Fighting Rape Culture

I was thinking back on all the different topics we have talked about in Global and one that really stuck with me was the ideas we learned in “The Mask We Live In”. It was so interesting to analyze masculinity and social pressures put on men and how that has affected their development. Especially at this point in our lives, people are really forming their identities and people have started to question these social norms placed on us to gauge where we personally feel we fit in. Over masculinity has been an issue that starts from very birth and affects all stages of boy’s/men's lives. It is important for us to watch documentaries that bring up controversial topics like these that people may not even notice are wrong and almost force us to question. Over masculinity and degradation of women have led to common issues like abuse and rape that are starting to become less taboo subjects as people are coming forward and sharing their stories. This is a very important stage for us to start questioning social norms so we can grow up with the knowledge to fight the system. I refuse to accept rape as normal, I refuse to victimize women who have been sexually assaulted, and I also refuse to not voice my opinion. It takes an entire social and cultural shift to make a change of understanding why many boys are raised to act overly aggressive, overly sexual, and to never show emotion. At the end of the day, we are all human. To tackle these tough issues of rape or abuse, we must start with the root of the problem and “The Mask We Live In” was a very good documentary that sparked my attention and has motivated me to realize changes that must be made.