Yesterday, I read an article written by a very angry woman. In it she stated that no man will ever get her empathy because of the misogyny she has had in her life.
We cannot be so binary. There are young men leaving home now who are trying to negotiate the world, and 50% of that world is compromised of women.
We know it is best if fathers teach their sons how to be respectful of women, but women have a part to play a well. Recognizing that men in their early twenties are navigating their way in an ever changing workplace and social setting.
All men need gentle but firm messages if they make sexist remarks. Some young men may not even recognize a sexist remark. It would seem harsh to take action in the work place against a 22 year old man who is unaware of his error.
Women who are over 30 or so should be able to tell such a young man firmly but kindly what is not acceptable. Ideally, they could intervene where a very young man has unwittingly upset a woman. We expect men to intervene now, but a confident woman is of equal value.
We should not live in a world where women write openly hostile articles about men because of what happened in their past. Women must move on and not be bitter. (I am not talking about rape or other sexual assault here.)
I have seen first hand young men try to find their place in the world. Some do not come from good homes where manners toward women are taught. It is difficult to navigate the world in the first place but adding hostile women is no help. We all need to succeed, without open warfare.
Let’s go forward with deeper understanding of the other sex, courtesy and firm boundaries. A little empathy never hurt anyone, and there is less energy in openness than resistance. We all have a duty to those younger than us.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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