Republican Men and the cnoversation we need to have.

Ok, so Feministing had an excellent piece on the problem with Republican men talking about rape. I agree with the basic premise. PEOPLE NEED TO STOP TALKING ABOUT WHAT THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND or can’t empathize with.

However the piece does go onto say that Mr. John Koster has no say, but actually he does. We all do. Conversations on rape are not limited to survivors and perpetrators. That’s not how the world works. I’m a big proponent of bring men into these conversations. After all what is good for women is good for men.

Now, I wholly support a more nuanced discussion of rape, one that includes empathy and understanding. I also, agree that the vast majority of conversations right now coming from conservative men demonstrate a lack of comprehension of rape, women, and science. However, I think these are really their views. That is concerning, and we have to hear them to know what is going on. I mean people who are anti-choice really think women lie about being raped?

So yeah, these conversations are triggering, and that is an awful experience, but we can’t demand their silence if they are going to be allowed to continue holding office, cutting funding for women’s health, and picket women’s health clinics.

The other option here, if that these men are not callous and operating on a lower intellectual functionality, and they just hate women. This is possible, and then we’re in more trouble that we thought.