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Policing bodies

Introduction: This was a post I wrote for the site http://youngmormonfeminists.org/. I was born and raised a Mormon but left the religion several years ago and became an atheist. I wrote this for the site because most of my family and friends are still in the church and I wanted to address issues that they face constantly.

It is often said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. I hope you’ll forgive me if I reword it in a more atheistic way. The road to oppression is paved with good intentions. The oppression isn’t always as obvious as a paperback copy of 1984. Most often it is wrapped in flowery language and the gentle comforter of love and protection.

A perfect example of this is the Modesty Doctrine. If you grew up in the church -like I did- or have spent any time around it you’ll know what I am talking about, so forgive me if I don’t waste valuable space rehashing what the modesty doctrine is. Type the word modesty in the search field of lds.org and you’ll get hundreds of hits.

So how is the Modesty Doctrine oppressive to women? Modesty is not about fashion nor is it about protecting women. It’s about control of the female body; a control men feel entitled to in order to maintain privilege and power over women by controlling the ways they use and think about their bodies. 

Of guns and patriarchy

“Carry a concealed weapon. That’ll fix it.”

This statement was part of public comments Sheriff Chuck Wright of Spartanburg County, South Carolina made after a woman was brutally raped in his department’s jurisdiction. It would be easy to dismiss Wright’s comments as  insensitive  victim blaming if this tired argument ― more guns equals fewer rapes ― wasn’t being passed around by everyone from senators to second amendment advocates and gun owners in the US and Canada in light of the furor in the US regarding gun control.

One of their most popular arguments is based on statistics which show that countries with stricter gun laws (e.g., Canada, Britain, Australia) have more incidents of sexual assault and rape. This data ...

“Carry a concealed weapon. That’ll fix it.”

This statement was part of public comments Sheriff Chuck Wright of Spartanburg County, South Carolina made after a woman was brutally raped in his department’s jurisdiction. It would be ...