face of sexual violence! Just sayin' . . .
