Like most
folks, I was really annoyed that Battle Creek was listed by Forbes as among ‘The Most Dangerous U.S. Cities for Women.’
As with many residents, my initial reaction was denial. Yes, there is violence
against women here; it exists in every town to varying degrees. But my hometown
is the No. 9 worst in the country? No way; that’s impossible. At least, that’s
where my head was initially.
The Forbes
report used the FBI’s numbers for violent crimes, including murder and
non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault, in
addition to reported incidences of rape in each metro area.
I attempted to
rationalize the data; spin it toward something that made sense as it related to
my experience living here. From the start, I dismissed the rankings story as a
sensationalized attempt to sell magazines. Next, after more or less accepting
the list’s statistics, I theorized Battle Creek social service agencies (like
S.A.F.E. Place and Woman’s Co-op) do a better job than agencies from other
communities in educating women about violence and empowering them to call
police. But something nagged me. Does the same apply for the other two Michigan
cities (Saginaw and Flint) on the list? What about the two Alaskan cities also
cited on the list? To me, three Michigan cities in the Top 10 suggest some kind
of pattern, but what?
After hard conversations
with several women that involved deep listening and more honest deliberation, I
was forced to consider what was initially unthinkable: what if the threat of
violence and sexual assault for women here is indeed a clear and present
danger, compared to all but eight other cities in the country? What if Michigan
has a culture that promotes violence against women – especially in three of its
communities? One city might be considered an aberration; two a coincidence. But
three? Such a regional grouping means something, right? At this point, the
correct answer is maybe.
A more
troubling notion emerged from this line of thinking – one more personal in
nature. I have long recognized how women around the world are discriminated
against and oppressed. Yes, it’s better in the U.S. and improving, but a lot of
work still needs to be done for the sexes to achieve equity. Yet until
recently, I had not lifted a finger in active support of women’s rights. Like
most men, I have been on the sidelines doing nothing. Me, sitting on my hands
and thinking, I’m not the problem; I respect women. I’m a good man; I open doors
for ladies, offer them my seat, carry heavy stuff for them…
Only recently
have I come to understand that while I am indeed doing all the ‘surface’ things
a man can do to support women’s rights, what I had not been doing is exploring
the deeper and more complex issues that systematically keep female human beings
oppressed as a group across society.
It’s hard to
remain on the sidelines once you recognize and understand (really understand)
the truth about how world culture oppresses womankind. The knee-jerk response
for those of us who come into this awareness is often to defend the status quo
– ‘that’s just the way it is,’ ‘it’s the natural order of things,’ and so on.
Or we remain in denial.
Which returns
us to The List. What’s driving those sobering Battle Creek statistics? What is
it about Michigan that three of our cities appear in the Top 10? Are there common
cultural elements or attitudes driving it? After a lot of painful thinking and
realizations about this, all I am left with are questions. Might you have some
answers? Let’s hear them. If not, what other questions should we be asking?
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