Anti-sexism activist Jackson Katz presented his program “The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women & How All Men Can Help” last night. The event was sponsored by the Feminists at Bradley club.
Neumiller Hall was filled past capacity as Katz addressed the many issues women face in society today, from sexism to men’s domestic violence against women. He continued to speak about the many ways these issues can actually harm men and gave examples of how men can get involved to make a change.
“The issues that I was talking about are huge problems on college campuses, including Bradley,” Katz said. “They’re also global problems, and a big part of my message is that we want more men to have the courage and the strength to explore how they can be a part of the change and work with women as their allies, partners and friends rather than their attacker in some fictional battle of the sexes.”
Katz said he believes educating students about men’s violence against women is the first step to making a change.
“I think having a public talk like this is an important part of the process,” Katz said. “It’s important to have lots of people in the room, and hopefully people will take something from this, learn something, and maybe take the next step to making a change.”
Katz also showed clips from two films he worked on. Both “Tough Guise” and “Tough Guise 2” deal with the way men are presented in the media, particularly in relation to violence, and how these societal representations create male identities in the U.S.
“A lot of guys are policed into silence and conformity when it comes to being a ‘tough guy,’” Katz said. “There are certain norms they bend to, not necessarily because they agree with them, but it’s the default.”
Liz Gum, president of Feminists at Bradley and organizer of the event, said she first heard about Katz from one of her sociology classes.
“I’ve actually seen his films [‘Tough Guise’ and ‘Tough Guise 2’] in my sociology classes, and I saw his work and was like ‘I really enjoy what he has to say,’” Gum, a senior sociology major, said. “Coming from a man, I thought it was a really unique perspective, and I thought ‘Why can’t I bring him to Bradley?’”
Katz related these issues on a broader scale by explaining how everything is interconnected.
“If there’s no peace in the homes, there’s no peace in the streets,” Katz said. “And if there’s no peace in the families, there’s no peace in the communities.”
