Renowned sexual assault activist Joseph Weinberg spoke about male responsibility in the fight against sexual assault to a mixed-gender crowd of about 60 people at Collis Common Ground last night.
Sexual assault is "not about sex.," but rather "about violence" or "sex gone awry," Weinberg said.
"Growing up male in America, I've heard sex described as 'burying the hatchet' or 'fcking the sht out of somebody'," he said.
Weinberg said a cultural tradition of violent associations with sex and the female body has degraded sex to something "sneaky" or "dirty." Weinberg said many males use a language permeated by "locker-room talk" when describing sex.
A lack of "beautiful language to describe a beautiful act," has created a problematic male attitude and a double standard for women, he said.
To prove his point, Weinberg asked the audience for words that positively describe a sexually active woman and words that positively describe a sexually active man.
While words such as "stud," "ladies man" and "stallion" among others were offered to describe the sexually active male, audience members could not think of a positive word to describe the sexually active female.
Weinberg said another part of the problem is society's unwillingness to change long-established attitudes toward gender.
Everything from a sports coach calling a weaker athlete "pussy" to public brothels which give males "unlimited access to women's bodies" continue to contribute to the problem, he said.
Another factor that contributes to the problem is the mixed messages that males receive from paternal figures, he said.
"So many males are lied to and misdirected," Weinberg said. "The father may say to the son, 'Don't get her pregnant', while the mother may say something like 'Respect her as a person.'"
It is unfortunate so few men are active in the fight against sexual assault, he said. Currently much of the activism against sexual assault is being organized by women, he added.
Weinberg was the keynote speaker for this year's Sexual Assault Awareness Week at the College. The week will also include a mock Committee on Standards hearing today and the annual Take Back the Night march on Thursday night.
