WARNING: Snark ahead!
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Male? Top of the hierarchy. Well, in the US and many other countries, that should read as "white male." Female? Lower, of course.
When any of us steps on another to reach a higher rung on the Power Ladder, we leave a trail beneath our feet: children, women, people with disabilities, those convicted of crimes, the poor, people of color, the homeless. There is almost always some group that we can use to find a way to feel better about ourselves, even if it's just kicking our dog. Sometimes we have to search for that group. Other times? It's readily apparent. And, find someone who belongs to more than one group - such as female, person of color and convict - and almost everyone knows that that person is the lowest of the low.
As young children, we learn about power quickly - some people have status, some do not, and we can tell the difference. Toddlers and preschoolers are notorious bullies. If we're lucky (at least in my view of the world), our parents and teachers help us understand that we get more in the long run if we play nice with others and do not use others in such ways. We also learn it is better to earn power in some ways than in others and we really oughtta wanna get our power kicks in the more appropriate ways. Our mentors, parents, and teachers help us learn not to bully, not to hit, not to use our wealth or family name to get ahead. Some us us learn that power can come from within and that this often feels much better than when it comes from without and that it rarely feels good at all when it comes at the expense of another.
As adults, we learn more, if we're lucky. Maybe we are taught the difference between person and positional power. Maybe we are put in a position of authority and learn how to earn another person's trust without exploiting him or her.
My guess is that some of us are not taught these lessons, however. Maybe some of us remember the lessons when things are going well, but forget under duress. Maybe we are unsure of any other way to get a power fix. Maybe some of us like the feeling of climbing the ladder so much that we ignore the lessons altogether. Whatever the reason, in European-based cultures, this type of outward power is usually an important part of the culture, as I understand it.
So, when we are adults and have no position to exploit and we do not have personal power, what do we do when we crave a bit of it? Some of us appear to turn to that ladder and see who is beneath us and start stomping.
When women belong to any of the groups low on the Power Ladder, they are often seen as targets. Targets because their low position on this Power Ladder allows others to step on them so that the person stepping can land on a higher rung. In the case of women who are incarcerated, that likely includes any employee.
As noted by a wise commenter in my last diary, places where people are held apart from society - prisons, mental health institutions and the like - are often hotbeds of this type of iniquity. Whatever the reason they were hired, the staff are often the worst people for the job. Why? Because these employees are often the very ones who use their positional power in terrifying ways and those held in the facility have no power to do anything about it.
Ultra-Violet* recently started a new petition that demonstrates exactly how such power can be abused. What the petition says happens to the women at this Texas facility is horrific. At least, I hope it seems that way to you as it certainly does to me.
Countless women have been raped at a for-profit detention center in Texas. Male guards at Karnes County Residential Center have open access to women detainees' cells at any time of the day or night. Women detail an environment of rape and harassment, in which they are often told that they will receive assistance with their cases or money in exchange for sexual favors.
Attorneys from multiple firms have all launched complaints about the large number of women reporting the same stories of abuse--guards who call detainees their "girlfriends" and enter their cells late at night to rape them. Women also report being groped and assaulted in front of other detainees, including children. It's downright horrific.
The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights has the power to investigate and hold this facility accountable. Can you join Human Rights First, the University of Texas Law School, and the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund in calling for a full investigation?
I searched to see if I could find any additional information about this. CNN reported
about it here. The CNN report suggests it involves at least 3 to 4 women and up to three employees. That doesn't appear to be "countless" as the petition suggests, but how many women have been abused who are no longer there or refuse to speak out is unknown to me.
These women - immigrant detainees - are the epitome of powerless. They are in a foreign country, likely do not speak English, they have no money, they are at the mercy of the employees in the facility.
One of the ways we can knock that ladder over is to speak out - loudly and repeatedly - when we hear of people using the ladder to make themselves feel more powerful at the expense of others. I do not know if the employees did what they are accused of - I was not there and it sounds as if there has not been an investigation, yet. I do know that for the sake of every women on our planet, many of us need to ask someone investigate this.
There are many other things we all can do. We can ensure we share these lessons with our children, nieces, nephews. We can continue to bring such issues to the attention of those who can do something. We can vote for people who believe that we all matter.
What can you think of? Do you have something you can do to knock over a ladder or reduce the need for such a ladder? If so, please share.
*According to their Website, "UltraViolet is a new and rapidly growing community of women and men across the U.S. mobilized to fight sexism and expand women’s rights, from politics and government to media and pop culture. UltraViolet works on a range of issues, including health care, economic security, violence, and reproductive rights."