Talking about Asian grooming gangs: some history and a few realities - Jo Phoenix

[IwantToRetire]

I'm not going to quote any part of this but thought some would find it interesting as Jo Phoenix describes the political context at the time different of different child sexual abuse scandals, that the media chose to report in different ways.

And looks at how feminist campaigning has had some sucess, over the decades, in terms of how exploited women and children are (meant) to be dealt with by authorities (police, social workers, etc.).

https://jophoenix.substack.com/p/talking-about-asian-grooming-gangs

Without getting into the issue again that the UK and the USA are separated by having a common language ( but differing use of words).

I think this focus on the use of the word "Asian" is missing the point of the article.

In terms of the issue the article is about it reflect how not social media, but mainstream media reported the issue.

Effectively it has been a trigger word for the right press because (as mentioned up thread) prior to that the main stream media would have had sreaming headlines about West Indians.

And in fact now, Asian is not that much in the headlines, it would be Muslim.

So the article is an historical look at the issue of child sexual exploitation. You cant retrospectively apply language if in doing that you rob the context of the historical period.

As to the suggestion that some communities within the overarching terms do not behave like this, and without any disrespect to any of them, as well all know men in all communities, whatever their status are part of, even if only by staying silent, complicit in exploitation of women.

So the problem is, if there is one, the main stream media and undoubtedly social media who rely on short hand to indicate a story.

Which to come back to why Jo Phoenix wrote the article, is about lazy thinking and / or accepting crude caricatures.

Slightly off topic but relevant, the census does record ethnicity / race under broad categories but within them have specific communities identified.

Also religious groups are not the same as race / ethnicity
https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/style-guide/ethnic-groups/

I think the posts upthread about memories of 70s, 80s (and still going on) about really young, ie underage girls in relationships with much older men, are part of the same problem.

That there is a thin line between someone being overtly coerced and a young immature woman (meaning lacking in actual experience) going along with something that society has basically fed her is something to aspire to.

So although it is reported as though something different, it is part of the same attitude of men towards women.

It about time all the men who because of their relative status in terms of race, class and employment, were equally as vilified as the media's usual whipping boys.

the main stream media and undoubtedly social media who rely on short hand to indicate a story

MVAWG quickly became VAWG as though it was something out of the blue ether and not caused by males

but that’s shorthand

asian grooming gangs, olympians, charity workers, comedians, rock stars, police officers, ministers, priests, newsreaders, teachers, youth workers, politicians, farmers, unemployed, immigrant, tourist, doctor, dentist, drug addict, etc etc

none shorter than male

often lengthened by use of former or disgraced or defining by age

if media of any type was genuinely using shorthand then male is only 4 letters and man is only 3 letters

but consistently using male or man might expose the extent of male violence and abuse and force some action

so it gets lengthened and packaged into parcels of abuse by ‘this particular group or profession or former profession

nothing like reminding us the poor rapist male no longer has a career due to the nasty female telling the world about his abuse of her

so we talk about what that means for that group

what does ‘Asian’ grooming gang mean?

that ‘charity’ is dodgy in other ways too

well that’s what ‘rock stars’ do

that ‘political party’ is out of touch

‘teachers’ are surrounded by temptation

’police’ have a lot to put up with

’minister’ was probably trying to comfort

at that ‘age’ would they even know what they were doing was wrong - so young or so old or so mid-life crisis ffs

like
child abuse images Vs child pornography in other reporting - one character difference in space on a page a million miles of difference in intent to obfuscate

MVAWG oops! VAWG, CSE, ACE all lovely little shorthands to cover up the horror behind the letters

child porn, child rape, revenge porn, all shorthand phrases used to minimise the impacts and disassociate entirely the perpetrators from their crimes

MALE RAPES A CHILD
MALE RAPES A FEMALE
MALE RAPES OTHER MALE

all pretty short headlines - but ones that would be repeated so often that we have to use other headlines - longer headlines, more opaque headlines, more diversionary headlines, more divisive headlines so we don’t vomit every time we see a headline because of the sheer volume of male violence and abuse

And of course the main reason not to use such plain factual short headlines:

so males don’t have to think about the impacts on others much less stop themselves or other males from committing such violence

Is it that some people really dont see this overt fact, or is it that they are so conditioned about men being the superior class that they just dont dare say it.

There are no doubt occassions when women have been violent, but just on news reports 99.9% of the time it is about a male being violent.

And yet nobody wants to talk about it.

Acknowledge it.

they are so conditioned… that they just don't dare say it

I’ve shortened your quote & added emphasis because I think it’s not only about believing males are superior

I think it is that the dynamic between the sexes is that of an abusive relationship writ large:

think of the cycle of abuse - how we have highs of bodily autonomy with abortion rights - but not for all and not without restriction and not forever - always the threat/fear of removal

votes - not without significant efforts and harm, not for all, and only within a system created by and for males and thus only with their approval or cooperation - no point in voting if choices are ‘out of frying pan or into fire’

finance - systems again set up by males and so leaning towards their benefit like child maintenance and benefits, zero hours contracts interaction with benefits/childcare etc - we can work outside the home and/or raise our kids but only within the rules and timings and thresholds set by primarily male politicians/senior civil servants and industrialisation which is profit driven regardless of harm to families/society

safety - we only have safety at the hands of males up to the levels they wish so as in the original article you posted - females - even underage females - punished for male crimes, jailed disproportionately for minor crimes (tv licence, low level fraud/theft to support families - even naming your rapist/abuser was touted for being put on the books) while males in top positions get away with slaps on wrists for multi-million fraud/theft, sexual crimes - even murder if ‘she asked for it’ or they killed enough (mass murder, corporate manslaughter, medical scandals anyone?)

examples maybe not fully fleshed out & only off top of head but even in our responses as females we run the full gamut of trauma responses associated with abusive situations:

flattering & fauning to curry favour and not be the ones picked out for abuse
fight & flight trying to escape to new political parties
freezing & flopping - politically homeless & perhaps seeing the situation as hopeless & giving up

walking on eggshells trying to word things ‘correctly’ so as to avoid male wrath

going without our rights or taking the hit on many occasions if it means protecting children or females at greater immediate risk or for a future promise of equal rights which may never materialise

praised but with caveats and frequently disparaged and blamed so we never know if we are madonnas or whores or both simultaneously, mothers or fellow workers, care-givers or drains on society

this is why I believe so strongly in us not being divided amongst ourselves

why I think we need to care about ourselves and each other before any male whatsoever

because we as a sex are in an abusive relationship with males as a sex

they haven’t got their shit together to work across political, racial, social, economic, geographical lines they don’t need to they’re in the dominant position & have the luxury of infighting

we can and have and will cross lines to help others - we just need to do it for ourselves as a female sex class because the only way to get out of this abusive relationship is through female unity of purpose to do so

imo