For centuries men have had a sense of entitlement over women! I think it begins with the bible, as it states "Man should head the household." It also states "as he heads the church" I think the meaning of men heading the house has become very skewed in the sense it has been perceived they're suppose to "be in charge." This misconstrued belief of men being in charge contributes vastly to the entitlement men feel they have in the world, especially over women. All of this connects to the attitudes, behaviors, & beliefs of men about women, and is linked to violence towards women. A lot of people may find this part of my blog offensive, or take it personal because you feel I’m attacking Christians! This is NOT the case! To clarify, I’m not saying what the bible says causes violence against women. I am saying, that the misperception and how its meanings are taken out of context do help aid it. Do you know one of the most frequent places sexual assaults of children occur? Church! Anyway, men in whatever form- have taken their entitlement over women to extreme proportions over the years. It's definitely prevalent and most visible in main stream T.V., Music, and our everyday language. WORDS ARE POWERFUL! I can not stress the importance of that statement enough! All the "normal" b****, p****, h*, etc. These words are very belittling, and are used very commonly in men's everyday language. Especially when referring to other males to challenge or devalue their status as a man. These words and many others are ingrained in men's vocabulary and are accepted by society! This acceptance that it's ok to use degrading terms directed at women just reinforces male entitlement. "You throw like a girl"-"you hit like a girl"- "quit acting like a girl"-"stop bickering like a girl"-"you're crying like a little girl"-"quit whining like a girl" .... Ok I think you get the point! These "slogans" are constantly used to keep boys conformed to social norms. The message that is tagged a long with them though, is that if a boy does anything wrong he gets compared to a girl, and that boys shouldn't be compared to girls because boys are "better" This is the basic concept that our kids are taught, instead of the values of equality. So in this, I urge you to once again, examine your language! Critically examine the language of all your family & peers (especially men) and start creating change to bring about equality for women! Step Up!
Jeremy
