“running through the forest, scooping up the field mice and bopping them on the head…”
I’m feeling disconcerted. Angry. A bit scared.
Apparently there is someone going through the downtown market here in Ottawa, sneaking up on women, and hitting them on the head. With a hammer. In the middle of the day.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2011/01/10/ottawa-random-assaults-centretown.html?ref=rss
The purpose is unknown. The women aren’t robbed or molested, just struck on the head. For some reason this bothers me most of all. It seems like pointless violence (well, most violence is pointless, true), but I am puzzled and alarmed that this is happening, and also that it has been happening for some time and the police have just thought to notify us now.
I’m angry because their response is to tell women not to wear IPODs and to keep aware of who may be following them. Once again, it’s up to women to guard themselves from men, not up to men to stop beating up on women. It’s hard not to get frustrated with this. Already we women are counselled not to walk alone in the dark, not to walk alone on bike paths, not to live alone in first floor apartments, not to drive long distances alone, not to speak to strangers, not to dress in a “tempting way” (defined differently depending on religious position), etc. etc., etc. as the King of Siam would say.
Now we are not to listen to music while walking in broad daylight in a busy market area? Come ON. Where will it end? Perhaps that is the motivation for this man’s attacks – to start more fear amongst women. What will he do when just hitting the women once isn’t enough? Who else will think this is a fun idea, now that it’s hit the press? And why the hell are we paying increasing amounts for policing when this sort of thing is allowed to go on?
I’m tired of it. In winter, I’m tired of feeling that frisson of danger whenever the sun sets and I’m out walking alone (or with my fierce protection poodle Chutney, who can growl up a storm). I’m fed up with a lifetime of restricted activity just because SOME men are knobs and some police are not doing their jobs. I’m tired of men just not understanding this restriction because they don’t ever ever think about it, where we women have to have it in the corners of our minds all the time.
I’m a pretty fearless gal, but I’ve got to admit the thought of some guy sneaking up on me and whacking me on the head with a hammer in the middle of the day is disconcerting. It makes me wish for a Good Fairy.
DA's Ephemera and Etceteras 
DA, you seem to be angry with those who suggest reasonable precautions.
Where’s the NEED for an IPOD while walking? I can tell you, on my bike or in my cab, the IPOD people are not connected to reality when walking on the street. They move in unpredictable ways, and cannot hear your voice/bell.
Men also, are assaulted more at night. Taxi drivers especially.
I’ve never had a house fire, but I am not making my smoke detector inoperative any time soon.
ALL first floor apartments suffer more break-and-enters, not just those occupied by women.
Anyone driving long distances would do well to share an itinerary with a friend at the destination, along with an ETA. Pilots are REQUIRED to do this, and they are mostly male, go figure.
I am not rejoicing that there is a crazed person who targets women. Possibly, men who might have been attacked this way have been too embarrassed to report such an attack? Those who are assaulted by women, are often to ashamed to go to police, by actual statistics.
Please don’t resort to taking offense where none is being offered. That too, is theft.
Walter
P.S. Did you leave Facebook, or just un-friend me?
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Walter, I listen to an IPOD while walking because I have difficulty moving my legs otherwise. Like most sensible people I have it at a volume that I can hear other things.
Once again you persist in pretending that violence against women is at the same level as violence against men. Unless you are a black man in the US or live in a war zone, this is NOT true. And men, when they attack women, can kill them much easier. Women raping men is not common. The reverse is common all over the world and is very popular in war zones. And don’t talk about how men who are attacked are ashamed to go to the police – when female rape victims have been in this situation for centuries.
Yes I take offense. I like the night.
The news states that policing budgets are skyrocketing while crime rates decrease. Why then do we still have an environment where women are required to always be on guard? I resent the people who are supposed to be looking after us telling us we are essentially on our own.
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