ACHTUNG, MINEN!

In case some of you aren't paying attention, the world can be a cruel place.  Gender issues,  LGBT   (lesbian, gay, bi, transgender) issues, women's rights, treatment of women  . The list goes on. Just take a trip through social media and you are bombarded with discussions about all the things wrong with the world today. Most of the issues are valid and require our attention. Some sorely need to be ignored. Christian heterosexual, Anglo-Saxon males with seven figure incomes spouting off about being persecuted, discriminated or treated unfairly can safely be dismissed as being overly sensitive to their own issues and terribly insensitive about the real world. The real problem, as I see it, is that there really is no place for people to intelligently discuss the issues that need attention.

I was listening to my favorite talk radio program recently, when one of the hosts chose to present a subject that, quite honestly, I thought was going WAY out on limb. He wanted to discuss appropriate attire when out in public. He chose to begin the commentary with an anecdote about a woman that, in his opinion, was not dressed in an appropriate manner and as a result seemed to be attracting some unwanted attention. If she had been dressed as a whaler at a Green Peace picnic and everyone was gawking, everyone would have said the attention was warranted and that would have been the end of the discussion. But, no... She was VERY under-dressed, some would say scantily clad. She was presenting more skin that one would expect to see. At the GYM, no less. Apparently, the host went on to explain, she was unhappy with the looks she was getting. OK... here... we... go...

In our world of sexual harassment and objectification of women, we have developed this unpleasant habit of trying to find ways to blame the victim. "If she is going to wear that skirt to a bar, what did she expect...".  This  victim blaming is almost an immediate response. Both men and women do it. In this case, however, the host was right on the money. If you wear something that makes you stand out, you WILL attract attention. If you are a woman and you present an inappropriate amount of skin in an environment that tends to be somewhat testosterone filled, you will attract attention. Is this a result of objectifying women? NO! If a man was to walk into a ladies' night at the club, wearing a G-string and a bow tie, I am pretty sure he would also attract some attention. Humans are sexual creatures and you WILL elicit a sexual response if you present certain images.

The response coursing through your fingertips at this point is actually the response I am trying to get. As you read this, whether man or woman, you started to form an opinion. Some of you are having a rational, thought-out response. Some of you are red faced, raging and can't wait to slam me with your comments. That is exactly what I want. This is not about what she was wearing. It is not even about the looks she got. This is about how you reacted to a discussion about ' sexualizing  ' women.

Certain topics bring about a lot of passion. If I was to side with the woman and say that she can wear whatever she wants, where-ever she wants and should not have to be subjected to sideways glances or objectifying leers. I would still get slammed by people from the other side. We, as a society, cannot just sit down and have a rational discussion about some of these subjects. Go on the internet, voice your opinion on a public forum about any of these subjects and sit back. Watch the trolls, the bashers and even just those whose opinion is different than yours, tear into your opinion, your family and ancestors. How do you have a discussion with these people? Can't be done.

An open forum is just a minefield of explosive responses. There is no safe path. The only thing you can do to avoid being 'blown up' is to avoid the minefield. Try to diffuse the mines and you will likely be silenced or at least overpowered long before you get to the other side. It takes a VERY strong voice to be heard above the din of explosions. Reason cannot be heard. So why try? The issues need to be discussed. They need to be discussed by rational people, in an environment that is free from the negativity and noise that surrounds social media. We can only continue to educate ourselves about those issues so that we can understand why they are issues in the first place. When we can see the underlying cause, we can start to understand how to solve the problems.

The people that are willing to step into the minefield and bring the issues out of the dark, are the people that we need to listen to. They can begin to educate us. Hopefully show us the path through the minefield and into that discussion that generates real change.