Things Must Change           

Once again I am troubled and saddened by the state of this world and the evil that is being perpetrated by increasingly younger people.  If we don't get a grip and recognized the true state we are in, our world, the world we are allowing our children to inherit, is going to be inconceivable.  We can turn a blind eye and say this is just a sign of the times.  We can give the old adage, "that boys will be boys" or we can say the headline stories are rare and not the norm.  The moral code of society is shifting and it's shifting in a scary direction.  We can look at the media and blame it; no doubt it has some culpability.  We can look at parents and, of course, they have a huge amount of culpability.    And we can look at society at large and find their culpability.  But let's please start analyzing and talking so we can change things. 

So I'm driving home listening to talk radio and I hear of another 15 year old girl who has committed suicide because she was gang raped, photos were taken and school mates continued to harass and torture a victim of rape. In the past few months I can name at least 5 cases of teenage girls being gang raped by teenage boys.  These boys have the unbelievable audacity to take photos of it and pass them around.  It is already mind blowing that there are this many stories of boys finding other boys to collectively rape another girl and no one has a conscience.  But to have the photos passed around and the victim being harassed and tortured by everyone else is heart breaking.  We have created a society where no one speaks up and going with the flow is okay, even in the face of a horrendous crime. 

Have we become so desensitized to evil that we just see it as the norm?  I know the media/music has popularized "pimping and abusing women".  I know that women have always been sexualized and seen as objects for men's disposal.  But where are all the decent and bold people?  Where are all the people that care?  Why are we just sitting back and allowing these atrocities to continue with silence and not a protest.  Where is the revolution for human rights? 

Until more people are willing to stand loud and strong we must teach our children in the privacy of our homes what is right and wrong.  We must show our kids what is right and wrong.  We must put our fears aside and stand up for the small and big things so they can see that it is always ok to go against the crowd to protect innocence and slam evil.  We as parents are on the front line of teaching morals and humanity.  If we start this work at home, the media/music and greater society will have a harder time penetrating the barriers we have encased our kids in.  Again this can't be simple talk but they must see us acting in conjunction with our speech. 
 
I would love to ask those young people that participated in the bullying of those girls what they were thinking.  I know all of them didn't think it was ok but were too afraid to stand out from the crowd.  Why are girls participating in "SLUT" shaming when they know they would never want that visited upon them?  As quoted from Sophia from The Color Purple, "A girl ain't safe in a world full of men".  Are we now creating a world where a "girl ain't safe in the world period."  We as women must stand together, not necessarily against men, but we must stand together.  I wish this world would get the message that no matter what the girl/women looks like, no matter if she drinks or not, no matter if she let you in her home or not; you are not to rape her!!  But this isn't a reality, so we must teach or girls/women you must always stay on guard.  Be on guard even if you know the person.  Never get yourself in a predicament that you can't be in full control and have your full senses.  Be willing to be seen as the B****.  Your life is at stake.  Your sanity is at stake.  Teach this to our girls as soon as the possibility of going out and dating/liking boys comes into play. 

Men I beg you to join this fight with us.  Please start talking to your boys that touching, raping and covering a rape is not ok.  Show them that you respect women.  For instance, when lyrics of songs come up don't just sing along but explain that this is unacceptable and never to be tolerated. Cut that song off, there are thousand of other songs to choose from.  Men, you have to change this rape culture.  Our boys are turning into predators at a young age and this should alarm all of us.  Our girls are condoning the sexualization of themselves at a younger age.  Our girls are becoming more mean and vicious and this should alarm us. 

Social media is giving too many the cloak of strength and allowing extreme bullying and venomous behavior to be perpetuated at alarming rates.  I am shocked and appalled at the girls and women that are posting half nude photos of themselves and almost begging for them to be sexualized.  This has to be combatted.  We cannot accept this type of foolishness.  So let's start re-educating our girls that they are more than breasts and booty; that they have more to offer this world than a pretty face.  Our girls must know that they have the power to impact this world.  Teach them about the women who have changed the world with their minds.  Let's stop making celebrities be the role models and not people who do meaningful work everyday!  

Join me in this.  Start your own movement in your world of influence.  Adults let's get ourselves together and take responsibility for the world we have helped create.  Let's start a revolution.  Let's stop being mindless and weak.  Stand up and be heard. Let's stop accepting evil and participating in it because we either don't care enough or are too scared.  Find some strength, grab a mic and start screaming that this mess must end!!  You can silence one, but you can't silence an army.  Let's go!!! 

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
~ Albert Einstein ~

A person may cause evil to others not only by his actions but by his inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable to them for the injury.
~ John Stuart Mill ~