What I find amazing considering the guy in the middle of the photo is the incredible mechanical engineering that goes into building high heeled shoes that can support that weight. What is the secret, why can't we build cars that can take the equivalent punishment.

Their cause is just no question no discussion about it but OMG!

obviously missed the point.......

It's a symbol, possum - a symbol.

Go to Castro St. in San Francisco and you will see this all the time.

To address your comment, scir91, women do have a slightly different anatomy than men, true, but that doesn't prevent damage after long-term, consistent use of high heels. No human being is meant to walk on his/her toes for decades. Women who routinely wear high heels will eventually end up with tendon and ligament problems in their feet and legs. The anatomical differences are meant to facilitate childbirth, not vanity.

And, no, I don't wear high heels.

OH, MY EYES!! Please rip them out.

OH, MY FEET!! Please give me bunion surgery.

HAHA!!! Wearing shoes like that, they should expect to be assaulted! They're just asking for it! (I'M KIDDING!!!)

Actually, in the not-so-distant past, men wore heels too. They dropped out of fashion after the French Revolution.

And here's your dose of pointless trivia for the day. :)

A brilliant comment.... (para-phrased)

"Women have different anatomy then men"

I hadn't noticed (roll-eyes) ;-)

....I think they just wanted an excuse to wear heels. ;D

LOL, just wait till you hit puberty, then, cgtrav. You'll notice....

Actually, I was talking about skeletal differences. Most people don't realize all the ways a male and female skeleton differ. It's fascinating stuff.

@scir91onYouTube I really do not think that is true. It took me awhile to get used to walking in heels as a young girl. I bobbled about and just about broke my neck a few times until I got to where I could mostly walk. It took even longer to not look awkward. Even now after years of wearing heels, I will still come across some that having a higher arch or something that are difficult to walk in. I also have to limit how often I wear them because my knees end up hurting and I get cramps in my feet.

Scir: " however you cannot duplicate an experience when the experience itself isn't a duplicate"

I respectfully disagree--perhaps you cannot completely duplicate--but just the fact you tried would be ABSOULTELY FABULOUS! And it's a "step" in the right direction.

Suggestion: Imagine yourself in prison ... if you want more than the "high heel" experience.

I love these guys!

I love these guys, too! Real men protect women...they don't assault them!

I'm quite impressed they can walk any distance in those heels. I gave up wearing heels when I was pregnant with my first son... 24 years ago... they just aren't worth the damage they cause to your feet and joints. But that's not the point they are making here, and this is a great way to bring attention to the cause!

Men wear high heels to raise awareness of sexual violence against women

I understand the cause, but wearing heels as these men are doing are making a joke out of the cause they are suppose to be supporting and raising awareness of.

This is not amusing by any means imo.

The surface area required to bear stresses incurred by walking do not change in a linear manner as mass goes up.

Women have smaller feet, on average, because they aren't supporting the weight a man's feet do.

This characteristic was exaggerated in China by binding a woman's feet from birth- causing small and desirable (and in my book, maimed) feet as an adult.

It also resulted in constant pain and an inability to walk for any distance.

High heels are the same thing on a smaller scale- enduring damaging deformation for the sake of "beauty".

Wearing high heels eventually causes shortened tendons in the lower leg, arch and toe damage.

High heels also raise the probability of knee, hip and back injury by increasing leverage between the point of contact with the ground and the knee by substantially lengthening it.

Frankly, focusing on the feet has always struck me as a bit bizarre- perhaps one of the reasons I found Fats Waller's tune "Ya Gots Big Feet" so damned funny.

My interest in any woman I really wanted to be with for more than five minutes has generally been focused on another part of her anatomy- I wanted to know if she was worth talking to, whether or not she had a good sense of humor, and whether or not she was sane and emotionally stable. If that was all good, well, everything else is generally good. That's what makes or breaks a relationship- not the feet or other parts of the anatomy...

Arieus: "This is not amusing by any means imo."

You are wrong. And you are right, my friend. It's using humour to bring light and enlightenment to a VERY serious important problem

Lighten up and Enlighten up!

So does this 'rally' for women's causes purports the notion that all women victims sport high heels; or, is the message geared more to believable scenarios, where weakened males feel helpless in relationships, then lose control over a perception of 'loss of power'....by acting-out this violence on someone truly weaker (physically), than he? High heels are strictly for vanity's sake, their not even healthy to wear. It's all about 'natural selection'...if you're vain enough to dress unwisely, then maybe you'll forever choose your mates unwisely!

Sweetpea, are you telling me that because I wear heels on an almost daily basis I deserve to be beaten by my partner? I'm not even sure what point you're attempting to make but it seems like a bad one.

The idea is pretty simple: People see something out of the ordinary (in this case, a bunch of men walking in high heels) and it causes others to ask questions. When I was in college, a group of women did something to raise awareness for the same cause my wearing wedding gowns on campus. Not sure what the connection was, but it worked! Kudos to these guys for taking part in something like this!

Look, maybe we should dial down on the amateur evolutionary psychology. As far as I know, there's no relationship between whether a woman who wears heels is more likely to be abused, or vice-versa. So, don't go making assertions about the nature of abuse.

It's actually pretty sad how little we're doing to combat domestic violence, particularly with the Republicans in office. Rolling back statutes that protect women, cutting funding to abuse shelters, easing off prosecutions (or even eliminating them in some instances). This is not something we should consider "low priority." Our citizens are being abused, and we're looking the other way.

That said, I think this is a great idea. I've worn high heels (in college). I could barely walk in the things. But it did help that I played sports a lot. Without that, I bet my legs would have immediately cramped (instead of waiting a couple hours), and it helped me balance.

Two of those guys in the photo need to worry about issues more close to home, such as their morbid obesity!

We women need to show our appreciation for any man who sticks up for us. I plan on showing mine to my hunky Democrat Tom Hanks lookalike when he gets home.

One thing I would like to say to men is that if you work all day and so does your female partner, when you get home and park yourself in front of the TV while she starts her second job of cooking, cleaning and taking care of kids, YOU are an abusive spouse. Do you see a toilet that needs scrubbing? For crying out loud, get the toilet brush and some comet and go to town on it. Do some vacuuming. It won't kill you but if you let her do it all, it might kill her. Or, she will get worn down and bitter while you replace her with a 20 something blonde.

Not all forms of abuse involve beatings or rape. Men, please ask yourself if you are pulling your weight and be honest with yourself.

We women need to defend our rights as well. If we allow abusive behavior by lawmakers, some day we will end up wearing a burqua. Every woman who looks the other way on social and political issues makes it harder for ALL women.

Violence against women is a tragedy (As is violence against anyone) This is a nice light hearted way to draw attention to the problem. If they had just walked holding signs it would have been mostly ignored, this caught attention. Kudos to these men for helping do that.

I know a couple women who have been violently raped (Is there any other kind of rape anyway?) and they are still very affected, one was a successful young woman in her mid 20s when it happened, she would today be a serious EVP or such...instead she never really recovered, left her job and lives in fear doing a job that is so far beneath her ability--she cannot take stress or pressure at all. A really lovely person who had her life destroyed by some creep who was never caught. She keeps mostly to a very small number of close friends and her family. She won't go out in public alone.

I could not do the high heel thing (I am certain they don't make them near my size) but to those who ridicule the guys who did this over their weight...you are showing an abusive streak in yourself. Think about that.

It is so odd that men like women ,,,,,,,, By 2020 what they will wear or may be they will put amake up haaaaa Iam just kiding

exactly! if i lived in san jose, id be there husband hunting :)

hats off to york poquoson sheriff's office, yorktown va, own lieutenant dennis ivey jr who used social media and his own personality to reach from virginia to afghanistan and raised over $2000. more than any individual or group in our area!!! having worked closely with victims over the past twenty years he took this opportunity to stand up for them symbolically also. shout for lt ivey, job well done!!!

rockmebritney - You took the words right out of my...keyboard!

100% with you! That picture makes me smile.

Couldn't have said it better myself, Malinda :)

Rock me: "if i lived in san jose, id be there husband hunting :)"

ME TOO! I don't even need to get married. I'd gladly do a man who was this mature and sympathetic and ... words fail me. I am SO impressed by these guys! They ROCK!

Men: you really should take notice and stop getting hung up on silly literal "skeletal" shoe silliness. Get into the REAL message behind this stunt. Do yourselves a real favor and step outside the box. You would be amazed what you will discover. And what you will reap.

I love these guys!

I tried putting myself in her shoes, but those pink bunny slippers just don't fit.

I think a number of people are missing the point. The reason they are wearing heels is simple - those are really the only shoes that they could wear that are clearly 'women's' shoes, to show their support by 'walking in her shoes' - which, by the way, isn't literally trying to duplicate what women experience WALKING IN SHOES, so has nothing to do with their skeletal differences. I mean, if they wore women's sneakers, it wouldn't be obvious that they were wearing something different from men's shoes. They are not mocking sexual violence or saying that only women who wear heels are susceptible, they are simply choosing a visual that spreads their message and catches attention.

Jay oh they see the point, but they have abusive personalities themselves. The types that ridicule people who are overweight, gay, black etc.

Many may be aware, but they don't bother to think about it, heaven forbid, say or do something about it. If men held other men accountable for their actions, instead of the boys-will-be-boys attitude, then we might actually see some change. We've come a long way, but we still have a way to go.

I thought they were doing it for both reasons. Did you really know, for example, that a woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes?

Rob, Your right but why isn't anyone doing something to stop it?

Why are we allowing our "political leaders" to legislatee arcane regressive and "islamic style" laws against women?

Does it really matter if someone knows how often a woman is sexually assaulted?

Would it matter more if it were every 30 seconds, or matter less if it were every 5 minutes?

One really fed up boomer - There are many who are doing something about it. That doesn't mean that sexual assault will disappear immediately or even ever, but action is being taken. It's hard to change societal norms that have existed since man came about.

As a girl I was raped and speaking from that perspective these types of things do help at least for the younger or less secure women. The event was decades ago and if circumstances repeated themselves castration and death would be the likely outcome for the perp but when it happened I was in my teens and so ashamed. I felt it was my fault and nobody would believe me so I didn't even report it. I think for the girl I was then and others now in the same shoes the symbolic act of saying they are trying to understand does make a difference. Hopefully it will allow some women who are hurting to know people will not blame them or disbelieve them. Kudos to them men and hopefully a nice foot rub when the walk is over because a mile in heels is murder.

As Differnet pointed out, it's that "boys-will-be-boys" attitude. A hold-over cultural instinct from the old "Me man! You woman! Me hunt. You cook, clean cave!" days. You can see it being reinforced in little ways every time Bubba teases Billy-Joe in the bar with something like "What's 'da mattr, Billy? Kan't 'ya control yer woman?", or some other horse-sh*t like that.

It's not something that can be legislated away, only educated away. Stiffer laws and penalties will help reinforce such, but fathers have to teach sons that it's wrong, starting at the earliest ages, and not just with words - but by also living the example themselves by treating women with the same respect and equality they expect among themselves.

Something has to strike you as first being 'Wrong' in your heart, before you start making it a 'Wrong' in your society. Awareness things like this can only help to do some of that.

PJ,

Kudos to them men and hopefully a nice foot rub when the walk is over because a mile in heels is murder.

Agreed. That's why I only wear them for formal dinners and parties, but it's so hard to find ones that go with my Tuxedo.

G Reaper: "No wonder she can't find time to finish my sandwich."

You walk in her shoes and you'll find not only does she finish your sandwich--she'll gladly give you a BANQUET!

You need a pair of heels, my friend, not to mention cajones,.

Solomon Kane...Thank you. Very well put.
The same goes for moms. I don't know how many times I've heard if someone is mean to you it means they really like you. Talk about horsesh*t.

And as far as heels are concerned, I love mine. I don't have problems with my feet, ankles, back or knees nor do they don't hurt. And I don't wear them for anyone but me. :)

I think Pj puts it very well. This is not about explaining what Sexual assault is. This is about taking the social stigma out of talking about the problem. I believe that bringing awareness is a way as Pj said of taking the shame off the victims and putting the blame back on the purps. Many of the comments on here are focused on the men in the shoes, this is exactly the reason that awareness is needed. The focus and outrage should be how many females are being badly mistreated. Another stat I have read is one in three females will be abused by the time they are a teenager. So ask yourself how many women are in your family? Do you know if any of them have been abused? Are you confident they would have the courage to tell you? The awareness is needed until we as a society quit blaming the victims and put the blame where is solely belongs. On the pigs with no self control. Until a woman can tell her story without fear of backlash or shame. I am sorry for Pj and all other victims male or female who have gone through this. I hope you find healing and that you use the bad that has happened and like pj talk about it tell people this happened to ME not some stranger but to Me and I am not ashamed. Would do a lot to empower the next generation.Thank you to all the men who participated your message is a great one.

I think some people are failing to realize that this IS a step of taking action. Without thought-provoking awareness, no one will respond and act.

I have the utmost respect for these men, who are willing to do something like this and call attention to such horrible events. Amazing.

PJ gets it---

This also helps women who have been abused know there are men out there (lots of us) who will not tolerate violence, we are on their side and we will stand up for them. This lets them know they are safer.

I m 6'1" tall, am told I look quite intimidating by friends (And I can back that up)--Nobody ever tries crap with me, but If I see you bothering/attacking a woman or a minority, etc. I will step in and have a number of times and I have never actually had to get physical. All it seems to take is "Hey do you have a problem" to the attacker and "You OK?" to the attackee...and the bully seems to back off or leave. I have invited a number of women into my office to sit for a bit while they gather themselves and the attacker leaves the area. (By my office I mean reception or to use our washroom--not so I could come on to them)

G Reaper will be single for the rest of his life.

Women want respect, love and an equal partner.

Just like most men do.

And I am sure you can make that Bologna and American Cheese Food Product on white bread sandwich yourself.

Agree about the need for more education. Not long ago, I heard a group of teenage boys talking about one kid's girlfriend, and one of them gloated, "And then I told her 'Make me a sandwich, bitch'" The others thought it was hilarious. THIS is the attitude our young men are learning toward young women. We also need to teach our young women not to put up with it. Leave. Why would you want to stay with such a little POS anyway? You're a human being, not somebody's bitch.

And we wonder why couples are waiting longer to marry, or don't get married at all. Every time I hear a young "man" talk like that, I think it's a GOOD thing no woman is stuck with him.

No wonder she can't find time to finish my sandwich.

If by "finish" you meant "spit in it and dropped it face down in the dirt," it's ready now.

"piglizard420

One really fed up boomer - There are many who are doing something about it."

Piglizard I know there are many who are trying - what I meant was why are our elected officials supporting it by word, deed, and inaction and not lashing out against this flagrant discrimination and hatred and passing laws with real penalties instead of at best sitting back going "Tsk Tsk, boys will be boys".

We PAY them to correct these issues WE DO NOT pay them for creating them.

Strongly agree, Boomer.

A soft and humane treatment of criminals, only breeds more criminals. After all, they're not actually going to be punished in any way.

I often think that the most often misinterpreted quote in history is the one from 1910, in which the Home Secretary, Winston Churchill memorably said that the civilisation of a society can be judged by the way it treats its prisoners.

Unfortunately, it seems our government representatives, and most non-victims of violent crimes, tend to think that means how well we treat them. However, I think Mr. Churchill would agree that it is how effectively we treat them, respectivly to the severity of their crimes, that society will be judged by.

For instance, this recent home break-in/rape/murder incident in Conn. that was prominently in the news. The 3 men, caught red-handed, guilty as Hell, no doubt whatsoever that they did it, are going to spend the next 20 years or so with free room and board, while an endless series of appeals waste the courts time and public patience. Heck! With our current legal system, 1 or more of them actually have a chance of walking the streets as free men again someday. In my society, execution would be at noon, tomorrow.

I'm reminded of a political cartoon, featured in the movie "From the Hip", by Don Wright, showing a very startled and disheveled figure of Lady Justice, with a Lawyer standing next to her putting his clothes back on.

And, excuse me PJ, but in your case, I'd have the guy strapped to Florida's 'Ol Sparky and offer you the chance to throw the switch.

You only effectivly deal with criminals, if you effectivly deal with them.

patter123

Did you really know, for example, that a woman is sexually assaulted every two minutes?

She must be exhausted!

By making a laughingstock of all those who believe repression of women is the PC way to go.

Hopefully by waking up viners and others to the absolute wrongness of such activity.

I could name a few more but you get the drift (I hope!)

Raising awareness = brings attention.

Attention = more people actively concerned.

More people actively concerned = more donations to assistance programs, more likely to report suspected abuse, and people might give a damn.

As social animals we are influenced heavily by groups. If people don't stand together and show 'hey this is wrong' we have a limitless capacity to ignore what's wrong for fear of being singled-out.

Your "=" signs should all be substituted with the word "might"

Once a cause has a certain amount of publicity, you get very little out of "awareness".

Like the ribbon for "Cancer awareness", a very broad issue. As if someone is going to look at the ribbon and think "Cancer, what's that?"

Change start one step at a time. And if that step is in a pair of spiked heels, one is just a little more aware of it.

Guy's! That's the reason why, in all those movies you see the woman fall down and twist her ankle when being chased. It's not that she's the weaker sex..., it's the damn shoes! Those gals should be wearing the Red Ball Jets, and the bad-guy has to wear the Barbie Prom Spikes.

The type of man who would commit sexual, physical or psychological violence against a woman isn't going to be moved by this at all. If anything they would probably find it amusing.

Skup-

We know the rapists aren't going to care one little bit about such things. The whole point is to make the rest of you males get an idea of what it's like, and maybe think about the women in your lives, and the certain level of fear we walk through this world with every day.

When was the last time you hesitated getting into an elevator with a stranger in there? How fearful are you walking across the dark parking lot? Maybe, if more of you men started thinking about these things, and talked with your female family members about what they have to be cautious of every moment of their lives, then maybe you might be the ones to take up the banner and say that certain behaviors have nothing to do with "boys being boys", and you're going to be the ones to put your buddies in check and tell them it's not cool, nor is it cute or funny. It's criminal behavior.

Are you aware that most rapes are commited by acquaintances? Not a crazy, serial offender, but the guy we agreed to go out with. But he didn't believe us when we said "No". There is no ambiguity between yes and no, and guess what? A woman allowing you to kiss her goodnight, does not mean she wants sex, it means we're interested and are willing to get to know you better, because we think we may be open to a more intimate relationship. It's frightening to have to let some idiot do to you what he wants, just so you don't get hurt worse, which is what happens in such cases, and our court systems allow males to blame the woman for his actions, as in bringing up how she was dressed, or that she was at the bar. Does it really take that little for males to forget acceptable behavior? A pretty face? A nice tush? You cannot expect me to believe that males, as a species, are that unable to control themselves. Males are so weak that all it takes is an attractive woman and his common sense and self-control goes flying out the window? I don't think so...

If you adult males would start getting it through to other males that under no circumstances is it the woman's responsibility if he wants more than she's willing to give, and it is not our fault when you get excited, nor is it our responsibility to relieve men of their lusts when they develop. You know darn good and well when I woman is trying to get you closer and when she's keeping a distance and isn't interested. Deal with it and move on to the next possibility.

Until you males, as a sector of society, stand up and say we're not going to let you do that to our women, just because you're strong enough to get what you want. Repect them, or we'll handle the problem. From what I've seen of the male comments in here, though, it's looking like this will still be a major problem for my teenage nieces when they're my age; one of whom, by the way, survived a date rape just last year. I don't know one woman of my generation (and younger)who has not been raped at least once. As long as men hold onto the attitude that "she said no, but she really wanted it" we're not going to get anywhere. But just so you know, we really do know what we want, and how to go about getting it, and we don't need your help to make our choices--or force your choice on us.

Are you really that short-sighted and ignorant? You can't see how raising awareness would help end sexual violence against women? If more women who were raped understood it wasn't their fault and they knew they could report it without backlash from their family and community, then more women would report their assaults and more of these perpetrators would get justice. Isn't it well known that crimes that people know they can get away with will continue? If for men understood the scope of sexual violence against women, they would put pressure on other men to stop doing it. Rape is usually not the situation of the serial rapist hiding out in the bushes for a stranger to go by - it is most often an acquaintance, and many men don't seem to even understand that they are raping a woman if she is unconscious or otherwise unable to consent, or if she doesn't fully consent.

Elizabeth, you summed things up very nicely, and I wish I could've vote you up more than once.

While there are lots of men-kudos to the men involved in the Walk!-who understand now that women are NOT chattel, there are still many more who think we're less than human. On the one hand, we're born to "pleasure" them, on the other we're supposed to "save" ourselves for them. We're responsible for the birth control, and for whether or not we get beaten.

And Shot a Man in Reno-awareness is important. And it necessary that it be ongoing so that people do not forget. The statistics and getting them out to people is to support that awareness.

Reno- seen a couple opf your posts and you and one other poster seem to the only ones who have a problem with this. You want to be negative about it- why? To get your fight on? To kinda show that perhaps YOU have a problem in relationship to this cause? Why wouldn't you want people to stand up and say it's not right??? Afraid of something?

What is YOUR solution to cancer and AIDS and all those other things? Sitting on your ass talking about how nothing does nobody no good? Why waste your breath? Go @!$%# in someone else's punchbowl.

Elizabeth: I once heard Joy Behar make a joke about women who "pick out one of their children just to hate them." Psychologists call that target abuse and it can lead to all sorts of mayhem in the target child's life. No one confronted her. I'm sure this must be some kind of "girl thing" to women like you, but it was child abuse for me.

You women are going to have to stop tacitly approving hateful maternal abuse and in fact condemn it to the extent that you women condemn rape. When you women stop tolerating target abuse and hatred, boys will be much less likely to grow into hateful men.

You women need to do something about that.

Rev,

Are you suggesting that the problem of Violence against Women.., is the fault of women???

Well said, Elizabeth.

SKane: No I'm saying it's the fault of abusive childhoods, just like any other crime.

Sprtstr - Considering that women now know that these men believe that real men don't hit women, real men don't force themselves on women, and that these guys are good sports, yeah, they'll get dates.

But that wasn't the point of the walk.

This will give them dates. These guys have a sense of humor, a great aphrodisiac.

Out of PITY, maybe.

really? losers for raising awareness? what do you call people who give millions to charity? a-holes? The only losers here are your parents.

It will get them women friends. Lots and lots of women friends. Who knows where it could go from there?

I know I already love them.

Do these losers think this will get them DATES ?

If they're willing to do something like this, I doubt they have any problem getting dates. It's the "men" who think these guys are losers who should be concerned.

biker chick....men don't hit chicks and real chicks don't hang out with the ones that do.

Well, here goes. First, who are you calling not too smart? Second, you may want to consider going back for more education, especially a spelling course, Sprtstr.

I am sensing a violent tendency.

Thanks for the compliment.

SprtstrXLCH, The fact is your post shows your lack of education.

SprtstrXLCH

So I get negative responses Well here goes...According to this article women are not to smart. First they can't sense a violent tendencies, second why do they go back for more of the same.

Hon you are missing the point (and an "o" in too). Rapes don't happen because women are stupid they happen because some men are insecure and violent. Sometimes there is no "knowing" the guy is violent because he breaks in, jumps out of the bushes, hides in the car or any of a thousand other scenarios. Knowing he is violent is pretty easy getting to a gun in time may not be. Others take advantage of circumstances like a woman stranded due to a broken down car or a college girl who isn't savvy enough to watch her soda / drink to make sure he isn't slipping something in it. Then again some are really good liars. Sociopaths do not function the same mentally and are very good at tricking people by the time they find out he is violent it is too late. Often they seek out positions of power where it is not a matter of choice for the woman to avoid them. She might get a bad vibe about her boss but until she knows the job pays too well to quit and she fools herself thinking what can happen at work only to realise working late was a bad idea.

Do you see my point? If not let me ask you this are you on guard every second of your life? If so how do you live and keep your sanity and function? Rapists and other criminals have a goal in mind at the time of their crime so they are predators. Their victims do not have the luxury of a warning bell to tell them they are being sized up as victims so inevitably they slip and let their guard down. That is why I think carrying concealed is a good idea. One can quickly switch gears and resolve the issue. (And YES that does mean I think rape is a killing offense because you don't know what disease the fool is carrying.)

As to the coming back for more part I believe you are thinking about spousal abuse and that is a horse of a different color having more to do with being terrorized and beaten into submission eother by the current abuser or someone in their past that set them up for the situation. Go google Stockholm syndrome if you want to understand that.

SprtstrXLCH

This guy really is a complete DB. My mother was in an abusive relationship for years. It started out perfect, she got pregnant, he started calling her names like fat, a slob, discusting. After the baby came, he started hitting her. At first, he would cry and say it would never happen again. Then he stopped caring about easing any fake guilt. On the outside, he was the perfect husband and father. Her own family didn't believe her that he hit her. He told her that no one would believe her, and that if she ever left, he would take the baby. And she believed him. He was, actually, a perfect father. Loved his daughter and actually doted on her. It took my mom 17 years to leave. Not before he broke her nose, wrist, cracked a few ribs...She his this all because he was my dad. And she feared being separated from me. The day I moved out and went to college was the day she filed for a divorce.

SprtstrXLCH, I assumed the losers he was referring to were the gentlemen in the picture. I totally agree with you.

BTW, my first bike was an XL1200C. I so miss that little Sportster!

Sprtstr - great advice, walk away from it. The problem is, most women CAN'T walk away from it. Read what PJ wrote again. When her mom married, he was perfect, then he began breaking her down psychologically, then physically. She probably had no job, no way to get a job, no way to pay for an apartment, and for sure no way to raise a child without him. It's much easier to say than to do.

Back to the point of men wearing heels. High heels are, for the most part, designed by men for women. Women can't run in high heels, shucks, they can barely walk in them. High heels are a modern form of the ancient practice of foot binding! And for many of the same reasons.

And rape is all about Power. Power over someone weaker than the perp. It has nothing to do with sex, sex is just a means of Power in rape cases. It has nothing to do with what the woman is wearing. Or the way she walks.

"it is way to easy to out smart them to get way you want."

Yes, darling, I'm sure it is... /sarcasm/

It won't get them a lot of dates, but it will get them a lot of female friends. This will get them the scarlet F. Women gravitate towards the aggressive alpha male. Just ask any short guy.

No, they just gravitate towards a guy who will be there when they need them. Gainful employment or the desire to work helps.

SprtstrXLCH Comment collapsed by the community

PJ & Drama queen....Walk away from it, I never hit a woman in my life....it is way to easy to out smart them to get way you want.

He is not worth responding to but for demonstration purposes if anyone out there is wondering why abused women take it... this guy and those like him are what preps them for that life. The majority of abused women have one or many of this type in their lives. Imagine being the poor girl who has this for a father. It destroys their self respect. Violence is nothing compared to the emotional trauma men like this inflict upon naive women too young or too beaten down to know there is anything better in life. Bruises and broken bones heal but emotional scars can be far worse. Usually it is the result of poor self esteem on their part due to physical inadequacies or intellectual short comings. In his case I am guessing the latter as he seems to feel the need to point out how bright and manipulative he thinks he is to compensate for his insecurities.

BTW for the guys who wonder what happens to all those sweet young things when they hit middle age and turn sceptical... thank this type of guy too. Sad for the women and sad for y'all too. It must be hard to have to pay the price for another man's sins but a few of these and women find it hard to trust.

First reported in US News and World Report, researchers from the University of Tokyo and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, found women preferred more masculine features in men, as they neared ovulation. The British study found when women were more likely to conceive, they preferred masculine faces for a short term relationship, and more feminized for the long term.

In other words, horny women want macho men. Always nice to have hard science back-up what we already know.

Not so good a day for abusers like you, unhappy2008.

Thank you, Dan!

Charles, people who think like you already have a one mile head start to jail.

It's an old joke. Lighten up.

You ask a feminist to lighten up? Good luck with that!

What is stupid is a male dominated society that gets excited when women wear high heels.

It isnt just men fueling that craze. Women swear by heels. I work with minimum security female prisoners and the one thing they cannot WAIT to do is get in a pair of heels when they get released. If you think Im kidding, Im not. I wish I were. Thats the funny thing about this job, you REALLY get an insight to women and what makes THEM tick, not what the media and society try to propagate.

In fact, I have worked in maximum security male federal prisons too. The truth is, our society as we know it is a far cry from what nature intended. You step inside a prison and you watch very quickly how human personalities, beliefs, values and roles retract into a very primitive state of being because survival needs to be worked at...not given and provided for.

Rob, you really need to get out of the jail where your mind is housed.

You don't know what makes women tick.

You don't even know what makes yourself tick.

You sound stuck in a primitive state.

You sound like the typical beneficiary of a priveleged and entitled society. Like most, you have tunnel vision and worry about causes that benefit YOU and YOU only...not the PEOPLE as a whole.

Look...I pay bills, own a home, cut grass, kick back beers, BBQ, raise three children by MYSELF with no child support, served 12 years active duty in the armed forces...etc. Im an average American guy. But, I have been to countless countries and I can say, there is NOTHING more spoiled or coddled than the American female.

spoiled and coddled? I live in a country where I can work in a male dominated industry (construction), make good money, make my own decisions, and buy what I like. I happen to like shoes. I am sure YOU have NOTHING material that you like at all? Nothing was given to me. I have worked to earn money since I was 12 years old. Hell, I took my first vacation ever this year. This event has nothing to do with SHOES. It is a symbol. If you don't support the event and cause, great. That is your perogative. But why don't you keep your DB comments to yourself? Wonder WHY you raised three children by yourself...SMH

Rob - As a woman, I can state unequivocally, that I do not swear by heels. I swear by Saucony running shoes!

You're trying to analyze people by a few typed sentences and you lump women all into one stereotype, when you should be old enough to understand that isn't really a sensible thing to do. Also, you clearly have little or no understanding of the opposite gender.

Go put some heels on, man - it might do you some good!

I pay bills, own a home, cut grass, kick back beers, BBQ

Funny, I do all that, too. Guess you're just as coddled and spoiled as I am, then. Or, you could try joining us here in the 21st century.

the one thing they cannot WAIT to do is get in a pair of heels when they get released.

I believe Rob was trying to say that SOME women love to wear high heels too under the influence of no one. Anyone that says other wise is in denial.

Way to completely miss the point. This isn't about shoes! It isn't saying anything about women wearing heels, but rather is a symbol of men walking in what are obviously women's shoes. If they walked in Saucony running shoes, who would notice that they are women's running shoes, rather than men's?

Rob, you seem to be a bitter guy. I hope none of those three kids you are raising are girls. Women in America are NOT coddled, they are just not quite as abused as in some other societies. Seriously, get over yourself.

Rob, the women you meet in jail are not any more representative of women in our society as a whole, than are the men in jail representative of all men.

As for women in this country being coddled, I haven't met but a couple. The rest of us work for a living. I put myself through college, and have never been financially supported by a man. So if you consider us coddled because we get to vote and own property now, (and it's not legal to beat us if we're not obedient) then jeepers, I guess we're coddled. Good grief.

How bratty can you be? Women are coddled and selfish because they don't want to be raped? lol Seriously? Do you equate that with having special privileges? You dislike women or something?

You want some sort of medal for raising children YOU bred or something? Sorry, but it's your JOB to take care of your kids.

Your basis on women is one woman YOU chose and then a bunch of criminals? Really?

Everything I have, I earned. I work hard and I don't need anyone to take care of me. I don't know many coddled women personally, I don't keep that kind of company. Maybe you're reading too many MSN gossip pages.. But you need to take a pill for your bitterness.

You sound fearful, Krazy one. Have you been looking in the mirror this morning?

Pretty dark in your closet?

How do you know they aren't wearing panties in that picture?

Actually, it's just you they don't care about. I can see why.

Really....why is that? Cause Im not JUMPING out my rear to support a female cause. O friggin MG, how insensitive of me.

Go to www.statehealthfacts.org and look up mostly ANY disease, death rate...etc. Look it up by gender. Despite a roughly 50/50 split in gender population...men significantly outweight women in mortality rates in ALL areas. Yet still, the overwhelming majority of benefits, money, programs and public support is for WOMENS causes.

Why is that?

Diseases and causes of death by gender are not comparable here. THIS particular article discusses violence against women and how it should be stopped. What sort of narcissist finds reason for unfairness in that? Are you also someone who complains about there being no "White Entertainment Television" and how that's not "fair" either? Or how poor people get all the perks by living below the poverty line?

Also, please site your source on your statement that "the overwhelming majority of benefits, money, programs and public support" is for women's causes. Oddly enough, last I checked, the "overwhelming majority of support" in our government pertains to men and their agendas. But, we need to criticize one rally where some decent men protest abuse. How ridiculous.

And actually, women DO support men's causes every day-- by paying out the a** for group health insurance premiums for your higher disease and mortality rates, from their salaries, which are still less than yours.

Rob,watching your post I can see you getting angry and your true thoughts comming out,its not very pretty.

It's the overall effect. The media and society blast womens issues in our face and you rarely hear anything about the men at ALL. No cause, concern or protection. Provide me a source where WE are represented.

Also, do I really need to provide a source to explain why womens causes are far more funded and researched. Check out the pink ribbons every year, HPV vaccination, abuse commercials...etc. Young boys are of the most sexually victimized in the world...and mothers are equally as likely to committ such acts. But, you dont see anything on that do you? It's always the women and girls. We should ALL be represented equally.

Do yourself a favor and go to any search engine and type cancer research or heart disease research. See how many breast cancer and womens support sites versus men you find on the results (Countless). Now go type in cancer death rates, heart disease death rates and see how many links state..."Men 40% more likely to die from cancer", "Men have higher cancer death rates than women"...etc. That in itself is hypocritical...is it not?

Im not angry...just stating the obvious. Its the obvious that isnt pretty and the obvious that people dont want to talk about or address. See, there is a lot of truth in politically incorrect statements.

Men are nothing BUT represented. In fact, there are issues in our government right now because a few MEN don't want women to make choices for their own bodies. And guess what? In some states, they're winning! A handful of men want something that has nothing to do with them, so entire states of women are forced to comply. Who is that unfair toward?

Google is also not an automatic promise of clear, factual information on which to base beliefs and arguments. I just Googled a bunch of articles and medical journal cases in which women were actually at higher risk for some of the things you just mentioned. People find biased information when they're looking for it.

It blows my mind whenever I see this entitled, whiney, absurd argument toward any group that's been considered second-rate citizens until only past 100 (or less) years. My head feels like it's gong to explode right now.

Now go type in cancer death rates, heart disease death rates and see how many links state..."Men 40% more likely to die from cancer", "Men have higher cancer death rates than women"...etc. That in itself is hypocritical...is it not?

Women are more likely to seek medical treatment when they feel unwell or have pain. Men have this myth that they have to "suck it up" and not complain if they're sick or hurting. If you wait until you're stage 4, instead of going to the doctor when you notice early symptoms, then you're right, you are more likely to die from cancer, or heart disease, or any other medical cause.

MP928, have you heard about the new legislation recognizing the "personhood of sperm" passed in Delaware? I guess that makes any man who gets a vasectomy a mass murderer.

Rob: "Women and society dont give a crap about men...my bad."

O WHAT A GIVEAWAY! Hahahaha! You gave yourself away with that remark. Another whiney manbaby victim wannabe. You could not be a woman for 24 hours without going suicidal or homicidal.

I know you now, baby. Do you know (really know) yourself? I dare you to (really) look in the mirror. And get out a pair of high heels. (not literally-figuratively) Try it. I dare you! What are you afraid of?

I doubt you can do it. But I'd sure as hell love it if you proved me wrong!

Rob, Men's issues are woven into the fabric of our daily lives. Women's issues are not, which is why they are brought to attention. Considering that men and women react differently to the same issues in general (economics, health care, etc) I can see why you feel like you're being picked on.

MP928: "People find biased information when they're looking for it."

Yes, indeed.

flbikerchick, I actually haven't seen that one. I've been making a conscious effort to avoid stories like that because they're so infuriating. I saw the new Arizona legislation in which the entire previously-decided-upon gestation period based in scientific fact has now been reworked to 2 weeks PRIOR to conception solely on the basis of heading potential abortions off at the pass, and I nearly had an aneurysm.

If that Delaware legislation actually is true, then masturbation better carry fines and potential imprisonment.

@Rob-1647498 - please look at the male/female ratio in just about any significant legislature and administration or in the boardroom and executive suite of just about any medium or large corporation, then tell me again how we are not represented. As another male I find your whining not only devoid of any merit but downright embarrassing.

As for the prevalence of pink ribbons you find so bothersome, there's at least one reason that has nothing to do with gender. Many cancer research/cure advocates are survivors, and breast cancer has a relatively high survival rate. That's one likely reason why you see much less advocacy for e.g. pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma research. Few victims survive for long. Beyond that, nobody is stopping you from getting off your duff to raise awareness of "male" diseases such as prostate cancer. But it's of course much easier to sit at your keyboard and feel sorry for yourself.

Oh, please, Rob, stop with your bitterness towards women. I've run races, along with lots of other women, to raise money for prostate cancer research. Most of us have men that we care deeply about in our lives, so of course we care about issues impacting them. Sorry that you can't seem to say the same about women in your life.

Rob it is funny how you say that men's issues are not ever represented since there are a few of the ambulances in my fleet that have prostate awareness painted on them. There are also billboards with the same message about prostate awareness. If you want more awareness raised for men's issues, them RAISE them! Do you think the Susan G. Komen for the Cure was raised because she sat around whining about how there was no awareness for breast cancer??? No she DID something about it! So quit whining and get a group together to DO SOMETHING raise awareness about what ever men's causes you feel need to be brought to the spot light. That being said, the reason men's causes are not in the spot light as much as women's causes is because men DO NOT want to talk about anything because then they feel like "less" of a man, but then whine, p!ss and moan about women's issues being in the forefront of the news and media. *facepalm*

Oh, and to respond to your misinformation - more women die of heart disease every year than men. That is the fact, and yet heart disease has been consistently seen as a 'man's disease' and research wasn't even done on women until the last two decades or so. Yes, that's right - more women die of this disease, but clinical trials totally ignored women. It turns out that women have different symptoms and manifestations, AND are less likely to get treated appropriately when they go to the hospital. So, if there is a 'Go Red for Women' heart disease awareness event, it is to try to undo these decades of unfairness in the focus of research and medical care in this area that kills more women than men.

At first I was afraid to label.. but I think we have a misogynist in our midst. Or maybe the mother-child sexual abuse comment was a tip-off of the motivating factor behind that thought pattern. Child sex abuse is another horrible crime committed upon a group of people and people do CARE about that TOO.

I don't know. I must be awesome. I can care about more than one cause, more than one gender... weird. I also don't feel the need to jump on someone else's cause to belittle it and then try and turn the focus on me...

@adh6878 - I agree with most of your post but am going to challenge your last sentence. First, you offer no evidence for either assertion you make, let alone any causal relationship between them. Second, on the assumption that you don't appreciate stereotypes being applied to women, I ask that you refrain from stereotyping men. I and many other males have never whined about "women's issues being in the forefront of the news and media". Rob-1647498 does not speak for me.

Since when are you the boss of me?

Yeah! Who do you people think you are by trying to stop violence against women?! You have no right! Get out and leave us woman-beaters alone! And while you're at it, take the black people and gays with you! Anyone who doesn't immediately conform to our mysogynistic, violent, bigoted view of 'Merica can go on and git!

Did I cover everything usually festering in your pea brain?

Perhaps YOU are the one who should leave.

"If your so unhappy with this 'male dominated society'................then leave!"

Nah. Women are more constructive than men. We prefer change for the better.

Scott, that would require you to quit playing the abuser role.

Scott: "that would require women to quit playing the victim role...and we all know that will never happen"

It can happen--when men stop playing the victim and quit BLAMING their victims.

I sure as hell would love to see you do both!

Scott...figures you would be from St. Louis...a nothing of a city and a man with a nothing of a brain...sexist and a misogynist too....You need help with your backwards thinking....and perhaps you will be a victim of a crime someday and that will open your ignorant eyes..

@ wiretap:

"that would require you to quit playing the abuser role."

According to the CDC American women kill more of their own children than any other mothers in the industrialized world, an 25% increase since 1985. Hands down natural mothers abuse and kill more of their own children than natural fathers.

In this regard, collectively, women need to start accepting the abuser role. What kind of Walk a Mile event do you have planned to bring awareness to the plight of maternally abused children???

Rev,

You need to go get some help with your woman-hating issues.

Sound advice. And the ultimate in feminist self-empowerment. Too bad CCW is incompatible with the current liberal mindset. Men walking in heels and the attendent press coverage ultimately isn't going to do crap about preveting sexual violence when it is you and him in a dark parking lot, but a steely-eyed confident woman training her Smith's crimson trace on a would-be attacker's groin will stop it every time. Time to take up arms ladies.

Stonepipe: "Take self defense classes, buy a hammer less double action revolver in .38 cal. learn how to use it and carry it safely"

To use against one's husband or boyfriend? OMG! You want us to kill you? You want us to commit violence against you because you do it to us? If that's your solution to violence against women--we're doomed.

1) If a woman's being beaten and raped by her husband or boyfriend and she defends herself, I'm not seeing a problem.

2) Not all cases of rape and assault happen in the spouse/partner situation. The most common kind is date rape/friend rape where the victim knows the person. It's one thing when you're with someone and it's repetitive, it's another when you've been drugged at a party.

ErinsFire42: No amount of "awareness raising" is going to stop your rapist. If that situation presents itself, it is just you and him. The choice is to defend yourself or be violated. And nobody deserves to be sexually assaulted. So yes, we want you to make the criminal second guess his decision by pointing your weapon at him, and we want you to shoot him if he doesn't comply. Your safety and the safety of all women in that situation is worth defending. Don't martyr yourself because you don't believe in violence - your attacker sure believes in it.

If we as a society believe some utopia can be reached where all men respect and do not sexually assault women and refuse to defend ourselves until that unattainable state is reached, then we are truly doomed. I'll say it again, because it is so important - you are worth defending, by any means, as are all women.

.38?! I prefer a 45. I want to stop it, not piss it off.

I like your style. 10mm for the win.

A Dancer friend of mine back in the '70's carried a sweet, little custom-made 'Purse Gun'. A 3-shot Derringer-type, that fired in succession (panic-induced full trigger pull) first a 410 shell w/#8 shot (for quick point-n-shoot area effect), followed by a .45, and another .45.

She said it was to "Make 'em hesitate, stop 'em cold, then point out the error of their ways!".

OMG a .38 will stop them.

With all due respect, how do you know these men don't also do something that actually helps?

Merlin, you'd be surprised how much damage a healthy pair of stilettos can do to some guy who has no respect for women.

What rights do men have that women do not? Please...state ONE besides going into combat. Which, last time I checked, a very large majority of females do not want to do. I served from 1995-2007 and I met very few who felt women should go into combat. Of those that did feel they should, they should be in limited roles.

So, please...a source on what men are entitled to that women are not.

War on women is just a rhetoric talking point. Plain and simple. In America at least. There are real wars on women on the other side of the hemisphere.

You have the right to control your own body and your sexual health is not under attack. Birth control is a major issue in the campaigns this year. Birth control! I thought we took care of that in the 40s, but apparently not.

Also, just because some people in the world have it worse, that doesn't mean that American women have perfect lives.

What rights do men have that women do not?

There's not that many nowadays, true, but there's no Constitutional amendment guaranteeing white males the right to vote, and no one's had to pass a law guaranteeing men the same wages as women for doing the same job.

Let's put it this way. If I have to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound if seeking an abortion, you should have to undergo a transrectal ultrasound before getting a vasectomy.

Men have the right to stick their wankers in any available whole and walk away not worried that they might be Peggo! If I have to have a transvag then you should have to have a bowling ball shoved up the business end of you wanker while you watch in on a screen! Call me when you men pass that legislation prick-a lishous!!!