http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2008/06/02/jackson-katz-violence-against-women-is-a-mens-issue
Jackson Katz: Violence Against Women Is a Men's Issue
Drawing upon his most recent book, "The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Can Help," Katz shared some strategies with the audience, providing them with what he hoped was a foundation they could build upon in their professional and private lives. "My goal here today is to give you some concrete strategies on how to approach issues regarding violence against women and prevent gender-violence issues among men and young boys."
Katz spent a significant portion of the session driving home his first strategy and why a paradigm shift in thinking is imperative to the prevention of gender violence. At the root of the problem is language and how, historically, language has helped cement and legitimize how people view gender violence.
"In each, the dominate culture is left out of the equation. This is one way that dominant systems maintain themselves in that they are rarely challenged to think about their own dominance," Katz said. "This is one of the key characteristics of power and privilege and why the dominant culture has ability to go unexamined and remain invisible."
Katz admits this is one of the key challenges he faces when working with men, the dominant group in our society. Katz reminds the audience that his focus is on men. "I hope nobody in this room is under the delusion that this is sexist," Katz said. "I know women have made great historical strides in recent history, but when we talk about the dominant group in our society, we are talking about men. I'm also aware that members of dominant groups have been strong supporters of subordinate groups, but let's not be naïve, for there have been members of dominant groups who have resisted reform and responsibility."
If you haven't read it, I think it's well worth a read.
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