Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 12, 1994 TAG: 9401120198
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NICOLE WEISENSEE KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
It's been the subject of newspaper columns, editorial cartoons and water-cooler conversation across the nation.
And now that Lorena Bobbitt's trial is under way in Manassas, John Bobbitt's penis - and whether it deserved Lorena's treatment with a Ginsu knife - is back in the public consciousness.
Why did one couple's marital difficulties capture the attention of the nation?
One reason the incident resonates may be that it comes at a time when the roles of men and women are in flux, arousing a lot of fear and uncertainty, said Maggie Scarf, author of several books on male-female relations.
"The bottom line on the Bobbitt case was just the mad hatred that it implied," she added. "And the fact that people are so absorbed in it just says something sad about the state of the sexes. Because if we're going to be jockeying for power and looking at each other as the enemy, how are we going to be friends and lovers?"
It also may be because of the viciousness of Lorena Bobbitt's response, said best-selling author Gay Talese, who is writing about the case in the context of male-female relations for The New Yorker.
"It certainly isn't often that women exhibit violent behavior," Talese said in an interview. "In peace and war, men are usually the villains."
In addition, "It's hard to shock people anymore. So everything must be escalated. This is an escalated incident."
To a certain extent, the Bobbitts each have become symbols for their gender.
Lorena Bobbitt has received many letters and calls from women offering support.
Talese believes John Bobbitt "may be the male answer to Anita Hill."
Howard Stern, author of "Private Parts" and notorious shock disc jockey who is not known for his sensitivity to women, has taken John Bobbitt's side. Bobbitt was paid $250,000 to appear on Stern's New Year's Eve pay-per-view TV special, and Stern has tried to raise money for his medical and legal bills (he owes about $300,000).
Stern is selling T-shirts for $25 that feature a knife-wielding woman on the front and the phrase "Love Hurts" on the back.
Advocates on either side aren't as lighthearted.
Sidney Stiller, president and founder of the National Organization for Men Inc., believes the incident is symbolic of the war between the sexes.
"There's a very deep hatred of men in this country by women," Stiller said. ". . . When in the hell could you ever talk to a radical feminist? . . . In this country, men have been put into a position where they're being blamed for every ill that society has."
Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women, however, points out that in the past decade, violence against women has increased four times faster than any other crime.
"There is not even a term for hatred of men," Ireland said. "Does he think the term `misogyny' - hatred of women - came from Fantasyland? I think it's a bum rap to say women, feminists in particular, hate men. On the contrary."
Despite the seriousness of the interest groups, the jokes go on . . . and on.
Even The Washington Post got into the humor act, with a column by Tony Kornheiser titled "A Slice of Wife."
"The incident has prompted a run on coffee and Jolt cola in the metropolitan area, as men seek to load up on caffeine so they can avoid sleeping now - and maybe for the next four years," he wrote.
Noting that one story had said the couple was experiencing domestic difficulty, Kornheiser wrote, "Calling this domestic difficulty is like saying Jeffrey Dahmer had an eating disorder."
Another person who has gained fame from the Bobbitt case is Dr. James Sehn, the Manassas urologist who reattached John Bobbitt's penis.
"The essentials of my life haven't changed," he said in a phone interview. "I'm still a hardworking urologist here in Manassas. Obviously at a certain level it's been fun. It's been fun to be a celebrity for a couple of months."
Although Sehn's professional demeanor kicked in as soon as he saw John Bobbitt in the emergency room and he worked to prevent Bobbitt from bleeding to death, he said he did have a personal reaction.
"As any man would, I had an immediate reaction of horror at the sight of what happened to him," he said. "Just imagining the visual image of a man on his back with a blood clot where his penis should be provokes a wrenching gut reaction in anyone."
by CNB