Greetings, Comm Kiddos!
Below you will find the link to the TED talk given by Tony Porter. The video is only about 12-15 minutes long, so please view it in its entirety. Click below to watch the video:
http://www.ted.com/speakers/tony_porter
Then, in a well-thought out response, talk about the issues Porter discusses in the video. Whose problem IS violence against women? What does he think should be done about it?
Do you agree? Disagree? Explain.
Where do you stand on this issue? Has it been something you've ever thought about?
DUE DATE: OCTOBER 10, 2014 by midnight!!!
**Your response should be thoughtful, concise and free of any major errors that would detract from your message. If you need a word count, please try for 250-350 words. It may be best to type your response in a Word doc or some other word processing program, so that you can spell check and save your work, and then copy and paste into the dialog box on your screen.
In the video the speaker talks about the issues underlying violence against women. Tony Porter talks about growing up and being told the way that ‘a man’ should act in the social norms set up by adults, aka ‘the man box’. He states that the reason women are often the victims of violence, is because men are taught to objectify women as objects, mostly in a sexual sense. He talks about the way that men are taught that they are not to show emotions. I completely agree with this opinion. In many families, the young boys are taught that women are to be protected. That woman shouldn’t be forced to work for a living. That men should be the one bringing home the money. While on the surface this seems like a good thing to be teaching your children, we do not look at what is seen under the surface. ‘if I have to protect women, then women must be weaker then me’. This isn’t something we want in our society. We don’t see this on the surface, but underneath its morals like this. And many times its what causes some forms of violence. There will always be violence against women. Just like there will always be violence against gays and violence against religious groups and race. But the amount of violence is becoming to much for our society to handle. If we change the way we teach our boys and our children in general we will change the way we treat each other.
ReplyDeleteTony Porter believes that violence against women is a man’s problem. He believes that men are part of the problem but we are also a part of the solution. He thinks that we don’t take action because we are stuck inside of “The Man Box”. The Man Box consists of things that men are taught at a very young age by society such as not crying or showing any fear. Society teaches men to treat women as trophies and sexual objects. He thinks that men should stand up for women and that we should teach the next generation (our kids, younger relatives) how to treat women respectfully. I completely agree with Tony and his point of view on violence against women. I would never want my daughter to be treated in such a degrading manner. It’s a shame that we men don’t do anything or stand up for women who are being mistreated. Women brought us into this world and I think that they should get the respect that they deserve. If you’re a man mistreating a woman, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should be treating her with respect and kindness, not greeting her with a fist or another form of violence. It’s a shame that we even have to learn about stopping violence against women and how to treat them. I think men need to take a stronger stance against violence against women and we need to defend them and try to stop this chain of violence. We need to take more action to stop it so our daughters and granddaughters don’t have to go through it.
ReplyDeleteIn the video, Tony Porter talks about the unremitting violence against women. He talks about what growing up was like being told boys/men don’t have any fears or any feelings in front of women or at all, often referred to this as the “man box”. He states the reason women are mostly the victims of violence is because men are taught to treat women as objects. He also states how he thinks men should stick up for women and that they should teach their children and younger relatives to respect women. I completely agree with Tony Porter because I wouldn’t want my son to grow up thinking he has to be tough all of the time and not having any emotions. And I wouldn’t want my daughter being degraded by any man and thinking she has to lower her self-respect for a boy/man to like her. I don’t want my children or even my little brother to think he can treat a girl like she is an object. I don’t want him to think he has to work and the girl has to stay home. We shouldn’t want this in our society we should want everyone working no matter what gender they are. There will always be violence against women like there is against gays but if we get the younger generation to treat women more respectfully the sexual offense would go down tremendously. Raising our children to treat women like humans instead of objects can go a long way.
ReplyDeleteThe war on women has existed for as long as anyone can remember. We are viewed as the inferior gender for many invalid reasons and this mindset has sadly become something permanently etched into our culture. It has gotten to the point where degrading women is something that’s normal because misogyny has essentially become socially acceptable. Violence against women is as subtle as making a cliche comment about women in the kitchen. Those who make these types of jokes are usually punished by a simple scold because they appear to be harmless. However, these minor forms of misogynistic speech are the reasons why violence against women even exists. We have normalized the idea that dehumanizing women is okay because they are somehow not worthy of receiving the same amount of respect as men. Whenever a sexist comment is made by a man, most people choose to just laugh it off because “boys will be boys.” Let me restate that: our society thinks that it’s okay for men to degrade women in a jocular manner because it’s been something that they’ve been doing ever since they were young boys, making fun of young girls just for being girls. Looking back at the points that Tony Porter made, it’s obvious that the “man box” is one of the main contributors to the war on women but you may be surprised to hear that it also has a negative impact on men. This box teaches men to conform to certain traits in order to be considered “masculine” and therefore “respectable.” These aspects of masculinity all attack the idea of possessing any ounce of femininity because womanhood is supposed to be absolutely shameful. The “man box” mindset is forced upon boys as soon as they develop a sense of self awareness. This concept gives boys the idea that they must fulfill their roles as the stronger, more dominating gender or else they will be seen as failures. Not only does this mindset pose a threat to women, it poses a threat to men as well. Females may be the ones that are directly affected when it comes to violence against women but males are the ones who have been forced into becoming aggressive figures due to twisted societal norms. If we were to stop enforcing outdated gender roles, we would be one step closer to ending violence against women. The day we all realize that women are more than just objects under male control will be the day that we stop viewing femininity as a weakness. Porter encourages his audience to allow their sons to break the “man box” because this theoretical crate is the main thing that’s holding us back from reaching equality among all genders. No person should ever be seen as less than a human just because they don’t meet the standards of their biological gender. Traits that are considered to be more “feminine” should not be looked down upon because there is nothing wrong with possessing characteristics that are closely related to women. For all of the men who have been taught to conform to the “man box”: outgrow the idea that it’s okay to tear women down. Instead, build them up and learn to accept them as your equal. All in all, women don’t deserve to be abused in any way, shape, or form. Don’t respect women just because you view them as daughters, wives, and mothers. Respect them because they are human.
ReplyDeleteWow. Just Wow! One of the many things that stuck out to me in the video by Tony Porter, was the “man box.” An invisible box that makes it okay for men to think that they don’t have feelings, that they can’t be weak or be sensitive in any way. That to me is sad. We are teaching men that it’s okay to have this macho man persona at all times, when that is not true at all. Where Tony comes from he is taught to treat women as objects. That’s sickening to me, women are worth so much. If it weren’t for a woman a man would not be here! I know so many powerful, successful, strong, hardworking women. All traits that men possess. What ever happened to equality? Tony thinks violence against women is a mans fault. I agree, parenting and surroundings teach your child what is right and wrong. If a son sees his dad hitting or verbally abusing his mother, he’ll grow up to think “Oh daddy did it, I guess it’s okay!”
ReplyDeleteI believe it is the men’s problem in violence against women. The reason being is that men treat women like trash and objects. Women have as much value as men do, but men want to be in charge. Tony Porter says that men are a part of the solution, as well as the problem. He wants men to realize that it’s ok to show emotions to women, because that doesn’t make us weak. It shows that we have a heart. This violence has impacted all of us, and it’s not healthy either. There are a lot of things that need to be done. We need to realize that women have feelings. A question that most people ask is, “Why don’t women leave these abusive relationships?” Some women can’t leave because these abusive men threaten to hurt them even more, and possibly kill them. Many women are frightened and can’t go to the police because they are scared if the man finds out, that they actually will do the physical damage that they say they would do. Unfortunately, this is very common. This brings me to what Ray Rice did to his wife. He showed no remorse after he knocked her out. It’s all because men want to be in charge. The way men abuse women is sick, horrifying, and very sad, because this is not what people want to see or hear about. This world would be so much better without violence and fighting. I have always wondered why this sort of violence is even part of people’s lives. Many relationships are abusive relationships, too many. We don't want our children to grow up thinking that abusing and hitting your spouse is ok. The violence has to stop.
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ReplyDeleteIn the video Porter discusses the logic and though process of what men are taught and how they should be as they grow into a man. The start of all violence against women starts with the “Man Box” of all the things that they shouldn’t want to do as a man. Inside the guidelines they are taught to treat women like objects, sexual object, women should not dominate and men shouldn’t ever show any emotion unless it’s anger. With the guidelines of the man box and the way they are taught to treat women later results in violence against women. The problem against women starts with the way they are brought up as young children the morals and way society influences them. Porter feels that parents in society now should raise sons different teaching them to be men that it’s okay to not be dominating to have feelings and emotions to have friends that are girls and that’s okay, promote equality, be whole .In the end men are tied down with the four walls of the “man box” if they are liberated from all the rules and regulations of being a man.. He believes that the liberation of a man is ties to the liberation of a women. If men are free it will cause less of the violence and harassment against women. I totally agree with him I never thought about it like he did, but once he explained everything with the “man box” it made sense. The main reason why violence against has become an epidemic starts with what men are taught. I’ve never thought about the man box, I kind of didn’t know that it existed within the community of men that they actually follow and live by the man box.
In the video Porter talks about what is define to be a man. He saying the issues violence against women isn’t the women problem it’s a man problem. But men are also part of the solution. Men where brought up to be strong and not show any emotion. They were taught that they we in a superior position. Women were less than them. Ted believe that men should teach younger generations to look at women in a more respectful manor and not look down because we all are equal. I agree because we aren’t just born acting a certain way we learn from what we are taught and what we have seen. Me as a child I followed my older sisters, brother and mother because that’s what I had seen. You don’t know right from wrong until someone has told you you’re doing something wrong. Yes it have been something I have thought about because growing up seeing abuse and seeing men put their hands on women , made me think it can’t be the woman problem because all there doing it getting the after effect of what the male fathers taught them. Woman are the only creatures on this earth that can have a bay and make a male so therefore we should respect them in all aspects of life.
ReplyDeleteIn the video Mr.Parker talks about the man box he referred back to when he was a boy growing up in the Bronx where they taught no crying no pain no fear men were to be tough and women was mere objects to the eyes of a man. He also referrers to how his family was going somewhere and as all the women exited the car him and his dad stayed in the car not to talk but his father was crying in the very same limo moments after the women left his did gave him props on how he handled himself. He has two kids the daughter came to him and cried he said she could come to him and cry and sit on his knee cry on his shirt when the son came him crying he told him go to his room and think about why he crying and he did that because of his past.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this video is super important towards all men that no matter who you are or where you from is never not right to treat a woman in any form of disrespect. Mr. Parker displays a lot of qualities that you should have towards women and is very influential about what he says thanks to great men like him we can try to stop domestic violence.
In the video, “A call to men”, Tony Porter speaks about his opinion on violence against woman. He believes men don’t step up or change anything because of this “man box”. The man box basically says men should be raised to not cry, show any fear, act weak, etc. Tony believes that since woman are said to be treated as objects they end up getting abused or raped. Women are worth a lot more than just an “object”. Women are just as great as man, in everything they do. Porter explains his opinion on how he believes men are part of the solution but also the problem. Others say that woman in abuse relationships should just be strong and walk away but maybe it isn’t that easy. Walking away from an abusive relationship can make it even worse. Equality needs to be enforced and the sexism needs to stop and maybe these problems will slowly dissolve. We are viewed as the weaker gender which when you think about it, women are the reason the other gender is here. The sexism is out of control honestly and the jokes against woman are completely sick. Any time a man places his hand on a woman, he should think about how he would feel if that girl was his daughter and/or mother. Hopefully the violence against women will stop when the men stop trying to live up to this stupid man box.
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