THE WAY THINGS ARE

Attitudes of misogynistic men have seeped like a virus from a fetid swamp to infiltrate the body of hard-won female equality. These men don’t see themselves as crude throwbacks but as superior warriors entitled to use women to serve, Handmaiden style, or appease sexual appetites. They brazenly, aggressively present as role models to emulate for very young boys.

A case in the UK has caused furious objections because of the judge’s leniency towards repeated-rape perpetrators – because of their age. What of the victims’ young age? Rape is the worst form of invasion of privacy; an informed, adult woman suffers lasting, post traumatic stress. How to measure the trauma a young girl will sustain, will she ever trust a boy or man again, will social events become fear laden, how long before a man’s touch can be felt as genuine love?

Cyprus is no stranger to child abuse or women being raped. Ireland’s Rape Crisis Centre in Dublin expressed alarm at the ‘rape culture’ thriving in Ireland. It’s a pandemic verging on out of control.

Inactive authorities could do more to prevent it by making the punishment fit the crime, always. Time lapses between accusation and hearings add to the misery of insecurity as to outcome. Interrogation means victims mentally reenact the crime over and over. Not all claims against men are valid, but often women who have genuine cause to seek justice, are judged instead of the men they accuse.

Roofies are added to drinks yet in a hearing, even when a woman says she was doped, the question a defence lawyer parries with is: ‘But how much did you have to drink?’ Men will protest the women gave the impression of ‘being available’’ by behaviour or dress, their ‘No!’ part of a tease act.

The internet and social media spots whose owners fail to promptly remove dangerous content deserve more than fines. Thankfully, there’s another kind of male role model.

David Attenborough reached 100. He started on nature programmes when wild animals were treated as objects. When awareness grew along with criticism of capturing and caging them, respect for their rights and concern for our planet’s protection were amplified in his work. He’s proof positive that working at something you love feeds your desire to keep evolving rather than vegetating.

Interest and imagination are two of humankind’s greatest gifts; those who retain an interest in life and the world around them tend to age better and healthier mentally than those who do not.

Cypriot artist Rhea Bailey-Athanassiades’ latest exhibition was an array of bright, beautiful colour and design, illustrating how a seeking mind through artistic talent expands rather than retracts with age. Rhea’s questing mind enjoys seeking and exploring new cultural and spiritual experiences.

One doesn’t have to be creative to offer a fresh perspective to the life of other people and creatures. Reception of Attenborough’s wealth of practical knowledge of and respect for other species demonstrate how understanding that educates ignorance can extend into and change our behaviour.

Animal behaviour is mostly predictable, human behaviour is not. Animals, it’s perceived, act mainly on instinct, humans have the power of considered thought before action, choice is always mostly there and separates how the good men who see women as equals differ from those who do not. The latter have not evolved but are going backwards. They need an extended sentence in the bull-man-hell of Sasha Baron Cohen’s hilarious Ladies First on Netflix where gender roles are cleverly reversed and where a period of suffering what the other goes through, teaches humility.