GROUND
ZERO PLUS 1100 DAYS,--New York, NY, Wednesday,
September 15, 2004--To
some, the news was shocking--American girls are becoming more
violent.
To
others, the news was just part of the "real world,"
a world where women strap themselves with explosives and walk
on a bus and blow others up, or are key elements in a Terrorist
assault on a school in Russia.
 |
Historically
women have been just as capable of delivering violence
as men |
Historically
and culturally, women have always been as capable and adept
at delivering violence as any man, and in some cases, more
so.
In
today's
Christian Science Monitor, a headline shouts a warning
that American girls are becoming more violent than ever in
history. A host of opinions are reviewed, ranging from the
underreporting of "girl" crimes, to the exposure
of women's violence in such movies as Lara Croft and Girl
Fight.
Recently
angered over being teased by other girls, a high schooler
in Williamsport, Pa., took a gun to school and shot her tormentor
in the shoulder.
FBI
statistics show a startling surge in girl-reported crime.
Currently, 29 percent of all juvenile arrests are young women,
up from 23 percent in 1990. Assault arrests headed the list.
From 1992 to 2003 girls' assault arrests rose 40.9 percent
while boys' climbed only 4.3 percent during the same period.
A
raft of books are being published trying to define the reasons
for an increase in violence among girls. Citing such things
as economic freedom, and a new awareness of their physical
power, plus society's acceptance of a woman being "strong"
have all conspired to make it okay for a woman to clock another
woman, as a man might.
The
more vociferous feminist movement likes to cite the shift
from "homemaker" to "bar room brawler"
a point of liberation. Television commercials tend to agree.
In
one popular beer commercial a guy is "hitting" on
an attractive woman at the bar. Another man starts to step
in but the woman shakes her head and knocks the offensive
male out, then goes about sipping her drink as though nothing
happened.
 |
|
Kickboxing
and other contact sports have enabled women to settle
disputes with other than their tongues |
Kick
boxing, karate and other contact sports once considered "undermine"
have increased the willingness of a woman to use her physical
prowess rather than her tongue to settle disputes.
Around
the world, this evolution of the American woman's "violence"
has little value as news. I remember during the Vietnam War
that many women were fierce warriors, fighting to the death.
Many
countries around the world conscript women as they do men,
requiring them to serve in defense of their nations and assuming
their ability to kill is equal to any man's.
 |
History
is rife with women warriors (above Dahomean Officers
from the elite troops from West Africa where women were
the country's protectors) |
History
is full of strong women. The Amazon women are some of the
most notable. In New York City on Fifth Avenue stands two
statues of Amazon women. Each have their right breast missing.
The casual observer may not notice, but the reason is that
the Amazon's purposefully cut off the right breast because
it interfered with their ability to draw a bow properly. Killing
the enemy and protecting the village was far more important
than a breast.
 |
|
A
statue on Fifth Avenue in NYC depicts an Amazon woman
with one breast missing so the warrior women could draw
the bow back more efficiently |
Americans
shouldn't be surprised that violence is on the upswing when
the world is teeming with it. Each day the headlines bleed
with news about a new stream of bloodshed pouring from the
soul of some land, usually that of the innocent.
The
horror of the violence and death in Russia foments the reason
for girls who become women to test their "violence skills."
The Russian ill-fated Terrorist attack on the school resulted
in at least 350 deaths and the brutalization of some 1,500
parents, teachers and staff. Such stories motivate a woman
to be prepared to fight the Beast of Terror with her bare
hands, if necessary.
While
the abuse of violence is of concern to any society, the expression
of it should not cause alarm. Each man and woman has within
him or her the capacity for primal violence. The most peaceful
mother can turn into a violent banshee if her children are
threatened, validating that if anything, violence is only
suppressed rather than non-existent.
 |
| Palestinian woman
training to be suicide bombers |
The
tapping into the violent nature of women comes at a time when
the world is being tested. With Terrorism attacking anyone
anywhere with indoctrinate regard for women and children,
fighting it isn't a matter of sex.
A
woman needs to be as equal as a Sentinel of Vigilance as any
man, for no other reason than to protect the family, the loved
ones, from the fangs and claws of the Beast of Terror.
Violence
untamed is Terrorism, but controlled, managed and executed
to protect future generations it becomes Vigilance.
Women
in America have recently enjoyed new freedoms, some that many
argue may be detrimental, such as working outside the home
and having less time to domestically manage the household.
 |
| More women physically
stand up for themselves more than ever before |
At
the same time, women have become stronger. Their "dependence"
on the male as the sole provider has waned as divorce rates
hold at 50 percent, proving to a woman that there are at least
2:1 odds she will have to fend for herself, including her
own self protection, as well as the protection of her family.
Standing
up for yourself in many ways includes having the physical
belief you are equal, or at least capable, of taking on any
threat. The psychology of this thinking allows women to stand
up to male forces at work who may try to marginalize a woman
because she is the "weaker sex." But, if the man
knows the woman is not only capable, but willing to attack
him physically as well as psychologically, he has a tendency
to give a woman more parity than he might if he merely considered
her just another member of the "weaker sex."
While
this is a subtle factor, it exists.
For
centuries men have been put through a maturation rite of manhood,
in which violence is a key part of testing one's strength
of body as well as of mind. Part of that training is sheer
practicality.
Men
are supposed to be dispensable. If a rocket ship lands on
Mars and no one knows if there are "bad guys" waiting
to ambush them, the men go first. If they are killed, life
can go on. One impregnation of a woman can keep a whole society
alive. But, if all the women are killed, there is no hope
for the propagation of the species.
 |
There
is an upswing in young women's innate awareness of their
equal duty to protect their young, their families and
themselves from the Beast of Terror |
Many
tensions are at play in the drama of releasing the violence
in woman in physical formats. From a Vigilance point of view,
the reason for its upswing is the innate awareness among young
women of their equal duty to protect their young, their families
and themselves from the Beast of Terror.
If
a woman looks at the world, she cannot count on government
or a male-dominated security system to provide final protection.
If she pries deep into her own well of knowledge--that blueprint
left by all the women who have come before her--she understands
that she must be prepared to ultimately become a Sentinel
of Vigilance. She must be willing to assert herself in the
face of danger, and, to be trained to do that.
The
Olympics is one example. For many years, athletic competition
was singular to men. Today, women compete fiercely for recognition
that they are as adept, as strong, as committed as any man
to fight for the gold.
In
a society such as America where both men and women have felt
safe and secure for countless decades, that safety net is
now gone. Women have a foresight that men don't, and the increase
of violence among young girls may only be an indication that
girls are stumbling through how to manage and control their
ability to inflict harm on others.
 |
A
woman understands she must be prepared to be a Sentinel
of Vigilance |
In
a civilized sense, the stronger and more potentially violent
a society is to defend its children, the less inclined become
the bullies to shove them around.
In
a sense, the girls' violence considered to be a "problem"
may ultimately become a "solution" to the impending
threat of Terrorism.
If
we are smart, we will promote a woman's employment of violence,
but channel it into constructive avenues. As with men, the
key to learning how to control violence is to use it only
to protect and defend the homeland--not to exercise power
over the less strong.
If
the young girls of today take a Pledge of Vigilance, they
will learn that their mission in life is far more selfless
than selfish.
Instead
of applying violence against one another, the girls will see
the reason to manage and control is to ward off the Beast
of Terror.
Become
a Sentinel of Women's Vigilance.
.jpg)
