Running In Heelz

Break the Silence. Challenge each other. Stand with Women. This is a Men’s issue. 

Violence & Silence: Jackson Katz, Ph.D at TEDxFiDiWomen (by TEDxTalks)

That’s a direct quote people.

A few days ago I had the rare opportunity to observe young (college) men in their natural habitat… In other words I sat in a stuffy, smelly dorm room full of boys playing Super Smash Bros.

At first it was kinda cute. They sat in this slacked position with their mouths slightly open and eyes locked on the screen. They looked like little boys in giant man bodies. But then they started trash talking.

“I will rape your princess.”

“I am getting ass raped right now.”

“I’m about to give you the D.”

“You are my bitch.”

Saying I was instantly uncomfortable would be a gross understatement. I went from feeling like I was the only girl in a room full of guys who all cared about me and would protect and respect me, to feeling like I was the only girl in a room full of guys who believed that Rape was an acceptable way to declare power and dominance over another human being.

Is it really that difficult to limit your trash talk to “I’m gonna kick your ass bro!”? Does that not convey your feelings well enough?

But the problem was… this was mindless, unconscious trash talk. It just flowed from their mouths so easily. 

These are the same men who had earlier expressed rage at the idea of the current spree of gang rapes happening in Europe right now. But their unconscious expression in their trash talk told a different story. Where they expressed rage at other men (particularly non-American, non-white, non-christian men) using rape as a way to send a message, make a statement and declare power and dominance, they seemed to find it perfectly acceptable to use it in this instance. 

So, guys- you know who you are, the words you choose to use DO matter. It is never ok to use your words in a way that normalizes, accepts and even promotes sexual violence against another human being. Be conscious of your trash talk… and leave out the rape comments. Ass kicking should be sufficient. 

So obviously most people are pretty obsessed with the election right now. And to be honest I have the huffington post election results open in one tab, Maryland state results open in another and CNN on my tv right now. I’m not pretending to be unconcerned about the state of the union. However, there is another something buzzing around in my mind so hard that I have nearly forgotten my delicious dinner altogether and it’s getting cold on my coffee table. (If you don’t know me, this says A LOT since I am a starving college student sans meal plan.)

That buzzing topic is the subject of the film “Miss Representation.” I just saw a screening of it tonight and it moved me to both attention and action. It is a documentary bringing light to the way media portrays women through every source, movies, tv, journalism, politics, etc. My core was shaken. 

If you want more info on the film I highly encourage you to visit their site, http://www.missrepresentation.org/ and that’s where you can find links to their twitter, facebook and youtube.

Also, I would love to answer any questions about the film since I JUST saw it and plan on seeing it again as soon as I can get my hands on it! 

I realized as I went home that there were so many things I wanted to do for this cause and I COULD do them! But the first step was cleaning all the CRAP out of my own life. I need to reexamine everything I do in my life, how it effects myself, my peers and younger girls who look up to me. The movies and tv I choose to watch, the books and magazines I choose to read, the activities I spend my time on and the language I speak with all convey messages (whether I intend them to or not) about how I think of myself, how I want others to treat me and what I truly believe about myself and others. 

In the end, I realized I have become to lax, I’m letting my brain go to mush and my lifestyle is following QUICKLY after it. I need to pick myself, dust off my now lazy brain cells and learn to think critically again. I need to think critically about all my actions, choices and words and decide which ones to cut out and which ones to keep and above all I need to decide WHY I do the things I do, think the things I think and say the things I say.

More to Come.

oh-deir:

RICKY IS MY HERO. FOUR FOR YOU, RICKY, YOU GO RICKY.

(Source: devoureth)