The topic that follows is a widely-talked-about, hot-button issue that intimately concerns you — whether you already know it or not.
You’ve read about it on social media, heard about in on the news and even witnessed it personally in classrooms, places of business and numerous other locations.
You were involved in it when the attractive girl from your accounting class came walking by and your slack-jawed friend catcalled at her.
You were right in the thick of it that time you smiled and winked your way to a discount at the local restaurant or got out of a speeding ticket by flirting with the officer on duty.
Sexism is so much more than just treating somebody of the opposite sex poorly because you’ve a problem with his or her gender. It’s really about discrimination — period. Showing favoritism because a person happens to be a certain gender may not be as despicable as treating them poorly, but it is wrong.
Now, let me clarify a few things before we move on:
First, let’s not ascribe every unfortunate event in our lives to sexism. Just because girls don’t accept your date offers doesn’t mean they hate men. Guys might just have other motives for not asking you out on dates that have nothing to do with their being misogynistic.
If she makes more money than you, don’t be threatened — that’s awesome. She’s successful. If he’s holding open your door, he likely doesn’t think you’re frail and weak — he’s trying to be nice. Let him. Heck, return the favor if you’d like.
Let’s stop making everything about gender. Some people are jerks. It might have nothing to do with you being a man or woman. Some people are kind —that also might not be favoritism based on sex. Let’s make a societal decision to stop jumping to the gender card before using our head.
We feed sexism any time that we buy in to stereotypes and generalizations. Boys can, in fact, like dancing. Girls are able to shoot a gun. Men can be emotional, secure and sensitive. Women can take advantage of men.
Believe it or not, nothing is so cut and dry that we can ascribe one label to it all and have it be completely true. Let’s be sensitive to sexism, but let’s not seek it out and put a big scarlet “S” on every situation we see. Let’s engender equality and not favoritism.
Really, let’s all be part of the same human family, assume the best of each other, expect it from others, give it in return, and stop worrying that others are out to get us.
