Thank you so much for the clarity you bring to the issue of physical violence as
most often gender based and perpetrated by males. Also, thank you for
referencing Jackson Katz. His work sounds excellent and I will pursue it to
learn more.
When I produced the movie last summer, The Early Faces of Violence, I focused
primarily on the treatment of boy to boy. Many of our boys and men are left to
fend for themselves as a socialization of violence is imposed on them. Either
they turn to bullying and violence themselves as a weapon, or they succumb and
learn evasive maneuvers losing a sense of self in the process. In one of the
instructional videos in the series, entitled A Culture of Cruelty, I explored
the traumatic effects of bullying, ridicule and violence, and highlighted
through an expert traumatologist its long
lasting effects. The men who spoke up in the focus group used for this video
production were amazing. They revealed what it was like to be on the receiving
end of the bullying/ridicule/violence and how it impacted their life long
strategies.
I must also say that violence is not an exclusive province of males. The
cruelty expressed by females in words and hurtful, ridiculing actions is
immensely damaging too. As we know, we all have a responsibility to explore our
behavior, both personally and as a society, and see where we may be diminishing
another either physically, emotionally or spiritually. Not a comfortable task
and one that requires daily honesty, courage and a
commitment to clean up the messes we humans tend to make along the way of
living. Again, thank you for the reference.
Mary Jo McGrath
McGrath Systems, Inc.
3905 State Street, Suite 7211
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
Tele: (805) 897-3096
e-mail: mjmsb7@aol.com
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