A few days ago, Blaine went golfing with some buddies for a bachelor party. I called him later on that day to see how the party went, and he started to tell me that he was rather taken aback by the ways in which a lot of the men golfing were speaking to the girls working, for example, the gal operating the beer cart.
I work at a golf course, so I’m no stranger to the harassment and derogatory comments that seem to be inevitable in this line of work. It’s relentless, and I’m rather reluctant to admit that I’ve become pretty desensitized to the unprecedented remarks directed towards me while I’m working, though if someone is totally out of line, I’ll tell them where to go.
My conversation with Blaine got me thinking about how so many of us are reluctant to call out harassment when it happens and stop it in its tracks, and how this mentality is a big problem. More specifically, the unwillingness of a lot of men to recognize when other men are harassing a woman and telling them to get bent.
I believe this unwillingness stems from a loooooooooong history of patriarchy and masculinity. For so long, harassing women has been overlooked, even normalized, which makes it super daunting for a lot of guys to consider the prospect of standing up for a woman in distress and telling other guys to leave her alone. But, despite how long female harassment has been swept under the rug or tossed aside, it doesn’t mean we can’t start a conversation, or a progressive movement, about it now.
A main reason as to why harassment towards women remains such a constant in our society is because it typically goes without consequence. We’re living in 2021, and it’s about time we start doing something about it.
ontheedgeofeverything 