The "L word" being Lena Dunham, but this post is going to be an (angry) exception.
As discussed in my previous post, Lena Dunham has been under fire recently after one of her Girls co-stars accused one of the writers of sexual assault, and Dunham claimed that her co-star was lying. Well, her drama didn't just stop there folks: Zinzi Clemmons, a writer for another Dunham related project called Lenny Letters, publicly left her position. Her reason why? “It is time for women of color — black women in particular — to divest from Lena Dunham,” Clemmons stated in a Twitter post. Clemmons claims that Dunham was racist long before she was famous -- her and her college friends were known for their racist "jokes" including the use of the N word. Hollywood in general needs to divest from these toxic, misogynistic, racist actors and comedians who think derogatory actions can be seen as "just jokes." I have never been a fan of Lena Dunham. The more I learn about her, the more I realize I truly never will be. For someone who claims to be a feminist, she has done some terrible things. There are many better women who deserve to be a role model. Dunham tries to advocate feminism, but her version is a very white feminism. Feminism can't function without intersectionality. Without diversity, no one can learn or grow as a feminist. People who promote white feminism promote division and put down those of different backgrounds. Many who support white feminism don't understand how their actions can effect others, and it is time for them to learn.
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If you have some how avoided the internet in the past few weeks, you may have missed all the chaos currently going on in the land of celebrities.
Following the movement of #Me Too, over 50 women have come forward to accuse American film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. Unfortunatley, this case that shocked the globe was just the tip of the iceberg. Celebrities such as Kevin Spacey, Ben Affleck, and many more men have been exposed as more victims come forward and tell their stories. It's not just men under fire; Lena Dunham -- who herself admitted to sexually abusing her little sister -- has been attacked after standing up for the writer of her show Girls after her African-American co-star Aurora Perrineau accused him of sexual assault. Dunham has since apologized in the form of a Twitter response, but that hasn't stopped the backlash she is facing online. Dunham advocates that she is a feminist, but many in the online community don't see her as one. So what does this all mean? What does (or should) the public take away from what is currently going on? First, which I believe is obvious but I am putting it in here anyway, is believe someone when they say they have been sexually assaulted. There is counter arguments saying "oh well I know someone who lied and got an innocent person in trouble." But if someone has come to you, trusted you, and opened up to you about something horrific that has happened in their life, the last thing you should do is accuse them of lying. You could in turn only make their situation worse. Second, stop supporting artists who have been accused or are known for sexual assault. This is a popular issue with celebrities such as Woody Allen and Johnny Depp. I personally was a huge Johnny Depp fan, but with his not so reputable past, I am trying to eliminate his works from my enjoyment. Netflix pulled the power card in removing Kevin Spacey from their popular show House of Cards, but not every company is willing to cut ties with someone who makes them money. It is up to the public to put their foot down and say "this can't keep happening." Finally, change needs to start from the source. It's a dried out conversation, but we need to stop putting blame on victims. We need to talk with everyone about the dangers of sexual assault, as well as people's personal rights to their own body. Children growing up need to learn to respect each others personal space, and create other harassment prevention measures. This issue cannot get swept under the rug. It is something that needs to be dealt with, now more than ever. When I was younger, I always saw cat-calling as a compliment. When I was in middle school, it didn't scare me when an older man called me "hot" or "sexy" out of a car window. As I've gotten older, I have realized how wrong this mindset was.
Last week, I was grocery shopping and a male stocker asked me if I needed any help. I responded with "no thanks," but he kept asking me "are you sure?" and finally said "are you sure you don't want to go on a date with me?" I immediately put down what I was looking at and walked away. He yelled at me down the isle "I guess that means you're taken then," and by the time I reached the till I was in tears. I spent the walk home crying to my dad on the phone about how unfair life is being a girl. I followed up with the grocery store and received a formal apology from the manager. He spoke to the stocker and said that the stocker now knows what he did was inappropriate. If I was still 14, I would've taken it as a compliment. If I was still 18, I would've reacted the same as I did, but I wouldn't have reported it because I would have thought I was overreacting. Cat-calling culture needs to end. What may seem like a harmless compliment can have serious implications on someones mental health. I was in shambles after the incident, and the stocker claimed he meant no harm by it. Some cat-callers do mean harm, and that is where it gets dangerous. Young girls should not be sexualized. Women should not have to worry about harassment each time they leave their house. Cat-calling leads to more serious, dangerous implications depending on the stability of the parties involved. Some of my female friends choose to ignore it. Some retaliate, yelling and swearing at the men who harass them. My father thinks the best response is a witty comeback. I disagree. In my opinion, the only way to stop it is to go above the harasser. If it happens in a situation like mine, the manager is the best source. If you're being harassed in a public setting, a security officer, a bouncer, or even the police are always an option depending on the situation. Don't let anyone take advantage of you. You have the right to your body and your comfort, and no one is allowed to take that from you. The University of Victoria is working to increase the amount of women in the faculty of engineering and computer science in an attempt to reach gender equality in the field, but the timeline is undetermined.
As of right now, only 18 per cent of UVic’s engineering students are female. The highest amount of women in a specific department, biomedical, is currently at 47 per cent. The numbers are even less in the workplace according to Engineers Canada. From a student perspective Meike Engel, a fourth-year civil engineering student, talks being a woman on this career path. “I have heard from other people it has been difficult in the workforce,” she said. “There's some issues with different ideas about women.” Recently Engineers Canada has rolled out the 30 by 30 plan. This plan is trying to get women to represent 30 per cent of all engineering students across Canada by 2030. By increasing the amount of women in school, it will attempt to decrease the discrimination in the workplace, according to the website. “Some of the faculties, like electrical, there's hardly any women, so there's like one girl in a lab,” Engel said, “whereas for me I'm in civil, it's almost 50/50.” Dr. Lillanne Jackson, Associate Dean of the Undergraduate Faculty of Engineering, discusses how 30 by 30 is just an industry target. “UVic has successfully recruited more female students to engineering, with our numbers more than doubling over the past five years,” Dr. Jackson said in a public statement. “Our goal as educators is to increase our enrolments to surpass industry expectations, but we are not tied to a specific timeline to achieve better gender balance.” UVic has groups who support women in both the engineering and science faculties, two of which are the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Project, and the Women in Engineering and Computer Science (WECS) Society. These groups perform a significant outreach, and help women be more comfortable in school and out in the field. One way WECS encourages women into joining engineering and computer science is their Outreach Program for Victoria Girl Guides. This program provides exposure to fields girls are not as often introduced to, and provides a way for them to learn about what they can do in the future. “Through discussions with many of our members, we realize these career choices tend to come across as confusing, overwhelming, and sometimes even boring. Even worse, many students are never exposed to the fields at all,” the WECS website states, “We aim to share our passion for Engineering and Computer Science with the Victoria youth, to combat the negative stigma and encourage greater gender diversity in these and other technical fields.” On Oct. 15, Alyssa Milano made a tweet encouraging victims of sexual assault and harassment to post "#MeToo" to show that they are not alone. This single tweet now has over 25 000 retweets and 53 000 favourites.
#MeToo took the internet by storm, and the numbers were shocking to see how many women and men have been sexually harassed and assaulted. Many people posting #MeToo admitted that sexual harassment was something they were only talking about for the first time. While I personally have never considered myself a victim of sexual assault, #MeToo has caused a period of reflection for me. I've had experiences where men I thought were my friends grabbed me inappropriately or aggressively on multiple occasions. I've also been in relationships where I've been taken advantage of, and brushed it off simply because "we're dating, it's fine." It's not fine. #MeToo has made me realize this. #MeToo has made countless women around the globe realize that what we have been putting up with and keeping silent about for so long is far from okay. Will Johnston is a reporter for The Nelson Star. He is one of the brave men taking a step from the shadows of #MeToo and instead of staying silent, or supporting via likes and comments, he started #HowIWillChange. Johnson openly admits that he has made mistakes in his life, even writing "part of the problem" across his forehead. He is fighting directly, trying to change how sexual harassment is handled in the local high school where he lives. It's men like him who help make change. It's not only time for women to band together, it's time for men to stand up and instead of saying "it's not all men", saying "this is whats happening, and this is what I'm going to do to stop it." |
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