As a man, and as a feminist, I was frustrated by a recent letter in The Post arguing for the inclusion of men in Take Back the Night. The author, Molly Shea, is not alone in this sentiment; there are many others who would agree. In this letter I would like to make a counter-argument that men should not be allowed to march during Take Back the Night.
First, it is important to look at the purpose of Take Back the Night. Molly criticizes the walk because men can help stop rape and that they themselves get raped. It is very true that men can stop rape; no one is disagreeing with that. The current setup does not and should not sway anyone from thinking that men can stop rape. But the purpose of the event is to empower women.
To me, it would seem oxymoronic to have men marching during Take Back the Night when we already own the night; there is nothing for us to take back. We are able to walk alone at night without fear of being raped or attacked. Yes, I understand the argument that men get raped too. However, we do not fear this on a regular occurrence. A large point of Take Back the Night is to remove the need for women to be walked around at night by men. My friends don't ask me if I need someone to walk me home.
The key difference is fear. Men do not have to fear the night, and the sad reality is that women do. Take Back the Night is about removing those shackles of fear for at least one night. Thus, men need to stand in solidarity for women as they walk to empower themselves. This is exactly what this event promotes: Men standing on the sidelines and cheering for women as they do this.
Molly makes an argument about equality. She states that she does not want men to be told what to do because that would be comparable to telling a woman what to do. I think it is important when discussing equality to look at how the world is, and not necessarily how you want it to be. The argument that doing this creates some reverse discriminatory society is faulty. It is faulty because of current socio-economic dynamics and structures of power.
Speaking frankly, women earn 77 cents for each dollar a man makes. Women are also treated differently on an individual level. Their opinions are considered less valid, and even their knowledge in the field they study is constantly put into question. Therefore, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with a woman telling me to stand off to the side as she walks to empower herself.
I cannot be so selfish or egotistical to not understand her cause. Part of life is learning how you can help. I cannot empower a woman to walk alone if I'm constantly requesting to walk with her. I must stand in solidarity and support her through words. She must walk so that she can run and she does not need me to be her legs.
Even if you disagree with the methods, your support for the results should be enough for you show up to Take Back the Night.
Alex Maza is a junior studying political science and economics.
4 Opinion
Letter to the Editor
