We are the ones that benefit from the misogynist culture that dehumanizes woman, so we are the ones with the responsibility for recognizing that benefit and for dismantling the misogynistic parts of our culture.

Any of us individually might not be rapist, and you will almost always hear that as a knee-jerk defense when anyone tries to make guys responsible for stopping rape. But we collectively have the ability, and to a large extent the encouragement and the permission to rape and to get away with it. We have an obligation and a duty to deny other men that encouragement and permission. We have to counter and oppose that encouragement and permission. If men don’t fight rape, in a society that men still dominate, then how much success can we all have in ending rape and sexual assault?

I’m very sorry I missed that thread at DU. That’s the type of thread where I used to come out swinging.

It’s always frustrating, discouraging and enraging how backwards so many people still are regarding rape and sexual violence.

Threads like that always point out who the sexist bigots really are, and who is very seriously lacking in the ability to empathize with what others are facing.

(end of soapbox rant)