A note for men in the US. Listen up! With the catastrophic Roe vs Wade decision you must support all women in your life. You ALSO need to tackle men: stop men’s violence against women (from tiny sexism to outright torture). What can men do to improve women’s lives in every way?
@Miraz Here, here! We can and must be allies. It can be uncomfortable but it is absolutely necessary. Our comfort is not our concern. Challenging supremacy, patriarchy, that is our concern. It manifests in so many ways in daily life. It may be the words of a male relative, in my own case, my father, my brother-in-law, my brother are all examples of my confrontations, numerous and repeatedly. Over and over and over and over. Sometimes it is blatant and outrageous. Other times subtle.
I think we may not always know the ways that we can help. Sometimes it’s more obvious than others that we can step up. Other times we should be careful not to accidentally perpetuate hierarchy, paternalism, etc. But don’t ever go along and be aware of the ways that you might have in the past. Challenge your self and be open to critique if it’s pointed out to you that your attempts go awry. We’ve all been raised in patriarchies and the work to challenge supremacy (of all kinds) is always ongoing.
Also, there’s plenty to do in terms of mutual aid to support roles/tasks like escorting at clinics. This can be scary but is important work to do. It will become more important as pressure is increased in states where clinics can still operate. But think about volunteering if you can.
@Miraz I’m listening! My wife and I were just outside talking about this, and I completely agree with you.
@Miraz @Denny @pratik @antonzuiker With you. this is an important conversation to have. Roe v. Wade is the first to fall but there will be others. Unless we stand up.
@Denny What men can do is so far-reaching. Consider what ‘you’ are reading, watching, listening to. How many women are represented as leads? For every book written by a man that you read, seek out one written by a woman, for example. For decades now I prefer to pay women for their skills rather than paying men: my dentist, doctor, the piece of pottery I bought this morning — all women.
@antonzuiker 😀 It’s like noticing all the fine roots that extend to keep patriarchy (and racism and other things) alive. It’s not just about changing (terrible) laws, it’s about how we live our own lives. I notice, for myself, that my brain is colonised by sexism and racism and other ‘isms’. An idea pops into my brain, I notice it’s racist and correct myself. That’s one example.
@pratik It’s not just speaking up one one issue but trying to be aware in one’s own life too. I know you will talk to your son about relevant things like respect and saying and accepting No, but there’s that kind of thing too.
