Carlo Alcos reflects upon the success of One Billion Rising’s V-Day campaign, and admits to some initial nerves about taking part in a woman-based movement.
On February 14, I took part in possibly the largest movement ever for human rights, and certainly for women’s rights. If you’re living in a cave (and I’m not judging if you are, there’s very little wifi in caves), One Billion Rising is a movement that seeks to end the cycle of violence against women. More than 200 countries (on the record, that is) participated on V-Day. My Facebook wall feed was inundated with stories, pictures, videos of events happening all around the globe, as women, men, and children stood up in unity. I was even seeing stories pop up of politicians dancing and pledging to make this issue their #1 priority.
I was involved in a flashmob dance at the local mall and attended an event at a local bar which raised money for the community’s Women’s Center. There was spoken word poetry, prayer, and stories—some heart-wrenchingly vulnerable which spoke of abuse at the hands of men. And dancing. Lots of dancing.
Yesterday and last week—during fundraising dance workshops—I was approached by women thanking me for my support. At the dance workshops I was one of only three males (one being an 8-year old boy, the other helping with the sound). There were more men at last night’s event, but still not a big male presence (many relegated themselves to the edges of the bar as quiet witnesses). Whenever I was thanked I never knew how to respond. I didn’t want to be thanked. I thought it my duty to do what I was doing. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that part of the reason I didn’t want to be thanked was guilt.
I’ll let you in on something. I did not jump into this movement head first with wild excitement. For those who don’t know me, I’m an introvert. I’m quiet and my nature has always been reserved. I’ve always supported this cause with my heart, but I was not comfortable with the idea of putting myself out there, especially being only one of a few (and sometimes the only) males.
I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I would participate in the dance flashmob at the mall. What would people think? What would my male friends think if they saw me dancing in formation with a couple dozen females? These were actual thoughts I had. I’m not proud of them. In the end I decided to commit to it though, because I realized that this was not about me—it was about supporting something that I am very impassioned about, and I had to let go of any fear and anxiety. I especially found it important because of the lack of male involvement. I guess I felt some sort of duty to represent, to let women and girls know that they are not alone in this fight, and also to hopefully inspire other men to join in.
At the event I even got on stage with around eight women and performed the flashmob dance in front of a full house and cameras. Being the lone male was starting to not bother me. I was starting to feel pride in my participation; honour to be included in such an important time in our history.
A poem called “Manifesta to young women and girls” by Eve Ensler was read; here’s a short excerpt:
HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL BE TOLD:
Find a man
Seek protection
The world is scary
Don’t go out
You are weak
Don’t care so much
They’re only animals
Don’t be so intense
Don’t cry so much
You can’t trust anyone
Don’t talk to strangers
People will take advantage of you…
I could write a “Manifesto for young men and boys” in the same manner about what we’re told (e.g., “Don’t cry so much”, except with the words “so much” crossed out). Such a manifesto would be the reason that I (and, I feel, many other men) have such a hard time putting ourselves out there, expressing what we’re really feeling on the inside. Being vulnerable. This is the only reason I can think of why there aren’t way more men actively involved. I know in my heart that this disproportion is not a true reflection of the actual sentiment.
There is a lot of cultural conditioning to shake off, for both females and males. One Billion Rising inspires me; the women of the world inspire me. I pledge to do my part and attempt to spread the inspiration outward from me, to women and men.
It’s taking some time, but I can feel that men are waking up and realizing what this male-dominated culture is doing to Mother Earth and all that she nurtures. From the bottom of my heart: Thank you for your patience.
Hi everyone…first, thanks for joining in the conversation. Second, I’ve been giving this some thought because as the discussion goes on it just cycles and cycles on the same things. I read an interview with Parker J Palmer in The Sun a couple months ago…something he said that really stood out to me was that when he encounters someone who doesn’t share his point of view, rather than argue his points, he seeks to understand the other person by asking questions. It’s clear to me that we cannot “win each other over”…we cannot “convince” each other of anything. We all… Read more »
Archy, are you the moderator?
Nope. Moderating is too annoying, takes me long enough to read the comments of just the threads I subscribe to.
This criticism of “exclusivity” and V Day detracting from the issue of violence against men, reminds me of reactions like “why don’t we have WHITE History Month? What about ‘reverse racism’ towards us Whites?” (don’t even get me started on that one). Or, a friend recently discovered this, a campaign for Heterosexual Awareness, because “no one cares about the rights of straight people anymore.” This kind of thing, the way I see it, is the desperate reaction of the historically powerful beginning to lose their privilege. It’s not that violence against men is not something worthy of our concern, but… Read more »
Stop trying to conflate the rights issues of women and black people, it’s fucking disgusting. You talk about systemic violence against women, you do realize throughout history men have had systemic violence against them? Do remember that conscription, war, etc regularly targets men even to this day. Most of the criticism of V day is due to the overall lack of compassion n support for the gender which is the majority victims of violence, men die 4-6x more from violence than women do yet how many anti-violence campaigns exist for men compared to women? There is a disproportionate level of… Read more »
“Do remember that conscription, war, etc regularly targets men even to this day.” War is a male construct. Wars are decided on and run by men. Maybe more men suffer violence than women overall, but this is at the hands of other men, and as a result of male-dominated cultural norms. I don’t see this as the same thing as women suffering violence at the hands of men. There has essentially been a war against women by men throughout history, leading up to this day. Look at the system we live in today…it’s been set up by men and is… Read more »
War is a male construct. Wars are decided on and run by men. Maybe more men suffer violence than women overall, but this is at the hands of other men, and as a result of male-dominated cultural norms. Funny. I was twitter chatting with someone and when she finally got around to acknowledging that some of the things that harm men because they are men she literally went straight into “but those things are caused by men”. To me this is about trying to get rid of all the harmful things rather than performing triage based on “who has it… Read more »
“To me this is about trying to get rid of all the harmful things rather than performing triage based on “who has it worse”.”
Yeah but even triage dictates you go on to address the lesser severity case. But in the campaigns I see it seems to just be like ignoring breast cancer because heart disease kills more, a hyperfocus on who they think suffers more. It really looks like chivalry + male disposability all in one.
“War is a male construct. Wars are decided on and run by men. Maybe more men suffer violence than women overall, but this is at the hands of other men, and as a result of male-dominated cultural norms.” You know what pisses me off the most? When people say war is a male construct as it dismisses female responsibility completely. War is a HUMAN construct or do you honestly believe women have absolutely zero input to war? Never had female leaders ever call for war or help? Never had women benefit from the spoils of war, never had women part… Read more »
I’m not going to argue that violence in general doesn’t need to be addressed,. You’re right about the double standard, that violence against males is acceptable and against women not. That – as I’ve said many times above – is a cultural norm that needs to be changed. When I talk about balance I’m not just talking about violence…I’m looking at history and the way things are today, and how I see that women are basically at the whim of men. I think if we were to see a shift in the way women were viewed, how women were treated,… Read more »
It has recently come to my attention that the Obama administration has set forth regulations requiring that domestic abuse screening and counseling services be covered as preventive care, meaning that insurance must pay in full with no copays or deductibles. However, these regulations apply exclusively to women, meaning that male victims that have endured the exact same thing may be expected to pay out of pocket for access to these services. I’ve heard this in the past …. anyone know any different.
Unpopular amongst the other commenters here but closer to the views that I personally hold 🙂 At the risk of once again sounding like a “culture warrior” as Mostly_123 has called me out on, this is the point I am trying to make. That yes, violence is a symptom of something that goes much deeper; that yes, we won’t stop the violence (including that toward men) by doing a flashmob at the mall or rallying in the street…but all of these activities will hopefully act to raise the consciousness of everyone. When I talk about a change in culture, I’m… Read more »
‘Culture warrior’ or no- just so long as you’re a happy warrior.
Really agree with your points here about compassion.
At the end of the day, everyone’s got to trust their better instincts.
Compassion is always a good antidote for those things which impede us from understanding others (and ourselves) better.
I’m going to say some potentially unpopular things. I agree with and support the goals of any organization which seeks to end violence against women (and against men and against children). However, I don’t know that I see a lot that I think will actually change much. I see people dancing or making videos about statistics of abused women. I just can’t imagine a situation where a woman would otherwise be abused but the abuser stops him(or her)self at the sudden memory of a flash mob at the mall. More broadly I see the violence and abuse as oftentimes symptoms… Read more »
Well, OP, you are definately coming from a genuine perspective all your own and for that I salute you. I too come from a genuine perspective and though we both have our alternate opinions that don’t gel, you at least are willing to listen and learn. Something few people are willing to do nowadays. But I must say again, OP, that you can help and support women without the need to treat them like 24/7 victims incapable of autonomy. In turn, the women you do help will not only accept it but garner you respect for treating them like individuals… Read more »
I don’t think I am treating women as a group of 24/7 victims who cannot stand up for themselves and need me/others to fight FOR them. At least I hope I didn’t come off like that. I am merely standing WITH them, and am inviting others to do the same. As far as apologies go, I do think apologies are a big step forward in any healing process because it is an act of acknowledgment for harms done past, and a new beginning for healing relationships. Is it not a core aspect of members of AA to acknowledge harms done… Read more »
Thanks everyone for your well-spoken responses and time you took to join the convo. As a man (hell, even as a visible minority), I have never felt victimized, so this obviously colours my opinion. I’m not denying that men deserve the same respect; all humans deserve the same respect. It seems like we all support the same thing in varying degrees; your exceptions I’m guessing were to the extremity to which I took the discussion. I wrote this in an emotionally heightened time, immediately after the OBR event. I still feel the same way but you’ve all given me something… Read more »
Wow. I have to admit, I’m very surprised at the response this article got here at GMP. I honestly didn’t expect this much criticism. I welcome it because it tests my resolve and forces me to look deeper into the issues. I see some of the points listed here (yes, violence against men is an issue too, NO ONE should be the victim of violence). I stand up to violence against women so strongly because I see this as a symptom of something much bigger, of the way that women have been treated by men for centuries…look further than just… Read more »
Carlo, While I admire your goals, your resolve, and acknowledge your zeal, I have to disagree with the hyperbole and generalizations – it’s problematic enough to generalize about ‘Western’ culture in the immediate present, let alone global divergences; let alone global historic divergences. That sort of overarching hyperbolic thinking is something that feminist commentator Julianne Pidduck once rejected when she summed it up as “a worldview that perceives a universal and transhistorical male violence against women as the central structuring dynamic in gender relations… a static and deeply pessimistic view that reifies women’s position as victims of male violence – a perspective… Read more »
Carlos, I’m late to the game here, but just clarification about our Western views that cloud our idea of violence. “…look further than just our western society and into the societies that don’t allow women out of the house, force them to cover their entire bodies and faces, where rape is accepted as part of the culture.” There is a mischaracterization in our Western culture that assumes the burkah and traditional Muslim customs are oppressive. I thought the same, until I spent over a year in the Middle East. We must remember that most Middle Eastern countries follow Islamic Law… Read more »
Hi Joan, better late than never! 🙂 Yes, we must be careful not to project our own Western values onto another culture. It’s true, I’ve seen women in burkahs speak of how they prefer to cover up like this, but I’ve also seen many outspoken about oppression and violence and inequality. Just as I can’t blanket all women of the Middle East to feel this oppression, I don’t think you can blanket them all either with the statement that women’s place in society is a “sign of respect to their husband and an act of self-respect for a woman.” If… Read more »
Carlos, excellent rebutal. I certainly didn’t intend to negate the people that feel silenced nor do I condone violence, but their values are so different than western society. Some eastern values of family, community, respect, and tradition are to be revered. Some of the practices of punishment, justice, and equality do not sit well with me either. I think we both agree, we have to check our western bias before we rush in with our solutions. We had this issue in Iraq with restructuring the laws. We boldly went in with UN, US, Australian, Polish, etc: a multinational coalition of… Read more »
Well Carlo, I guess I’m a bit confused. Weren’t you approving of Iveta’s stance on this. She is the one that advanced this : “The ideal of a male — since ancient times — is that of the warrior protector. What better occasion to tap into that image than this issue? Men rising up against violence against women is not antithetical to being a man, it’s the very definition of that essence.” But you say we must not support ” the normalization in our culture of portraying women to be the weaker and less worthy sex.” Having trouble reconciling this.… Read more »
If you read my comment again you’ll see that I said this: “Iveta below seemed to have understood what I was saying in regards to patience” – I was very careful in saying “in regards to patience”
Yes indeed such care. And the balance of her comment was left to pass unremarked. SO, a direct question, if I may. Do you or do you not agree with her characterization of the essence of man? I wonder, because it seems to me that you are doing exactly what she advocates for men. Oh, and on behalf of my sons and nephews, and my sons-in-law…. I reject your assertion that men and male domination are responsible for desecrating the planet, while women are held, apparently, uninvolved. Nor should the rest of malekind be obliged to assume the mantle of… Read more »
I believe that the historical role of man was as a protector, though I think we’ve evolved past that and it’s not the case today. We are all protectors of each other. I do not feel like I am some sort of hero that the women need in order to “win the battle.” Fair enough to the rest of your comment…I know I don’t like it myself when others speak on behalf of other people (which would include me)…so your exception is noted. This post was a personal thing, a reflection of the way that I feel. I may have… Read more »
Guys, I wasn’t trying to point out that the warrior protector is the only “essence” of a man, but that even if you wanted to refer to traditional roles, even there you have a manly image to rely on and use against violence against women. Whether one decides to support the issue for that reason, or for the more progressive male identity, either way you would find a blueprint.
Sorry Tom B, you’re right, of course this is an arena for discussion. I shouldn’t have tried to limit it. I guess I was so thrown off by a response I wasn’t expecting that I reacted poorly, for that I apologize. I can’t say I see eye to eye with what you’re saying, although I can understand why you might be saying those things (I actually have never given those issues much thought, so thanks for bringing to my attention). I wonder if the root of those issues also leads back to cultural conditioning, in that “men are strong” and… Read more »
The issue that causes the “what about the men” attitude is that we men are asked to care about women’s violence victimization, heaaapppsss of campaigns, government support exists already for it and yet very little in the way of help for men’s violence victimization which is very annoying since men are the majority victims of violence. The other stickler is that women are not asked to care about violence against men in these campaigns, or any that I’ve ever seen so it’s like seeing chivalrous attitudes where men have to care bout women but women don’t have to care about… Read more »
Archy, if you want to speak about men’s rights talk about the woman taking half of the guy’s assets during a divorce. I think there you have an issue and dis-balanced outdated laws. A woman writer probably has written about this somewhere.
Carlo, no need to apologize but apology accepted nonetheless. I can understand how you may have felt after writing what you saw as a positive, supportive article regarding a valuable cause and then being blindsided. I think you handled it well. And isn’t that what this site is supposed to be about? Interactive dialogue which triggers us to think about issues? And what’s important about this is that you listened to what people said. The “what about the men” is what I and many others that participate in these discussions are about. VAWA is a near and dear issue for… Read more »
Wow, I thought this was a place where men could discuss how they feel and view things. Sorry I was mistaken.
Let’s go with my support of crushing violence against women. Pity the man that abuses my wife, daughter, niece or sister-in-law. Or any female in my life.
Tom B. I don’t understand why you are shifting the attention away from this matter. This is about women’s rights, this is about One Billion Rising. If you have an issue with the way men’s health is treated write an article and publish it here. We can discuss that there. There is a time and place for a discussion of that kind, but it’s not here.
To be fair, this is a men’s site, or a site about men. I don’t think you’re going to see too many articles about violence against men on women’s sites and no discussion about violence against women come up. Actually, you probably won’t ever see a discussion purely about violence against men, or men’s issues, on too many women’s sites.
You don’t need to actively “support” abuse toward women to be part of the problem…it’s inherent in our culture, in the way that women on the whole are seen and treated. It’s so deeply embedded in our psyche, in our language, in popular media, in the environment. This is the root cause. As I said before, the violence is a symptom. I have never abused women nor have I ever supported it…but when I look back at how I used to talk about females, how I used to think about females, I’m ashamed. This is all stuff that we learn… Read more »
“You don’t need to actively ‘support’ abuse toward women to be part of the problem…it’s inherent in our culture, in the way that women on the whole are seen and treated. It’s so deeply embedded in our psyche, in our language, in popular media, in the environment. This is the root cause…As I said before, the violence is a symptom…when I look back at how I used to talk about females, how I used to think about females, I’m ashamed. This is all stuff that we learn through our culture, in how we’re brought up. It’s so deeply embedded that… Read more »
There is something very simple behind the logic of supporting violence against women that isn’t arbitrary, imposed on others or assigned frivolously — as you suggest — but is grounded in a fact of nature. On the whole, men are stronger, bigger and can hurt a woman more easily than the other way around. That’s why when we advocate for violence against women what we are really saying is that the physically weaker shouldn’t suffer in today’s society only because they are physically weaker. In a way it is trying to move away from the law of nature that the… Read more »
… Therefore, you need to advocate cultural change to change some things. Some practices are just bad — and you can test them by asking that very simple question: would you like this done to yourself? That’s the only universal test I can thing of. I strongly disagree that thoughts and motivations don’t matter –as long as you don’t do it — because it means you are suppressing something. If you want to smack women but you don’t do it because of the social or other limits, it means that once you remove those limits, the real feeling jumps out.… Read more »
“I strongly disagree that thoughts and motivations don’t matter –as long as you don’t do it — because it means you are suppressing something. If you want to smack women but you don’t do it because of the social or other limits, it means that once you remove those limits, the real feeling jumps out.” Iventa, I disagree with your disagreement there- I want people to control themselves and their expressions of their own feeling – not have their consciences controlled and judged by others – the real test of a person’s character is what they would do if they… Read more »
I’m going to play the diplomat here and agree (to some degree) with both of you. As quoted, I believe Mr. Rogers is right: There is no sense judging our own emotional responses to things (as soon as you start saying you should or shouldn’t feel this way, you’re judging)…we can’t help them. These are responses that we’ve cultured and have hardened in our brain’s wiring as children. These are responses that served us well as children, to deal with difficult circumstances, but that may not serve us anymore as adults, and can in fact be harmful. I think what… Read more »
OP: “I have never abused women nor have I ever supported it…but when I look back at how I used to talk about females, how I used to think about females, I’m ashamed.” Um, isn’t that going a little overboard? You can support women without shaming yourself. OP: “And btw, I don’t think you should be including Holleywood and the media as allies in women’s rights…more than anything they perpetuate the problems.” How many male characters are killed in action movies? How many men are portrayed as bumbling idiots compared to female characters? How about the all to low trope… Read more »
Eagle, I would like to take the Hollywood thing a little further. In movies and television, unless the man and women are worriers or solders, a women hitting, slapping, beating, in general physically abusing and man it’s socially acceptable. Women slaps a man in the face you hear people say “you go girl,” and often time laughter following the scene. When a man lays a hand on a women, it’s commonly scene as abuse. The media, regardless if people want to believe it or not, greatly influence societies attitudes. Just yesterday I saw a commercial where a female robot literally… Read more »
Re “Rules of Engagement” – all the more reason I don’t watch television. I never did say that men aren’t portrayed badly in media as well, I was simply countering the point above: “What else do they need from men? They have the media, Hollywood and countless organizations.” To say that media and Hollywood are behind the best interests of women is completely false. They are in the best interests of making profit, and that’s done by perpetuating fear/insecurity (true enough, this is the case for society as a whole, but I feel moreso for women). Have you seen Miss… Read more »
I watched Miss Representation but it’s basically feminist propaganda. We have young women outperforming young men today but still we see these well worn ideas of the hopelessly insecure young women bandied about like it’s the 1950. When are you going to get with YOUR TIMES! We see both genders being subjected to new fangled stereotypes straight out the feminist movement which makes them fairly sexist. Actual equality is pretty simple and today’s feminism isn’t. We have to be careful not to trade male chauvinism for female chauvinism, and that’s what Hollywood chose to do in mischaracterizing men. Sorry men… Read more »
Tom B, just to settle your sensitivity, September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: http://cancer.about.com/od/glossary/a/months_colors.htm As far as I know, the anniversary of Frank Zappa’s death also routinely features a conversation, admittedly unofficial, about the need for us to care for our prostates. Also, if you’ve missed the health campaign that is now a centerpiece of Western, specifically American education models, I could provide you with more information. In a nutshell, eat veggies.
Gint …. It’s not a sensitivity. It’s a fact that men’s health is way behind women’s. As I said, the American Heart Association didn’t surface any campaign for men. It wasn’t until it started to surface that it’s affected women that the national campaign began. Just as violence against men is way behind that of women. Take a look at the number of articles, magazines and TV shows that are devoted to the progression of women in the areas of health, relationships and careers. What else do they need from men? They have the media, Hollywood and countless organizations. Why… Read more »
Not true that men’s health is behind women’s. Take a look at the world — the World Economic Forum presents a gender gap report. There is a health gap with women being worse off generally, globally. (It’s become better with time, however.)
In modern western countries though men’s health is lower than women’s, in developing countries women’s is lower than men’s AFAIK. You can’t focus on the global issue and just apply a 1 size fits all approach, these issues vary country to country, culture to culture.
Yes, there are many causes and few have to do with the well being of men. I’m confused that you couldn’t figure out my point.YAY for you and your involvement. One billion also represents many nations. But here in the US, it represents men = bad and women = victims. I quoted from the V-Day site ….. It’s all about the women. When the heck are these so called “all inclusive feminists” going to truly move toward all inclusive campaigns? Just like VAWA, the claims were that it would benefit men as well. NOT. I mentioned the another so called… Read more »
Tom, it’s a good point that men suffer also. They die earlier for example. No one knows why for certain. The point about violence against women is that this is mostly about men hurting women. Cultural shift is necessary as far as others stepping in are concerned. It is a wide-spread concept that whatever happens in a couple/family is “private”, so others should stay out. Also in some cultures, it’s considered okay when the guy slaps around the woman if she “oversteps” and doesn’t know “her place”. (Even my grandma has said this.) It is these kind of things that… Read more »
“The point about violence against women is that this is mostly about men hurting women. Cultural shift is necessary as far as others stepping in are concerned.” Why don’t we focus on ending all violence? That would be the logical choice for people who really believe in equality. I think the sexist approach by these activist is just an excuse to favor the groups they like more. We do have gender oppression around the world and it should be confronted, but conflating that with violence against women can be a stretch where gender oppression isn’t a major issue like the… Read more »
I don’t know what your argument is here? There are many many causes for which one can choose to support. This is one that resonates strongly with me. I personally believe that the attitude towards women in our culture is detrimental not only to our species, but to the entire planet. The violence perpetrated against women is a symptom of this culture. Why are you comparing prostate cancer to this movement? This is not an argument. This is me, as a man, deciding to rise and stand up with the females of the world. I invite other men (and women)… Read more »
“I personally believe that the attitude towards women in our culture is detrimental not only to our species, but to the entire planet. The violence perpetrated against women is a symptom of this culture. ” First of all this has nothing to do with the planet. Regardless of the status of women we will still be doing much the same things we are doing now with mother earth. Women are not some kind of superior moral being that can solve our problems with their feminine magic. In the case of violence against women it’s not all about gender even if… Read more »
“On February 14, I took part in possibly the largest movement ever for human rights, and certainly for women’s rights. If you’re living in a cave (and I’m not judging if you are, there’s very little wifi in caves), One Billion Rising is a movement that seeks to end the cycle of violence against women.” It’s amusing that you said “human rights” and then put it into perspective that it’s about “women.” With countless articles here at GMP about violence against men and how they have not been properly represented in the arena of violence, you would not only support… Read more »
Congratulations. What the guy is telling women is not that they have to be patient against the violence, but that men are slowly coming to help in the cause, although it is not their issue directly.
The ideal of a male — since ancient times — is that of the warrior protector. What better occasion to tap into that image than this issue? Men rising up against violence against women is not antithetical to being a man, it’s the very definition of that essence.
The ideal of a male — since ancient times — is that of the warrior protector. What better occasion to tap into that image than this issue? Men rising up against violence against women is not antithetical to being a man, it’s the very definition of that essence. Okay this sounds noble and all but hold on a minute. Men have been case as the protective warrior for a long time and I’ve noticed something. This role seemed to be deemed good or bad on any given day based not on restrictive it is to men but based on how… Read more »
“Do not tell anyone in any oppressed group o be patient. Doing so is a sign of your own privilege and unconscious through absolute disregard for the person with whom you are speaking. Remember, it was a number of white ministers in Atlanta who advised Rev. King Jr. to be patient in reacting to U.S. racism.” – Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones
“No good deed goes unpunished.” –Clare Boothe Luce, American dramatist and ambassador
“Do not tell the majority victims of violence to care MORE about the minority victim’s violence than their own” Common sense.
I think you missed the point. Iveta below seemed to have understood what I was saying in regards to patience. I wrote this after my own experience with One Billion Rising, in seeing the low numbers of men out in support. But I’ve also witnessed an increased awakening amongst men in how women have been treated for centuries. The idea behind this piece was to simply encourage men to stand up and also to let women know that they are not alone in this, and also that this is something that affects both women AND men.