Men Teach Boys~It takes a village

Children listen to what you do more than to what you say…everywhere we go in society we as adults are showing children what we expect of them. Whether they are our own flesh and blood, or the child we see at the grocery store…they are watching us…

Men and women are outraged at the rape culture and some express frustration at how to stop it; while others see the penalties are just not enough for the crimes committed. But there is something else going on that is not being addressed in my opinion and its staring us right in the face.

As long as some people are willing to turn a blind eye to the objectification, the abuse, the might is right attitude still pervasive in society that says men have the right to own, control, use women for their pleasure, fodder for their jokes, sex to sell their products and generally dehumanize and put down women; as long as we accept this as ok, we’ll continue to see the actions that follow the mindset.

Rape is not sex. Rape is violence against another human being. It is not going to end by castrating the offender, or locking them up. Its going to end when we stop rewarding masculine dominance over women and children in our world. Women and children are not property to be owned. Some will suggest that putting down women is not the same as rape; no its not but its the attitude that contributes to the undervaluing of the human being that contributes to the violence. Rape is overpowering, manipulating, controlling another human being and that is happening in many other areas of our lives; rape is the extreme expression of that mindset; from my observation.

Women have been attempting to change this attitude for a long time; now it is time for men to step up to the plate and consciously be aware of the example they are setting in their homes, their workplace and in social settings. It is also time for women to speak up and teach their daughters that they are not property, do deserve to be respected and to give them the self confidence to value themselves. We as the adults have to support the society we want and feed that, rather than pretending its not happening; or its only happening to those people.

We are not living alone on this planet and what happens to some in our society affects us all.