Men, I'm upset with what we have become and what we are seen as. We have not done our job to be protectors of women that are put in vulnerable situations. Instead, we become the predator and that needs to change. We are violating a basic human right known as consent. This needs to stop.
I'm upset, that we are destroying the lives of women around college campuses. We have used social status to make the crime acceptable to commit. We cannot use such a petty thing to overrule the right of women. They have rights just like us and we have done an awful job following it. We are seen as predators and not as protectors. Our job is to protect and not harm.
I'm upset, that we have tucked away all the lessons that we have learned from authority figures. No means no, if she is not into any advances you throw in her direction back off. We have been taught through parents and other figures to respect everyone, but we have tucked it away in favor of taking whatever we want. Would you shake your father's hand with the one you forced upon that woman last night? Better yet, would you dare kiss your mother with the lips you smeared on that same girl? It is sad that we have painted this image for women and that truly is a shame.
I'm upset, that we have justified talking about committing these crimes and calling it "locker room talk". No man should ever joke about such a heinous crime in any setting. This is not locker room talk anymore and never should be. Women should be treated with respect, not as some prize or trophy. The time for joking about any sort of sexual crime in a locker room setting has ended and should have never begun. No more what says stays. When we hear it we question and report. Not just for women, but all of us.
I'm upset, that hearing about sexual assault on college campuses has become a normal spot on the news. Men, we have to do better and it is very frustrating hearing of another man taking advantage of a defenseless woman at a party or anywhere for that matter. Every day it seems there is a new story about sexual assault happening somewhere. This shouldn't be a normal thing to see, but we have failed and have made it a story. Consent is not this new term that came out of thin air, it has always been there. Stop pretending that it never was.
Men, it is time to paint our image the way it should be. Be the one that can be leaned upon in vulnerable situations. Be the one that will always ask for consent before doing anything. Be the one that will always be the protector and not a predator. If we can change this stigma we will no longer be seen as news spots or predators. But, looking the way women are looked, as people.
