Last month, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States. His hearing was initially covered, but has since faded as a topic of discussion. Kavanaugh now wields the ability to make decisions that will affect hundreds of millions of Americans. Accusations of sexual assault against him were simply glossed over as insignificant. This is not, under any circumstances, a precedent we should be setting. It is important to note that the allegations against Kavanaugh are not isolated. They are a mere few among a myriad more of such allegations that shake the world each and every day. The notion that sexual assault is a huge predicament is one that women have known for decades. It is only its upsurge as a political keyword, along with awareness among many men of its pervasiveness, that is relatively recent. If anything, the depth to which we have been indoctrinated by a patriarchal system without realizing it is disturbing.
Upsettingly, the issue has also been made increasingly more partisan in the past few years. Women live with the constant fear of sexual assault, taking numerous precautions in an effort to improve the likelihood of their safety in any given setting. Sexual assault is neither influenced nor mitigatable by one’s alignment to red or blue. With regard to this issue, it does not matter. Arguments have also been cast attributing sexual assault to a victim’s attire, time of day, location and more. In reality, however, these factors are irrelevant, arbitrary connections made in order to justify inhumane behavior. This isn’t just a personal viewpoint; a wide array of analytical studies have been published disproving the traditionally-held misconception that sexual assault is preventable by a victim’s actions. I have long considered these obvious, but it is especially important that we are all on the same page.
Regarding men, one must understand that it is not masculinity that is despised, but rather, the power associated with it. As such, terming feminism as misandry is a falsehood. It is despicable and hurtful that the scope of this concept is falsely manipulated, and it is precisely through this manipulation that disparaging terms such as “feminazi” have been derived. These terms are quite ironic, as they function to deliberately frame feminism in a manner entirely contrastive to its true intent of equality. Men are not despised, and claiming so is simply an attempt to shift a story away from its focus. Some time back, cartoonist Kris Straub had published a comic on the Black Lives Matter movement, which illustrated that focus being channeled toward a specific burning house does not mean other houses are less important. Rather, at this present moment, the house on fire is the one that requires attention. This analogy works equally well for feminism. Those who claim that they are not feminists due to their belief in equality are fundamentally hypocritical.
The divergence of this issue into “our problem” and “their problem” is a blatant example of apathy. Society comprises both women and men, and thus their actions are mutually impactful. Concerning oneself is not just a recommendation, but a duty. Yes, there exists a contingent of men who find “locker room talk” harmless and who fail to regard sexual assault as a serious issue. However, I would like to assure that there are also men who fight this revolution with you, men with consciences that constantly remind us that such insolence and callousness towards our sisters cannot and will not be tolerated.
A man that does not treat women with the utmost possible respect should not be confirmed to the highest court in the nation. He should be subject not to reward, but to castigation. This revolution will not stop until the importance of sexual assault is thoroughly understood by all for whom feminism is shrouded in doubt rather than certainty, and even afterward, to ensure that it is never deemed acceptable.
The key to all this is the people’s vote. True change can and will be effectuated by civic action. Each and every individual’s voice does matter. Though the situation seems bleak, we should not be despondent. Instead, we should fight. We should make sure that incidents like those of the Kavanaugh controversy never take place again. Our time is now.
