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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Jackson County won't tax marijuana — yet 10 things to know for Wednesday 10 things to know for Tuesday Ashland police officer named top DUII patrol officer in the state 'Pure greed' led to deadly Carson helicopter crash, feds say Education Bracing for Common Core Ashland Kiwanis recognize Lillian Huang Chautauqua series brings author Jane Hamilton to Ashland Ashland Runs on Volunteers: OLLI classes pay dividends in joy of teaching, learning New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Environment Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Lots to celebrate at SOU Arbor Day rites Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Business Chamber celebrates innovation in the food, wine and beer industries Cars We Remember: 1964 Olds F-85 owner seeks information Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Odyssey Silvio Calabi: Passat 1.8T Sport is satisfyingly rational Ride & Drive: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Politics and elections Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Council wants changes to agreement with ODOT for I-5 welcome center Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year State News Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Death Notices Anna Mae Hassell Death Notices Death Notices Jack E. James Shareable Sports Latest Stories AHS girls edge Roseburg Westbrook burns Blazers Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Fantasy Sports: Injuries piling up to start season Ashland High School cycling squad ready to roll, with help from South State Cycling nonprofit group High school AHS girls edge Roseburg Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Hits just keep on coming Baldrica sets pace for AHS girls Southern Oregon University Raiders remain No. 1 in spring poll Grizzlies blow away Eagles Baldrica sets pace for AHS girls SOU women's hoops coach Kennedy leaves to take Portland State job SOU-OIT softball games moved to Wednesday Voices Latest Stories Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Meeting G-d in the middle Our View: Ashland High benefits as cycle racing club gets rolling Council Corner: Ashland deserves respect, not a just a rest stop Letters to the Editor, April 14 Editorial Our View: New cat on the block in Ashland Our View: Ashland High benefits as cycle racing club gets rolling Our View: Ashland is prepared, Firewise Our View: Council should stop stalling on welcome center Our View: AIFF does Ashland proud Letters Letters to the Editor, April 14 Letters to the Editor, April 13 Letters to the Editor, April 11 Letters to the Editor, April 8 Letters to the Editor, April 7 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Columns Mochas, midrash and mysteries: Meeting G-d in the middle Council Corner: Ashland deserves respect, not a just a rest stop Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Chris Honoré: The penalty phase of the bombing trial Herb Rothschild Jr.: How we get along Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Rabbi David Zaslow teaches poetry Community blog: Submit a poem Best Bets, April 9-16 Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival Community blog: Get a poem a day Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket availability in Ashland theaters, April 7 Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Is Kelly Clarkson’s weight truly news?  Rhythm is on tap at the Northwest Percussion Festival The Farr Side: No Zayn Malik? One Direction stays the course A Country Cajun Revival comes to the Unitarian Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Ben Steelman: Big-screen showings to mark anniversary of ‘Sound of Music’ 'Western,' 'Imperial Dreams' win top film jury awards A scoop from the ocean: Reviews of four festival films What was your favorite film? Ashland Independent Film Festival movie review: 'A River Between Us' tells compelling story of 'the largest environmental restoration project in American history' Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Tot owners buy Playwright, hire Amuse chef Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Tom Grady: Finding the right animal companion in your twilight years High on flavor, low on calories: Cookbook offers tasty options for people trying to eat healthier Page H. 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COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Ditching the Western burka Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Apr. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted Apr. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Reading this week on the events surrounding the recent trouncing of Rolling Stone reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely for incorrectly sourcing her story about campus violence, I was struck by how much media attention her journalistic blunder has received. Of course, her sloppy reporting warranted some scrutiny. But more glaring was the fact that, of the millions of women across America who have been victims of sexual violence, so few with legitimate claims have garnered anything like the mainstream media attention that has been heaped upon this one disclaimed article. It is a cruel irony to see a piece, written by a female reporter, about a "false" rape, being used by the establishment as a mechanism to further bolster our "blame the victim" culture. Violence perpetrated against women, in all its forms, is an epidemic in this country. The conspiracy of silence surrounding the sexual abuse issue is as American as apple pie. The only difference between us and "them" (those cultures where male dominance is a more visible affair in the form of public lashings, arranged marriages, clitoral circumcision, religiously sanctioned beatings, etc.) is that in those contexts the gender bias is more pronounced and therefore easier to comprehend intellectually. I say intellectually because God forbid anything is ever done on the ground to address the problem. We're hardly dealing with the issue at home, so we're certainly not about to spike oil prices by screaming at the Saudis for stoning their wives to death or whipping their daughters in the street. Some stern and well-parsed words, aimed at the female vote come the next election cycle, is about as much as any American dare hope for. Here in the good old US of A, according to the CDCP, nearly one in five females has been raped in her lifetime. That's 23 million women — a figure that doesn't take into account other forms of sexual violence; those who have remained silent, or those who, because of poverty or patriarchy, age or academics, may not even realize that they are victims in the first place. Breast cancer, which affects one in eight, has resources, treatments and support structures that the silent victims of sexual abuse can only dream of. On college campuses, the suggestion is that the figure is even higher; according to the nonprofit organization One in Four, well — one in four college women has survived rape or attempted rape on campus. The Rolling Stone profile, which reported on a now-discredited story about a gang rape at a University of Virginia frat house, has received much scrutiny. There is a tone to the backlash that is disturbing; much like the Bernie Madoff affair in 2008, which gave bigots nationwide the perfect anti-Semitic foil, the falsified UVA story is already being gleefully exploited by right wing elements in the press as an exemplar of the hysterical feminist agenda. In extreme cases, conservative elements in the media are attempting to conflate the issue to the point of suggesting that the rape culture is some fantastic invention, a simple effect of feminist propaganda combined with left-wing political maneuvering. But when you live in a country where 20 percent of women have been the victims of sexual violence, there's really no possibility for overreaction. There's only the need for a moment of silence, a moment to let that shameful statistic sink in, and then there's work to be done. We can't hope to live in a free society until such time as the veil of sexual shame and humiliation that so many of our citizens are living under is lifted. Resources from all sectors of the U.S. economy and culture must be deployed to stop the bleeding. There are 157 million women and girls in this country, so there couldn't be a more pressing issue. The time for escalated action is long past, and it should start now. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Apr. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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