Patterns in Patriarchy
By Audrey deCoursey
The recent conviction for the murder of Annie Le, the Yale grad student, reveals a too-common pattern that we don’t want to see.
New Haven Police Chief James Lewis stressed that this crime was workplace violence, in an AP article:
“It is important to note that this is not about urban crime, university crime, domestic crime but an issue of workplace violence, which is becoming a growing concern around the country,” Lewis said, adding he wasn’t ruling out additional charges.
But the location of the crime is far less significant than the persons involved: a (white) man enacting violence against a woman (of color). There are many factors in play here, and preventing such horrendous crimes in the future will require a multi-pronged approach. But it won’t be ended unless we explore (and change) how men feel that lashing out violently against women resolves problems. Why do men resort to violence and why are women deemed their choice of victims?
It can be a scary world to be a woman in, and it shouldn’t be that way.
Audrey deCoursey is a Church of the Brethren pastor in Elgin, Illinois, and convener of the Womaen’s Caucus of the Church of the Brethren. This post originally appeared at her blog Brethren Priestess Online
