We Told You

We told you. We told you we are abused, harassed, maligned. We said too many men are like this. Too many men. The boy in class, your boss at work, a family member. And nobody believed us. If you're not fucking angry about this, then fuck you. What is happening to women is a hate crime. It's not just a character flaw.

It's not easy being a woman right now, in fact, it never has been. If we have learned anything, it's that women don't matter. They are an after thought. They are the special interest group of America. The reckoning we are going through right now is exhausting, horrible and wonderful. For the first time ever, men are experiencing consequences for their actions. They are being forced to be more self-aware and hopefully less predatory.

Change is not easy and we're seeing a lot of push back from men with complaints involving due process, as if due process was ever a thing. The legal system works in men's favour when it comes to cases of rape and domestic abuse or he said/she said crimes. Now that women are taking their stories to the court of public opinion, they are finally getting the justice they deserve. What she says is beginning to matter.

If committing sexual violence is part of what being a man means, then we have a bigger problem on our hands. It means that cultural reform will entail deconstructing masculinity. Given that masculinity and male identity are so intertwined, criticizing masculinity means criticizing the man, and no one likes to feel personally attacked. 

Since the beginning of time, women have been oppressed by man. This has been perpetuated by religion and the fact that men are physically stronger than women. Women are aware of societal structures because they have always been near the bottom of them. However, white men hardly ever notice these very same hierarchies or that they are the sole benefactor of them. Maybe realizing that your position in society is unearned is much too unsettling.