Recently, in light of the #MeToo movement, many men have expressed concern about how to behave around women. They say they’re afraid to talk to a woman. Afraid to look at her, even. Henry Cavill blamed #MeToo for making him go back to his ex lest he be called a rapist. (Okay…) Even women have chimed in. “A man can’t even tell his female coworker she’s pretty anymore,” a woman on Facebook moaned, as though that had been her source of joy every morning at work.
Basically, these people are worried about the breaking down of friendly and flirty relations between men and women. They’re worried about not getting dates or having their intentions misread.
But most importantly, they’re worried about their lives and careers being ruined. They think of women as something dangerous, capable of wiping out their existence with their wily ways. And many have responded that no, women are telling the truth and the accused men’s careers aren’t really ruined and society is the problem. Regardless, men are currently very afraid of women.
And they should be.
Women have been afraid of men for countless years. Until fairly recently, there was no legal definition of marital rape in the U.S. Around the world, women have been and still are disproportionately targeted in sexual violence. And even though things are improving…
