Mistreatment of women, serious problem

Charlie Remy / Columnist

The article in the February 17th issue by Leigh Ann Vanscoy entitled "Safety on Campus Remains an Important Issue for Students" brings up a pertinent and ongoing problem throughout our society: violence by men against women. The statistics are overwhelming. In my home state of Maine, over half of the homicides each year are the result of domestic violence.

The root of the problem rests in our patriarchal culture, where misogyny (hatred of women) is a key factor among many males. Men are cultured to behave with aggression and violence. Frustration can accumulate by "not being able" to show or deal with emotions when conforming to the North American model of masculinity. I completely agree with author Allan Johnson, who spoke recently at Elon. He suggested that we discontinue having football as our nation's premiere sport because it simply trains men to fight.

I believe that masculinity (and femininity) are socially constructed and not biological givens. Masculinity varies from culture to culture.

This is a good thing because it gives us hope. It is possible to raise a generation of men who are less violent and respect women more. As a man, I cannot imagine having to rearrange my life in order to ensure safety, like many women are forced to do. Women live in a constant state of fear which men simply don't have to experience. It is unjust to be considered a victim before any crime takes place because of one's sex. Women feel they cannot walk alone at night or go to certain areas of cities, whereas men do not give a second thought to this.

I encourage men to reflect upon this and try to understand how it must feel to always have to be on alert as a woman in our society due to the high rate of violence against females. The issue of male violence upon women goes deeper than simply programming one's cellphone for campus security. We must raise our children so that they respect and admire women. In the meantime, I encourage women on campus to sign up for self-defense classes, sponsored by the Womens/Gender Studies program. This is a great way to empower oneself and live a life of less fear.

Contact Charlie Remy at opinions@elon.edu or 278-7247.