Jackson Katz

When I saw Jackson Katz speak, I kept thinking to myself over and over how great it was how insistent he was that stuff like violence against women was a men’s issue, and I think he’s absolutely right. For years, men have gotten by ignoring problems like this when the reason for them stems from people just like them, not the easy-to-ignore minority cultures. As he was clear about, not all men are violent, but many are, and that’s part of the reason why so few people are willing to step forward and admit that there is something wrong with that part of society. I find it frustrating, though, to sit and watch a speaker like Jackson Katz say all of these true things and realize that I am rather unable to make changes myself because I am a woman; he explained how women try to stand up for what is right, but are ignored. It is necessary now for men to do that, and it seems that it is time for women to sit on the sideline with our fingers crossed.