I Am Apparently Too Dim To Understand Why This Is Offensive
University of Iowa president Sally Mason apparently felt compelled to apologize for words she used in talking to somebody from the student newspaper there. From KWWL.com:
In an interview published Feb. 18 in The Daily Iowan, President Sally Mason said she was dismayed by the reports of sexual assaults. She said "the goal would be to end that, to never have another sexual assault. That's probably not a realistic goal just given human nature, and that's unfortunate. ..."Criticism erupted over the phrase that includes "human nature."
...Mason said she's been told by several people in the campus community that her remark was hurtful. She said she was "very, very sorry for any pain that my words might have caused."
Could this, perhaps, be hurtful to zombies?
Here, from the Iowa Republican, this nitwittery, employing the "naturalistic fallacy," the mistaken belief that because something is natural, it's good (or, a twist on it, in Mason's critic's case, a belief that because something is natural -- the desire of some to rape, steal, or otherwise violate another human being -- we're saying it's good). Reporter Craig Robinson writes:
A woman who has been assaulted herself wrote, "'That's probably not a realistic goal just given human nature' implies that human beings are naturally inclined toward this type of behavior. Victims and advocates have been fighting to demolish the idea that "rape is OK" for thousands of years. To say that it is natural is to say that it is OK, to say that it is somehow an inbred behavior. I stand for myself as a victim and for many others: Sexual assault is not 'OK,' it is not natural, and it is not an impulse that an attacker can somehow not control. It is not born with them. It is not a part of us as human beings."Female students also protested Mason's speech at the University's 31st Annual Presidential Lecture. As Mason began her remarks, the students filed in front of the of the podium holding signs that read, "This University protects rapist, not victims." While Mason told the audience that she supported the student's positions, they began saying things like, "Sally Mason is too afraid, she doesn't stand with victims." Another said, "Sally Mason is part of the problem at this campus." Others said, "Rape is not in human nature."
Um, yes it is. Evolutionary psychologists Randy Thornhill and Craig T. Palmer wrote a whole book on this, A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion
Thornhill and Palmer write that "Rape is viewed as a natural, biological phenomenon that is a product of the human evolutionary heritage". They further state that by categorizing a behavior as "natural" and "biological" we do not in any way mean to imply that the behavior is justified or even inevitable. "Biological" means "of or pertaining to life," so the word applies to every human feature and behavior. But to infer from that, as many critics assert that Thornhill and Palmer do, that what is biological is somehow right or good, would be to fall into the so-called naturalistic fallacy. They make a comparison to "natural disasters as epidemics, floods and tornadoes". This shows that what can be found in nature is not always good and that measures should be and are taken against natural phenomena. They further argue that a good knowledge of the causes of rape, including evolutionary ones, are necessary in order to develop effective preventive measures.
More from Wikipedia:
It has been noted that behavior resembling rape in humans is observed in the animal kingdom, including ducks and geese, bottlenose dolphins,[1] and chimpanzees.[2] Indeed in orangutans, close human relatives, copulations of this nature may account for up to half of all observed matings.[3] Such behaviours, referred to as 'forced copulations', involve an animal being approached and sexually penetrated whilst it struggles or attempts to escape.
I don't think I've ever heard anything so dumb in my life. It would be nice if rape, murder, child-molestation, theft, you name it, wasn't part of human nature. Sadly, it clearly is.
That doesn't mean that we're all walking around desperately fighting an urge to rape. Saying that it's human nature does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean that it is in the nature of all humans.
Glaringly apparent, as demonstrated by the detractors of Sally Mason's statement, is that idiocy is also part of human nature.
whistleDick at February 27, 2014 12:20 AM
Given human nature it would be rather surprising if anything she said did NOT offend somebody.
Grief-mongers are always looking for a fight with anybody over anything.
It is too bad that this university president choose to back down instead of using this as a "teachable moment" to tell those upset with her choice of language to NOT always assume that they fully understand what someone else is saying. Just because the listener inferred one thing doesn't mean that is what the speaker implied.
Yet another example of education failure at the university level.
Charles at February 27, 2014 4:38 AM
"Just because the listener inferred one thing doesn't mean that is what the speaker implied."
What Charles said. It's a vital life skill of the rational and civilized mind to know how to calm the f#ck down and ask people where they're coming from and what they meant, when your buttons have been pushed and inside you're going apeshit.
I hope the President takes another stab at this with the students.
Michelle at February 27, 2014 5:19 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/02/27/i_am_apparently.html#comment-4297114">comment from MichelleIt's a vital life skill of the rational and civilized mind to know how to calm the f#ck down and ask people where they're coming from and what they meant,
Absolutely.
It seems to me a way of getting attention, all this hysteria.
Amy Alkon
at February 27, 2014 5:37 AM
Absolutely.
It seems to me a way of getting attention, all this hysteria.
Posted by: Amy Alkon at February 27, 2014 5:37 AM
It is also a way of avoiding and shutting down honest debate over the best way to handle and minimize real sexual assult.
Suggesting that women shouldnt get blind staggering drunk, and take their clothes off at parties is "blaming the victim".
Isab at February 27, 2014 6:18 AM
I notice, too, that when people have too much time on their hands, they find things to get very worked up over. Not just students - this is true in social situations and work situations, as well.
I would bet that if those students took a more classes, or more demanding classes, or found a job, they would find less time to incorrectly over-analyze, and misinterpret, and rabble-rouse.
This kind of hysteria doesn't help solve any issues around rapes. It only makes those who are concerned seem hysterical. And makes those who otherwise might have genuinely been sympathetic listeners, just want to tune it all out.
flbeachmom at February 27, 2014 6:21 AM
According to Wikipedia, there are over 21,000 undergraduates at this university. Given that the student population is the size of a small city, it is amazing that there isn't more rape, more crime on campus.
Lord, wait until some of those whiney students get out into the real world. They will had a rather rude awakening when they leave their protective bubble.
Charles at February 27, 2014 6:41 AM
It seems to me a way of getting attention, all this hysteria.
It can also pay handsomely. They gain prestige, power, influence and possibly money. And there's rarely any blowback if they're overreacting.
I R A Darth Aggie at February 27, 2014 6:55 AM
I Am Apparently Too Dim To Understand Why This Is Offensive -- Amy
So am I.
Jim P. at February 27, 2014 7:24 PM
Charles: "Just because the listener inferred one thing doesn't mean that is what the speaker implied."
To Womyn, what a speaker says or means is not as important as how it makes the victim feel. Mason's remark might have made some Womyn feel raped. At least they're not demanding that she be prosecuted.
Ken R at March 1, 2014 9:34 PM
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