The "so what can we actually do" thread...

[ImSoNotTelling]

Hello

Following on from the thread about changing the law on rape to grant anonimity to the accused, a few people have started to think about what we can do to get involved, to actually try and change stuff.

So I guess this thread is for suggestions, ideas, and for people to link up to actually try to change things.

So far we have someone possibly standing for pariament!

So come on everyone.

What's the plan....

That EDM is very interesting

Look at the % of women in parliament

And then at the % of signatories of that who are women

It just highlights really well that what we need to tackle this is many many more women in power. Yes some of them are rape-apologist arseholes but some aren't. Very few men have any reason to be interested in this at all, to look carefully at the issues, to think about it in depth. How many have been touched by this problem, compared to women?

Link to NM debate?

That is a brilliant argument BTW kitty.

I have also been mulling the "I believe you" campaign while in bed this afternoon nursing my (TMI) pus-infused tonsils and the pus that is dripping from my ear. Yes you heard me right

I was trying to think how people who see the "I believe you" message eg on a poster would react.

If I was a rape victim, I would think, oh you believe me? That's good. Who are you and how do I come and talk to you IYSWIM.

Now we're not actually going to be talking to individual victims, AFAIK, so we need to make sure that the message is very clear - who we're talking to, why, and what people are to do about it.

I hope I'm making sense!

So you could have "I believe you" with a person holding a sign, and underneath - 2000 women are raped in the UK every week. Most women do not report the attacks as they are afraid that no-one will believe them. Stop Rape - Working to Raise Awareness

That sort of thing.

I have emailed my MP and asked him to sign the EDM and the petition, and asked him to vote against the legislation should it make it to the HoC.

Thanks

I love that idea ISNT.

I'm a bit afraid to go onto the NM thread - I've been arguing for hours and have written a very passionate blog post about it and I can actually feel my heart pounding in my chest with anger. My mum has just walked in and I actually have tears of fury in my eyes! I might give it a go tomorrow though, or later on... goodness, is it just me, or do some people just make you think, "When I'm old and have nothing left to live for, I'm going to go on a vigilante rampage and then off myself, because at least the world might be slightly improved without some of these damn people in it?"

I have looked at the debate there and am but I'm not a member of NM. I also don't know if I'm up to getting embroiled what with the ear pus and everything.

I think your arguments are very clear SGM.

There aren't exactly millions of posts on there either are there. People don't really care out there

I feel bad not going steaming in for the cause, like I should be fighting. But at the same time, I think I need a break or I won't be able to deal with it, it makes me so angry and upset... I'm not letting the side down by not going over to NM until later, am I?

I think the "I believe you" campaign idea is brilliant.

I have posted in support of you on NM SGM, although your arguments are very well written and if they aren't working I doubt there's much chance of getting through to any of them.

Another possibly useful organisation:

women's resource centre

Clicked over to NM. It is hurting my eyes. (Yes, yes, when one cannot deal with the rape-drivel, stoop to insulting their colour scheme. I'll go that low.)

I have (finally) written my blog post. It'll go up in the morning - I had another one today and don't want to post twice and overload people or they may not read it. Is it okay to copy and paste it here for some feedback? It's fairly long...

I know it's wrong to laugh at Netmums' spelling but the reference to 'the bugler guy getting off lightly' did make me rofl.
I'm in favour of anonymity for all buglers, personally, especially if they play their bugles loudly in people's ears without consent.

SGM your posts there are superb. I have just learnt quite a few things I didn't know from them - they are so clear and concise and informative.

this is depressing - rape crisis centres closing at alarming rate due to lack of fudning.

I am feeling rather defeatist about it all at the moment.

bloody hell ISNT. If they were starting to close now with the cuts and the recession that would be bad enough, but for them to have not been funded at a time when the govt has been throwing money around.... We really do need this new wave of feminism, don't we?