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There are more constructive ways to make your point. You're right that men are part of the problem. That also makes them part of the solution. By using rhetoric
by jeffreyrogers 8y ago
There are more constructive ways to make your point. You're right that men are part of the problem. That also makes them part of the solution. By using rhetoric that alienates men who can be swayed either way you perpetuate the problem you are trying to solve.
I think a good example of how to approach this issue constructively is found in the civil rights movement. The messaging in the civil rights movement wasn't: white people are doing bad things. It was: black people deserve the same treatment as everyone else. One of those messages alienates people, the other unites everyone in a common cause.
Similarly, a more constructive way of viewing the current sexual harassment issue would be something like: here are some things women experience in the workplace that we can all agree are wrong, and men have an important role to play in both not engaging in these actions and in dissuading their colleagues from engaging in them when they occur.
- beat 8y agoI think you're comparing to a fictional version of the civil rights movement, not the actual response it received. Note the past tense; I'm sure you meant "MLK", not the modern civil rights movement. Let's dig into that. The most recent major civil rights protest is the kneeling protest during NFL games - black (and some white) players taking a knee rather than standing during the national anthem, to protest racism and state violence against black people. And millions of white Americans are furious. Players are being punished for it. The president refuses to meet with a team (that interestingly, had no kneelers before). The vast majority of white Americans disapprove of this protest. The nature of the protest? Black men, sitting quietly, saying nothing, breaking no laws, for about two minutes. And white America is furious. Remember that past tense thing? MLK was assassinated a half a century ago. And we're still fighting for civil rights, although white America tends to think of it as a past tense thing where there was no violence and everyone agreed. Now, take this lesson and apply it to sexism.