Reason 13,583 Why I Am Not A "Feminist"

Carolyn Lubby, a senior at The University of Connecticut, has written a letter to the president of the university regarding changes to its Husky logo.  Now to be honest she made some good points about the athletics program:

1. On June 21^st 2012, UConn Men’s basketball becomes the first BCS school team to face a postseason ban based solely on low APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores.
2. On October 6^th 2012, Lyle McCombs is arrested on charges of second degree breach of peace for a domestic violence dispute in which he was, “yelling, pushing, and spitting at his girlfriend” during an argument outside a residence hall.
3. On February 11^th 2013, Enosch Wolf is arrested on charges of third degree burglary, first degree criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct when he “refused to leave” a female student’s apartment, “grabbed the hair of the victim and pushed her head” and “knocked the glasses off the victim’s face with his hand.”
4. On March 21^st 2013, Tyler Olander is arrested for trespassing in a structure or conveyance while on Spring Break in Panama City, Florida.

From what I understand about Tyler Olander, he was arrested while on spring break in Florida for being drunk and trespassing on some one's boat. Hardly an offense that has anything to do with rape.  Now, I grew up in CT and my long and tangled college career did start at UCONN, but I was not mature enough for college at the time and it didn't work out.  But, I have always loved UCONN and I have complained that the men's basketball team has put winning before making sure these student athletes graduate college.  They have one of the lowest graduation rates of major universities; at least with their men's basketball team.  I have real issues with the college athletic system.  As an aunt of a student athlete, I have seen how high level college athletics work and the system isn't great and needs reforms.  That is a valid point.  Where she loses me is that she is somehow equating this with the logo and saying the logo represents male aggression towards women and rape.  

Well President Herbst, the new Husky logo may not be capable of frightening small children, but the face of real life UConn athletics is certainly capable of frightening college women.

Does this scare you?  

 Does that face make you want to cower in fear that you are going to be raped?  She is especially upset by this comment:

It is looking right through you and saying, ‘Do not mess with me.’ This is a streamlined, fighting dog, and I cannot wait for it to be on our uniforms and court.~Geno Auriemma stated about the new logo change.

For those that are not aware, Geno Auriemma is the women's basketball coach.  Maybe I am giving him an unwarranted benefit of the doubt, but somehow I don't think Coach Auriemma is looking to put the women on his team in danger.  The Lady Huskies recently were crowned NCAA champions; his eighth championship, call me crazy but he seems to have an interest in making UCONN a program that women want to play for.  If they are afraid for their safety, they are not likely to go to school there no matter how good the program is and how good of a coach he is.  

Look, I am not dismissing the amount of rapes that happen on college campuses.  Sadly, it is a relatively common occurrence. It happens all too often, on virtually all campuses across the country.  It is an issue that needs to be dealt with.  

But that is one of the reasons that I find her letter so offensive.  Somehow this cartoon like picture of a dog is the reason that men are rapists?  C'mon.  

Here is a picture of the old logo:

Now, the dog has been made to look sleeker, but also made to look more realistic as well.  

This is the type of thing that actually hurts women, not helps them.  It makes them seem like they are victims cowering at the sight of a cartoon dog.  If this is what feminism is, I pass.  You see I always thought that the reason for feminism was to "empower" women, how exactly is being afraid of a cartoon empowering?  To me, empowering women would be done by teaching them self defense so that they will feel that they can protect themselves if some lunatic tries to attack them. Maybe, just maybe, we should be teaching them things like this is wrong, and far more harmful to how they are viewed than a cartoon ever will.   Evil exists in the world, and changing a logo isn't going to stop that.  

But then again I could never put this on my bio, so what do I know?  

Carolyn Luby is a senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and Spanish and minoring in Latino/a Studies. She is involved in various different feminist groups and violence against women prevention efforts on campus and has particular interest in global feminisms and anti-imperial anti-colonial feminisms.

Anti-imperial, anti-colonial feminisms; why am I not surprised?  

H/T The Daily Caller