International Day of No Violence Against Women

Golo100

Bronze
Jan 5, 2002
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While I am not a pure male chauvinist(I have to admit I have some chauvinistic traits) something really bothers the hell out of me.

Today being the Internationa Day it also happens to be the anniversary of the assassination of the Mirabal sisters, the overrated and overblown heroines of DRs recent history: It appears this International Day was made to coincide with their death. But I want to bring this to the table. The Mirabal family has taken all the credit for themselves and buried the memory of the sisters companion the day of the killings. It turns out that Rufino De la Cruz, a friend of the sisters, on that fateful day courageously enough took the responsibility to drive the sisters to see their husbands Manolo Tavares Justo and Leandro Guzman, two adventurers who had ideas of copying Fidel Castro*s success at Sierra Maestra without paying their dues and learning about planning, execution and responsibility.

The Mirabals have portraited De La Cruz all this time as a driver(just like a cab driver or chauffeur) in a very discriminatory manner against a man who was their friend, not a driver, but who was a step below the Mirabals blue blood origins, which is why the sisters refused Trujillos advances. They thought they were better than everyone, including El Jefe. Rufino was the real hero here. He took a chance nobody wanted to take. Several blue blood friends of the Mirabals refused to drive for fear, since it was already known that an attempt was in the planning. He died foolishly and is now forgotten behind the Mirabal myth.

Manolo Tavares Justo in my opinion(and I saw the man in action at public demonstrations) was a starched linen shirt revolutionary who wore Ray Ban pilot sunglasses reminiscent of todays Jevitos wearing Guccis. This guy was a cheap imitation of Ramfis Trujillo and Jorge Negrete and he hated Ramfis so much that he wanted to overthrow the government just to prove he was better than him. Tavares was a playboy adventurer who never thought about his family to pursue the idiocy of going to the mountains totally unprepared. He had a Paul Newman/James Dean complex.Just think. This guy and his crew of idiots went to Cordillera Central without food, poor equipment, low supply of munitions and absolutely no strategy at all. Their strategy consisted of hoping the press would make a big deal(they did) and expect the Dominican people to go in the streets clamoring for Tavares as the new savior(they didnt-in fact campesinos gave Trujillo their whereabouts). In other words Fidel partII. What a joke!!!

The sisters were segregationist northern cibae?as who hated blacks and poor people(ask AZB about cibae?as racism). They were just enemies of Trujillo because Trujillo put their husbands in jail. Does that make heroes? What did they do for this country besides opposed Trujillo for this? Why do they let the myth that a courageous man like Rufino was just a chauffeur and not a friend. Why isnt he inmortalized like these paper heroines? It seems the butterflies were nothing but worms.

Notice how their mother, another socialite has even created a museum of their own to showcase the Mirabals and continue to grow this myth. Money can do wonders in DR.

TW
 

mkohn

Bronze
Jan 1, 2002
1,151
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I guess I will have to do some reading, to make sure I understand all I know about the Mirabal sisters.
If it is true that they stood up for their beliefs even though those beliefs were unpopular, perhaps that shows integrity. If you work toward furthering those beliefs, perhaps that shows commitment. If you go to jail, because of what you believe, and die for those beliefs, perhaps you are brave. If rumors of your opposition give hope to others who are afraid, perhaps dying for this cause makes you a martyr.
I agree that there are two sides to every story. People who show integrity, commitment, bravery and a willingness to die for their beliefs could be considered heroes. The fact that they are women, in my humble opinion, makes them so.
The men of integrity, bravery, committed, and willing to die for the cause could also be considered heroes. Historically, it has been the man who has gone out and fought for the cause.
It is refreshing to know that of the many courageous Dominicans, some are women.
mk
 

KenoshaChris

New member
Jan 4, 2002
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Hero/Heroine

Mary, I know that you know better than to refer to a female in that context in the male gender but I also recall a poster referring to a heroine as a "heroin". Anyway, every day should be a day of no violence against women.
 

Jane J.

ditz
Jan 3, 2002
1,263
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Bleh to "heroine"

[OT] KenoshaChris, possibly the word "heroine" is on its way to extinction, on the heels of words such as "poetess", "authoress", "actress", etc. It takes some getting used to, but if you ask me, which you didn't, the only reason for adding a feminine suffix to a traditionally masculine noun is to suggest a deviance from some norm by which a woman assumes a role really meant for a man...on which I say phooey...[/OT]

I can't really understand why the date of the Mirabal sisters' assasination would be commemorated as a day against violence towards women. When we ponder traditional violence against women the issues that come to mind are spousal and domestic abuse, sex crimes, and the victimization of women due to the idiosyncrasies of the law and the iniquities of social justice.

I cannot agree that the Mirabal sisters were victimized because of their gender, as they were persecuted for their anti-Trujillo ideas and, perhaps, their success at political activism - a dangerous role for men or women in those days!

Having said all that, I do think they form a fascinating part of Dominican history and definitely deserve to be called "heroes".
 
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