Sexism

The other day I had an experience that got my thinking. I was at work when a man casually asked me if I ever thought about slapping my bosses ass. And right in front of her at that. Even though she laughed it off as I responded "that sounds like a good way to get fired", the blatant chauvinism caught me off guard. Ever since that experience I've been thinking about all the things that, as a man, I don't have to worry about. I don't have to worry about catcalls or walking by myself for the most part. I don't need to worry about not being taken seriously in the professional environment. I never have to deal with sexist comments like the aforementioned. I don't particularly need to fret over anyone putting anything in my drink if I'm at a party or out on the town. Even though I'd like to think that I've got a good understanding of my privilege as a man, I still find myself taking these things for granted. I'd like to think that, as a society, we've made large strides towards equality, but even though that is true to an extent, I think that sexism isn't something that can be completely eradicated. Rather it is a struggle that we will constantly be grappling with. I consider myself a feminist. To me that means wanting equality in all shapes and forms. To me that means believing there is a need for continuous education and reminders of how far we still have to go. It's an uphill battle, that's for sure. There are hundreds of years of damage to be undone, but that's not to say strides can't be made in the right direction. Even though I am a pretty progressive person, I find that I still have occasional passing chauvinistic tendencies that I don't even think about. That is a result of the deeply rooted dispositions of sexism that are so ingrained in society that are often times overlooked or left unchecked. These tendencies might not be anything major, but even minor discretions need to be understood and rectified if we really want progress to be made. No one is perfect, we all have moments where we might think or do something contrary to our deeply held beliefs, but to brush those off as if they aren't part of the problem is just as bad as actively putting wood on the fire. Being able to admit your discretions is the first step to rectifying them and helping you to grow as a person. Sexism is a more complex and deeply rooted problem than many think it is. Like many problems, we need to pay close attention to where it pops up and make extra effort to combat it at every turn if we really want to keep heading in the right direction.