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Excellent article by Jennifer L.W. Fink.
Last week three of my four boys were herded into school-sponsored assemblies and asked to stand, raise their hands and pledge to never, ever hurt a woman. While their female classmates remained seated, my boys faced intense pressure to say:
I promise To never ever Hit, hurt, or otherwise harm A woman, girl, or child.
I understand That I am bigger and stronger Than many women, girls, and children.
Therefore it is my DUTY To NEVER HARM them, Protect, Respect, Honor, and Love them No matter what.
Aghast, my 17-year-old son walked out.
Notice: he did not give in to coercion.
Most males do not hurt females or other males, or even dogs and cats. Yet they’re all treated as potential perpetrators, and our boys feel the weight of this prejudice.
It’s true males commit more violent acts than females: think school shootings, homicides and terrorist acts. But focusing on male violence against women ignores much of what is known about violence in general—while unfairly stigmatizing half of the population and poisoning the relationship between the sexes.
According to recent surveys by the National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control, some 40 percent of those reporting intimate partner violence in the last year are men. Nearly 30 percent of intimate homicide victims are men.
Most comments were supportive, but some were not
Oh, boo hoo. Poor mistreated boys. What victims!