In cyber space, and elsewhere, people are constantly debating what feminism is, and isn't. Some say feminism equals women hating men. Others, such as myself, say "Feminism is this radical idea that woman are people too." It cannot be both at the same time, for if feminism teaches men and women that women are people too, being a person would have to be the equivalent of hating another. Just think about it, do men hate women because they are people? It sounds rather ludicrous, doesn't it, for little girls and boys don't hate each other although they are people. So what causes grown ups to hate each other? Or is hating someone really the issue here?
I'll just say it and save us the time of having to go in circles: men claim feminism equals women hating men because women have something they want and feminism teaches women to say, "Hands off! It's my body!" In other words, feminism is about giving women the right to protect their bodies from being exploited. You see, part of the whole problem of sin is that we no longer view other humans as our equals, and therefore worthy of respect. Instead, sin causes us to view other humans as objects that exist for our pleasure. If feminists are right, and women are persons with feelings, and not objects to be had by any man that happens to find her, men have to respect women and their bodies.
That men should respect women may seem like such a natural thing, for we all know good men, but when we consider the rape statistics, we have to realize that we have an epidemic in our hands, one that is not going away by us ignoring it. Hence, either we continue to allow society tell men that women's bodies belong to them, or we stand up and say no, the body belongs to the woman, and everyone else better keep their hands off.
Because men will still be looking for access to women's bodies, especially if they are mostly denied that access, prostitution bridges the gap of invitation and denial in giving men access to women's bodies - but for a price. Some men are more than happy to pay it, yet, a lot of men resent that price. They feel they should be allowed access for no price, hence some choose sexual assault, and having sex without the woman's consent. But should we fault men for feeling entitled? Do not our songs and movies tell the same tale? That a successful man always hits a home run even though he doesn't play baseball, as the singer Pitbul puts it? How can a man be successful in the eyes of his peers if the woman suddenly says, "no!" Maybe we should do something about the message we send to men if we want to stop the epidemic of sexual assault.
The problem we have is that our society tells men that access to women's bodies equals success. It is so ingrained into our psyche, that a young man is willing to kill his friends, and shoot young women because that success was denied him. The church aids this process in making a woman's virginity the highest price a man can gain. And so the woman becomes a trophy, something to be pursued; who cares what she thinks of it all. By insisting that women are people too, feminism brings the woman's mind to the forefront and tells the world that women aren't just bodies to be had, or pursued. Women are humans who have something to say, and it's about time the world began to listen.
