Date: Wed, 19 Feb 1997 09:36:43 -0400
From: Jeannette Gaudet <gaudet-AT-stthomasu.ca>
Subject: Re: punishment is medicine...


Marilee--
You might find this interesting.
jg

At 15:37 97-02-18 -0500, you wrote:
>hello everyone.
>
>I teach a course on ecofeminism at Villanova University, and the mother
>of one of my students sent me a letter describing a peculiar situation.
>I will quote:
>
>The warden of our county prison has recently painted both the intake and
>the isolation cells a delicate pink.  In both rooms, he has painted
>large fuzzy Teddy bears, one happy, the other sad.  Additionally, he is
>changing the color of the male prisoners' uniforms from highway-warning
>orange to pink. Everything carries the written message "Punishment is
>medicine."  The unwritten messages. . . well, where do I begin?
>
>The warden is a friend of mine as well as a friend and supporter of my
>agency.  He is a someone I generally consider feminist and sensitive to
>victims' issues.  When he proudly showed me these changes at the prison,
>he said he knew that his decision was sexist but he felt that it was so
>effective that a little sexism could be tolerated.  I think that being
>sexist is about the least important problem with what he is doing. 
>
>He is well read, and he has a high regard for the authority of the
>written word--actually rather a weird regard.  He faxes me an average of
>20 articles a week and refers often to the latest in research on
>violence towards women.  That's why I want your help with addressing
>this.  I think faxing Tom a couple of dozen articles on everything
>that's wrong with what he's doing will be more effective than any
>conversation I could have with him.  Besides that, I'm having trouble
>articulating everything I think is wrong with pink walls and pink tee
>shirts.
>
>First, humiliation and punishment aren't synonymous. But that's a
>different discursion from the one we need to have about Pink.
>
>Many, perhaps even most, of the men in the county jail are there for
>crimes of violence against women and children.  Violations of Protection
>>From Abuse orders, assault, child sexual abuse, stalking--you know the
>assortment, I'm sure. I feel very strongly that the prison's use of a
>child-like and feminine identity as a shaming tool for men deepens
>misogyny and further endangers the women and children that these guys
>are in prison for abusing.  Belittling a group de-values its members.
>And tieing someone's identity to that belittled group would, I think,
>engender further rage against its members.  But I only believe that.  I
>don't know it, and I can't cite research or theory to back up my
>beliefs.   
>
>----------------------(end of quote)
>I, myself, am at a loss for references that might address the issue(s)
>here, and I'm wondering if anyone on this list knows of any texts that
>would be helpful. 
>
>thanks.
>Danne Polk
>dpolk-AT-vill.campus.mci.net
>
>
>
>
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>
Jeannette Gaudet
Département de langues romanes
gaudet-AT-StThomasU.ca



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