We live in a subversively misogynistic society here in South Africa where women are reduced to objectification to greater and lesser degrees by our varied cultures. The extreme manifestation of this (and I believe it to be a perverse misinterpretation of ancient cultural traditions), is in the (erroneous) belief that females are there for the taking with or without their consent.
If you cast your mind back to the rape trial of our highest official in this country, our deranged president, who leads by example - he stated in his defence that when the "victim" showed signs of coming on to him, he was obliged as a man to follow through on the sex act in the spirit of his cultural traditions otherwise he would have lost face in her eyes for not being a real man. Or words to that effect. Her version of this was simply that she said no, he forced himself on her and she was powerless to resist.
And guess what? Zuma was found to be the victim here and the woman the instigator who, like everyone else that has dared challenge the highest male authority in the land, became the guilty party. Which pretty much hands down the ethos from our "justice" system to the populace that "women are actually asking for it..."
This has been brought into stark reality in our neighbouring Swaziland where they have brought (or are busy bringing) legislation into being whereby women will be banned from wearing mini-skirts and other "provocative" clothing!!!!!
All this speaks to the fact that it is the male psyche in this country that is seriously flawed and very, very fucked up.
Not a case of: Men, keep your dicks in your pants and your power lust under control. We have a case of: Women, you are the devil sluts who are begging for us to do it and it would be wrong if we didn't.
It's a factor that sickens me to the core about this country and just one of the many examples that have caused my wife and me to seek a life on another continent. Sad but true. We've just had enough of this and other bullshit, not least of which - the attritional mode of "governance" in this beautiful country.
And it's right to say that the re-education of men begins at home with mothers, wives, sisters and girlfriends - letting them know that it is not cool to belittle women or downplay abuse, rape or any other form of victimisation even using the baseless cultural tradition as an argument for this inexcusable behaviour.
But in my view, this subject should be taught in SA schools where it is aimed at males from the earliest of ages. Maybe then, we will start turning this perversity around. But while the message being sent from the highest office in the land remains what it is, we have a very, very long hill to climb....
I have said it many times before - this situation makes me deeply ashamed to be associated with these arseholes claiming to be men.
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