One of the reasons I think that sexual harassment between adolescents is not really spoken about is because these people are young to the point it is really uncomfortable or disturbing to think that anyone of that age is possible do something so wrong. Another section that I do agree with, is that young men or teen boys are taught that this level of aggression is normal. This is because maybe not directly taught to us by our parents or whoever is raising us but by simply watching a character on television. The character who acts like this is usually the one that ends up on top or is a protagonist. This part also reminded me of a clip of a show where a father encourages his son to go have sex, He says something to the effect of “ am I supposed to be hard on him because he’s getting it in” . Then his wife informs him that their daughter isn’t a virgin and then the father is falling down a black hole.

Mario Arvanitidis

Upon reading Normalizing Sexual Violence I was shocked and suprised to say the least with the findings of the study which was geared towards male sexual aggression towards females.  What suprised me the most were the explicit interviews and the age of these young girls being harassed in what we should consider safe settings such as schools and school busses.  The study does a great job in exposing the negative influence which patriarchy has on the “culture of sex”.  Hlavka asserts that, “Girls in this study said they did not want to make a ‘big deal’  out of their experiences and rarely reported these incidents to persons in authority” (346).  This mindset is terribly wrong, with the notion that these situations can escalate the more they go unreported.  It is essential that females are made aware of the difference between mere flirting and sexual harassment.  Hlavka states that, ” Harassment was dangerously constructed as romance and flirting” (345).  With this misconstrued concept, males are given freedom to violate females without the worry of consequence because the harassment is viewed as flirting.  Males and females alike should be educated on the difference between innocent flirting and sexual harassment and in general to respect eachother’s personal space.  In the case of 14 year old Janice, who was sexually harassed by a “30-something-year-old” monster named Matt, I stress again the need for females to report any such activity to authorities.  Whether they believe it was normal or not,  girls need to be informed that nobody is to violate their personal space without their consent.  I also believe that parents should take the time to talk with their children about sex and make them feel comfortable with the idea that it is normal and natural to have sexual urges.  I know this is hard and may be awkward at first for both the parent and the child, however this may help a child be more suseptible to report such sexual harassment and keep monsters like Matt from violating future victims.

It is an Unfortunate reality that young women nowadays have to be aware of wrongful sexual activity that exists in the environments they learn and live in. While reading this article it was shockingly disturbing to me that rape culture and sexual violence has been accepted by a patriarchal society over many years. A system that has historically let many young sex offenders off the hook while many women suffer the mental consequences of the experiences.  Then I start to think to about the accounts from the article and how many young women in the article share many parallels to friends & peers around my age group who confided their secrets within me. Those women who will be unnamed for the most part had suffered abuse with a boyfriend that had taken advantage of them and didn’t know how to adjust from that. It was no coincidence that all of these personal accounts had happened when they were very young. These ages range from 11-17. Some had taken, therapy, drugs, one even tried to find guidance through Church. Strangely non of them had reported their accounts and it had startled me. Many of them felt they weren’t going to be rightfully justified so why bother. One had consented but didn’t know what she had consented too and didn’t know how to handle that sexual encounter.

I feel that us as the upcoming new generation has to be open issues like this and inform teens at a young age the right from wrongs of sexual abuse. To have teachings of the the deeper meanings of the word “consent”. That sometimes it’s okay to change your mind in the moment. Give the youth clear indications and when and where sexual abuse is taking place; also give the youth indictions on when to have to diffuse those types of activities.

 

In today’s society, sexual violence is  a crime that occurs far too often. Many times sexual violence also comes with attitudes that attempt to discredit it. Such attitudes are known as rape myths. The author states that rape myths are defined as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally false but are widely and persistently held, serve to deny/justify male aggression against women.”

It was shocking for me to hear that there are actually people who believe that a woman can’t claim she was raped if she does not have bruises . Mindset and attitudes such as these call for social changes. Contrary to what the author states I would like to believe that rape myth acceptances have declined amongst college students. All around the media are movements advocating for women’s rights and safety such as #metoo. Throughout the campus I’ll hear about clubs or protest that advocate for the well being of a woman so it seems to me that ideologies such as rape myths wouldn’t be accepted in atmospheres such as Hunter’s

If I address solely the title, I can give my critique on what Psychologists are doing to help. I largely agree with all the offerings. I think it needs to be said explicitly that there needs to be an effort to normalize psychological health and mental wellness. This includes therapy and all the other resources related. I also agree that there needs to be a marketing campaign to the mentioned end of normalization. Psychology does need a new face if not a variety of faces.

If I look at the claims within the article, there are complicated sets of arguments being made. Some I can accept, and others I have much more difficulty. Largely, I agree that a paradigm shift is taking place. I disagree with much of what I see as rationalization for a small subset of the Male or White-Male population. I don’t understand this notion of fitting in. Being introduced to changing or new norms is not some new human phenomenon. Immigrants of all colors have historically lived this and still do today as they deal with radically different societal and cultural norms.

The article quickly admits “many American men are fighting” and they’re losing ground in a conflict. It begs the question who or what is the enemy? Why is there a conflict? The article mentions later that “Men who strive to meet these masculine ‘ideals’ might feel threatened, consciously or otherwise, by societal shifts, including the increasingly powerful role of women in the workplace or the growing acceptance of same-sex relationships.” The power of women and homo-sexuality—itself an affront to traditional masculine norms—threatens some.

Now, why should this be my concern? These men are not the majority. And though all men face this reality to varying degrees, most can cope and so will adjust and adapt just fine. Most will never turn to violence. But there are enough that the threat of domestic terrorism is real. As the public is effectively held hostage by these actors, it becomes everyone’s concern.

So what’s the problem? Society is changing. The article argues we don’t talk to white men and ask them what they’re struggling with. Perhaps, but when has society asked anyone what they were struggling with intending to aid them? There exists rhetoric that is dismissive of white men’s problems. Both women and people of color believe the white male plight pales in comparison. Some of the rhetoric may be baseless, but I don’t see it’s entirety as unfair or untruthful. There are other examples of grievances being minimized historically. I don’t see that as the problem.

Society is changing but I don’t see the underlying tenets of masculinity changing too much. Most men aren’t struggling with adjustment for their effort. To not mention the racist undertones that led these white males to the Trump campaign also makes that reference incomplete in the article. Why is it that ethnic men don’t seem to struggle with these issues of changing norms the white their white counterparts might? As society moves towards ‘equality’, white men see their market share of social power decreasing. And to make matters worse, liberal policies enacted by the government assist with initiatives that promote ‘equity’. This is what has to be addressed. The article comes back to this idea again when it reads, “Other data suggest many of the nation’s white men—as well as women—are struggling with both physical and mental health problems. While other ethnic and racial groups have seen their health improve over the years, death rates have increased for middle-aged white Americans with no college education.” There seems to be a racial undertone or even existentialism that goes unaddressed. The article suggests that sexist attitudes might have detrimental effect on men’s mental health. I say that’s the case TODAY. Previously sexist attitudes were the norm, and they were rewarded if not ignored. It was the status quo and existed within society’s harmony. Racist attitudes were the same, despite abolitionism having a history older than Christianity.

I would agree that masculine ideology is under attack, but not by anyone in particular. It doesn’t seem compatible with where society is heading. Locker room talk won’t fly when your school is 69% female. Throughout my academic career I was always outnumbered by females, but only today am I keenly aware of it to the point where it makes me more deliberate in what I say. The change is real. Old, settled, dusty traditions are being kicked up and who knows where things will settle. Just as Locke’s arguments against hereditary rule were the same as his arguments against hereditary slavery, there are many arguments accepted today that lead to uncomfortable conclusions in other applications. Some white men are terrified of their vulnerability and all its forms, including emotional, fiscal, racial, etc.

As for fixing things, some of the offerings as solutions don’t seem like solutions at all. One part of traditional masculine ideology is that room has always been left for the less educated, simple man to be a man. If education is the solution, then men now compete with an increased emphasis on education. Now what? There will still be losers and men in the lower percentiles feeling left out. As labor jobs continue to decline, and we need to rely more on our brains to earn a living; we’ll still have a problem. The article makes me think we want to arm people with boiler plate arguments so that they can debate in real time with the wannabe Jordan Petersons and Ben Shapiros of the world.

The outreach through friends is a novel approach. This is the approach De Blasio is taking with his Mental Health First Aid initiative. It’s still being implemented so the results are to be seen. Ultimately, the reality is that Men must make peace with the fact that the increasing power of women will continue to force a rethinking of gender norms. Most men never felt powerful, fierce, or strong. To be depreciated further is confusing. At a time when there seem to be efforts to elevate everyone else but you, feeling left behind is natural. I just wish we were more honest and direct about this conversation. It’s more than just a gender thing white males particularly are dealing with. And its more than just a gender thing all men are dealing with. Loss of status and having to bend to another’s will is as un-masculine as it goes. Men are living that now.

The article brings up some interesting points, like how there is a growing scarcity of jobs in the manufacturing and mining industry. I have a hard time correlating this example with the idea of masculine ideals being threatened. During World War 2 back in the 1940s women began entered workforce in droves, taking on labor/factory related task to help provide for their families and to further the war effort; this was almost 80 years ago. The current scarcity of jobs is not due to former house wives gaining financial freedom’s by joining the workforce. Rather, it is due to an ever-expanding trend of technological advancements, and its impact on the industrial industries necessity for human labor. This very real issue will only get worse overtime since American society is still fixated on a capitalist framework. The idea of self-reliance is not unique to just men but are shared between the human species as a whole. When the day comes were humans are no longer needed to produce/distribute/sell goods, educate, entertain, invent and innovate; how will the common people, male or female be able to find jobs to provide for themselves let alone a family? The answer is they won’t, unemployment will only get worse as technology continues to advance.

In the section “Masculinity gets in the way”, Weir talks about how masculinity gets in the way of males when considering jobs related to things like childcare, health care, education, and food preparation. The very idea of these things, save for childcare (due to female anatomy), being exclusively feminine professions seems rather idiotic. Civilizations for eons are believed to have been created and expanded based on a patriarchal framework. Some of the most renowned figures throughout history such as scholars, inventors, doctors, poets, authors and the like are predominantly believed to be male. If we are to believe this is true, then the notion that these jobs, which relate to health care and education, are exclusively feminine professions simply cannot be true. When it comes to food preparation, most kitchens within the comical food industry in America are filled with employees of both sexes. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Food service and drinking places, (which include restaurants and other food services, drinking places, alcoholic beverages) women make up 52.9%, or a little over half, of the total workforce in this industry (Bureau of Labor Statistics). While some of the most world renown chiefs today (Gorden Ramsey) are also male. Are we to believe that the other 47.1% of employees have forsaken masculinity for the sake of employment? To me, the problem appears to be more of a class/social status issue more than it is a gender related one. Perhaps subconsciously, this specific demographic of males prefers to be restricted to jobs related to physical labor, reminiscent to physical slave labor, as a way to quell the Id’s innate desire to hunt/capture/kill. Or perhaps they were simply raised to be bigots.

Citation

“Employed Persons by Detailed Industry, Sex, Race, and Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 Jan. 2019, www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat18.htm.

After reading the paper of Rape Myth Acceptance in college student by Rosemary Iconis, it makes me understand how important we need sex education in schools in order to stop all the tragedy happen again.

In the paper, it mentioned that there are some myths out there around sexual violence and assault. Time and time again these myths prevent survivors from coming forward and getting the help they need. Some myths like most sexual assaults are committed by strangers. In facts, most assaults are committed by either friends, acquaintances or by previous spouse or partner. Essentially we’re much more likely to be assaulted by someone we know than by a stranger.

Instead of destroying the myths of rape, the more important question is how to stop the rape? Rose said that rape prevention programs must find ways to impact the communication patterns and behavior patterns of college students in their everyday interactions. And yes, the way is to talk more about sex.

Before taking this class I am kinda ashamed to talk about sex until I understand that the more we talk about it, the more we understand how to stop the tragedy. Whether it is our sexual organs, sexual orientation, or sexual desire. Only through rational understanding, discussion, and learning of all the knowledge related to “sex” will we be able to express and maintain our own “boundary”.

Therefore, I think that our society urgently needs to talk more about sex, but in a more educational way. That is to say, no longer sees sex as a taboo but treats it with normal things

And sure, there may be some parents don’t necessarily agree with sex education. However, I want to tell that your children may also be victims of sexual assault. If someone tries to sexual assault your child, he or she will only suffer more because of sexual taboos and ignorance. Knowledge is power. Rather than letting them receive all kinds of sensational, violent, negative or even completely wrong myths from the Internet or the media, it is better to give them real sexual knowledge through proper channels. For the safety of us or our next generation, we should consider the promotion of supportive education.