The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: #metoo

  • Opinion: A man’s perspective on healing between the sexes

    Opinion: A man’s perspective on healing between the sexes

    I believe love is on the horizon.

    The voice of the #MeToo movement exposes sexual predation in the workplace. This dark force of man has been preying upon and shattering the lives of innocent women for a long time.

    The testimonies of rape and sexual misconduct will hopefully encourage others who are wronged to come forward and right the wrongs inflicted upon them.

    No one has the right to disrespect anyone else.

    The act of sharing oneself intimately is sacred. The emotions and sensations that arise are spontaneous. There could be infinite uncertainties and misgivings for both mates. At no other time in our culture have we begun to consider, address and follow the requests of a mate in a sexual interaction.

    The consent movement has given us the ability to acknowledge ourselves and vocalize intimate needs.

    The intrigue and mystique of women is a form of enlightenment for some of us men. The chemical signals and euphoric feelings elicited by women linger on long after the actual encounter. Even if the encounter was brief and lacking physical contact, the wonderings and fanciful dreams playfully await a reunion with such a figure of passion.

    The time has come to look beyond the dreams and realities hinging upon the opposite sex. Now there is an opportunity of healing between the sexes. Strong support for women advancement and control of society is needed. Women’s hard work and struggle is how we all got here.

    If women are happy, then men will be happy, too. Give women the honor they deserve, always be a gentleman and respectful of others. When we move toward the greater good together, our world is a better place.

  • EDITORIAL: Understanding consent first

    EDITORIAL: Understanding consent first

    Sexual harassment can be difficult to understand and process on any level: as a victim, as an offender and even as a bystander. Treating sexual harassment allegations with discretion and well-researched judgment is vital. However, they must begin with an understanding that there is no clear interpretation for what defines consent.

    Movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp that highlight sexual assault, misconduct and harassment in the entertainment industry are proving that awful behavior does not just happen to private citizens, but to public figures as well.

    What these movements should do is make conversations about sexual harassment and assault easier, as well as give victims the confidence and empowerment to speak up.

    What these movements should not do is create an opportunity for the media or the general public to interpret the definition of the word consent. Full consent is one big, sober y-e-s. The second any hesitation, discomfort or change of mind occurs, consent is lost. This should be the only way consent is observed in the face of any story, no matter how large or small. The most important thing to consider when assessing these situations at any level is that affirmative consent is not up for debate.

    After grasping this point, we can attempt to break down a situation and understand what happened. In the instance of comedian Aziz Ansari and his encounter with a woman anonymized as Grace, this is extremely important to understand. The feminist site Babe.net reported on Grace’s date with Ansari in a way that lumped him in with repeat offenders such as Harvey Weinstein and Roy Moore. Though his behavior was wrong, it is still worth noting that this man, unlike that of Weinstein or Moore, was allegedly unaware of his aggressive behavior. Ansari was not fully aware of his alleged wrongdoings after she had expressed it via text the next day. Readers can hate him, believe him, not believe him or react how they please. What they should not do is attack Grace for her decision to speak up. Her decision to speak up was warranted, because she felt that the date was terrible and therefore changed her mind. Nothing can change her firsthand experience that night.

    What can be done after understanding consent is to process Ansari’s decisions and pay attention to what he decides to do next as a self-proclaimed male feminist. What can also be done as a bystander is to know the difference between assault and harassment without believing that one is more okay than the other. Instead, try to find ways to minimize the opportunities of both offenses.

    Understanding the problem with Ansari’s behavior towards Grace involves his disregard for his celebrity status and the kind of influence he may have on others. The problem was that he needed a better understanding of affirmative consent. This is where there are clear differences between Ansari and Weinstein.

    Most of us are bystanders to these movements and celebrity allegations. As such, we have an obligation to seek out and recognize affirmative consent. Further, we need to intervene when others fail to acknowledge it. Practice good judgment when examining these situations only after understanding consent.

  • #metoo

    #metoo

    By | Iridian Casarez

    Victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment need to continue to tell their story. It cannot stop here. It wasn’t until the #metoo movement that people began to acknowledge how sexual assault and sexual harassment was prevalent and happening everywhere. Everyone felt supported enough to tell their stories, including men. Men who, according to society, can’t get raped. Men who are victims of sexual assault don’t report it. The National Sexual Violence Resource center says that about nine percent of men are victims of sexual assault.

    53 thousand people and counting participated in the “#MeToo” movement. The hashtag “me too” was used by victims of sexual assault or harassment. All people did was post the hashtag and that was it. It was known to everyone that they had become a victim. It shed light to the fact that anyone could be a victim of sexual assault.

    We have seen sex scandals happening way before the Harvey Weinstein allegations. This past February, Uber was under scrutiny after a former engineering employer, Susan Fowler, claimed that she was sexually harassed, as previously reported by Bloomberg Technologies.Kesha, the singer/songwriter, sued her music producer, Dr. Luke because of how he sexually, verbally, and physically abused her. We saw a big rape case a year ago at Stanford University in which an unconscious woman was raped behind a dumpster by Brock Turner. She read a letter outloud to her rapist in open court that was reported by Buzzfeed. But it wasn’t until after more than 2 million posts that we started to listen.

    We cannot let this movement die. Rape, Abuse, and Incest Network Statistics (R.A.I.N.N.) says that every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. R.A.I.N.N says that women who are college-aged are at higher risk for sexual assault.

    I have someone close to me that is a victim of sexual assault. I have listened to their stories and I can see the effects of sexual assault. It’s devastating.

    #metoo is making it clear that sexual assault, abuse, harassment is always happening. #metoo lets us see the reality of sexual abuse and it must come to an end. We need to continue to tell our stories and we need to seek justice for those who have been sexually abused. We must teach everyone that you need to have consent. Yes, means yes.

    If you have been sexually assaulted there is the Campus Advocate Team provided by North Coast Rape CrisisTeam.Support is available for all survivors, no matter when the assault occurred, no matter what age or gender. They can be reached at (707) 445-2881.