Here’s what you can do about Jian Ghomeshi
by eatonhamilton
doodle by Jane Eaton Hamilton unknown date
People have been asking me, since my blog post about Jian Ghomeshi and violence against women went viral, what’s next? What can we do with our fury, our deep frustration? How can we stop the patriarchy so that our daughters, granddaughters, sons and grandsons don’t have their lives reduced and shattered by the very societal malaise that fractured our generation, and the generations before ours?
What’s next, folks?
You tell me.
I do know change has to start inside us. First we have to identify what’s wrong, but the next step is to work to surpass it in ourselves–in our own homes, in our schools, in the fields in which we work, in our institutions, in the government so that we are not part of the problem but part of the solution.
As a first step, watch this Ted Talk by Jackson Katz and pass it the heck on–pass it to every one of the 100,000 people who viewed my blog post, and get them to pass it along to 100 or 1000 more.
There is a will to change sweeping this country, so let’s change.
I think the answer is simple, but the execution extremely difficult. I see the same issues in so many areas of society especially races, and sexes.
1. Stop grouping people together it only seperate them more. Men, women, black white, athletic, fat, healthy etc.
2 Stop deminishing, undermining, and victimizing groups.
2. Once that stops the mentalities of inferior/ superior, stonger/weaker, privileged etc will need to stop.
Everyone in a first world country is privileged just in different ways. But society is still taught by example, and media, entertainment examples for the most part still portray races and sexes the same as ever, it’s just being done more cleverly and subliminally.
Women feel weak because they’re made to feel that way, or that they should be or they’re less of a woman, and it’s terrible.
Minorities feel pursectuted because theyre repeatedly told they are. What happens in turn is that women and minorities feel the need to over compensate. Which is what we have now and it’s not good. This causes just as many problems in the opposite direction.
It’s all about exchange of power and control, act submissive get treated that way, act aggressive and expect it back. One issue is the contradiction that men want womenly women which translates to soft weak and submissive and a fear of being an outcast and men are made to feel that they are the strong ones, brains and braun and here we are.
I have been working with my wife for years to have her own ideas, be strong and speak up but not be annoying, not to diminish her contributions by her speech or lack of it support her ideas with facts and logic and it’s been a struggle because it’s all done automatically with “I guess, and “if it’s ok”.
A good example is the chosen wife in the movie Coming to America. Sadly that’s actually how most women are taught to be wher her they realize it or not. “Whatever you like” being every answer.
Minorities go through the same thing being told that they are the underdog and pursectued, sounds like bullying to me. Why not teach that they have advantages and different opportunities instead of none, then wonder why they feel like all hope is lost.
There will always be jerks, and people that take too many liberties. No matter what is done, but wouldn’t it be nice if those who truly deserve it were the pursecuted and not a certain group because of race, sex, or because someone told them they were.