The #MeToo movement signaled the dawning of a new era of women's empowerment.
They were encouraged and supported by their peers to come forward with their stories that were formerly hidden out of shame and fear.
However, there is still more progress to be made in terms of the treatment of women in society and in the workplace. A conversation has begun about sexism and misogyny, and the fact it is still so prevalent.
Feminist Robin Zlotnick wrote an article, titled, "These Stories Illustrate Why Men Must Stand up to Misogynistic Behavior," saying that impactful change will happen only if men "take up the mantle and do the work of teaching other men that their sexist and misogynistic behavior is unacceptable."
Twitter user @emrazz, a.k.a. "The razzle lady," asked "good guys" to respond to a thread in which she asked what role they've played against misogyny.
"Good guys: tell me about a time you saw misogyny or predatory behavior in action and spoke up. What did you say? What are your suggestions for other men in this situation? #NotCoolMan"
A flood of responses came in with both men and women witnessing or engaging in acts of preventing predatory behavior.
The unfortunate reality is the fact that aggressive men need to be called out by other men in order to drive a point home.
Backing up an assertion is more important than just reprimanding.
This person explained to his friend why joking about trans women is not cool.
The friend had no idea of their struggles in everyday life and hopefully gained a new perspective after being schooled.
This is someone who took action against something that could have gone horribly wrong.
Turns out he had exceptional instincts.
Casual quips like this need to be nipped in the bud.
Otherwise, the cycle is perpetual and damaging.
If only more guys did this.
Like he says, "It's not hard."
Catcalling needs to go.
It's gross, disrespectful and moronic.
That said, the response to this tactic is gold.
This is something most parents don't address, but should.
It's not always easy to confront aggressive behavior.
Kudos to this guy for his fortitude.
Feigning ignorance is another less combative, but effective, way to prevent harassment.
Never joke about rape.
It will never be funny.
And reminding others about the fact will pay dividends.
The punishment for this kind of outdated sexism fit the times.
Repetition is a subtle yet effective way of shutting down guys like this judgemental dimwit.
The overwhelming number of responses in this thread show that we are turning a corner by calling out these sexist aggressions. Like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said, "We Should All Be Feminists".
But it also shows there is a lot of this behavior happening. How many more were not called out?
Keep speaking up.
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