A Men's Issue || TedTalk

Why is the subject of gender violence so often seen as a women's issue? It's for the same reason that racial issues are often pinned to minority groups. The group of dominance-- in the case of gender violence, men-- usually don't get examined in Jackson Katz gives such an amazing view on this topic.

Katz gives us the work of feminist linguist Julia Penelope, an incredibly eye-opening segment of sentences going from John beat Mary to Mary is a battered woman. We see John removed from the sentence entirely, out of focus, and Mary becomes only a battered woman. That is her identity. The questions should not be about Mary-- the questions should not be put solely on the victim of abuse. Instead of people looking at me and asking 'why did you stay?' why don't they look at my abuser and ask 'why did he abuse her?'

Through his entire talk, Jackson Katz points out how women who try to talk about these subjects-- abuse and violence against women and men as well as children-- get torn down. Insulted. Bashed. He refers to this as 'shooting the messenger.' No one wants the boat rocked, no one wants power questioned.

Jackson Katz also goes on to talk about how men can take a stand with women, how men can stand up and start really making a difference. How men who aren't abusive or insulting can approach men who are instead of shrugging it off. How they can use the power they have within society to make a real difference because Katz does recognize that men do have a power that most women don't possess. He also discusses important things such as the bystander approach and leadership training rather than 'sensitivity training'. I urge everyone to take a moment to watch this video. It isn't at all long, and it's mostly a matter of listening. As Katz said, this information is not only owed to women, but also to young men and children who are growing up around us.

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