Like most sane people in the country, we at Health Briefs
watched with horror as details unfolded of the mass killings in Santa
Barbara, California, by a lone,
twisted misogynist. So profound was the
effect that social media erupted in a movement denoted as #NotAllMen in an
attempt by men to rectify the negative implications that would undoubtedly rub
off on males everywhere. What turned out
to be even more revealing was the response:
a movement hashtagged #YesAllWomen.
Using this medium, women gave voice to some of the personally
frightening and invasive behaviors they have suffered from men who didn't even
know them, but casually encountered them in public places.
Health Briefs listens as women tell of unwanted
harassment widely occurring every day.
The Health Briefs TV show has dealt with women's safety
issues before, but the true extent of gender-based harassment has never been so
clear. #YesAllWomen invites women to
share their stories of being afraid for their safety under otherwise innocuous
circumstances. It is somewhat shocking
to the men listening to these statements that virtually every woman has plenty
of these stories to tell. Open
harassment of women happens frequently, just about everywhere. While nothing good can be said about the
recent shooting rampage in Southern California, or any
of dozens of recent murderous outbreaks anywhere else in the country, the
exposition of this little-known fact is an important development. Letting men know how serious the problem is
and assuring women that they are not alone in this issue will hopefully make
the world an easier place for a woman to be.
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