Just because these guys are both male, one is Beiber, one is black, and both are criminals does not make this funny. Men suffer deeply from sexual objectification too.
Yesterday I posted an article on how sexual objectification works.
Today this popped up on my private Facebook that I reserve for my friends and family. It was shared by a good and longtime friend of mine that I've known for over 10 years, and my brain exploded. I don't think my friend is a bad guy (obviously). He's just doesn't realize the double standard.
Let's say this was Miley Cyrus instead of Bieber. They look like identical twins, as has been pointed out repeatedly already on the interwebz. Would you be laughing at a joke about her being raped?
Bieber's got to be my poster boy for what I'm talking about, and Miley Cyrus is my poster girl.
I'm not especially fond of either of their acts or some of their actions any more than anybody else, but that doesn't change the fact that they are still human beings being objectified.
No, it doesn't matter if they are doing it to themselves as much as the music industry and society is doing it TO them.
This is not funny because it's two men. This is not funny because one is Justin Bieber. This is not funny because it's black versus white. This is not funny because it's a big, burly, tough-looking man against a smaller guy whose genetics-given features resemble a woman's. This not funny because we all know if you have a mug shot taken, it automatically means you're guilty, and why should we care if criminals rape each other?
I could write a novel of details about everything that is unjust and wrong about this picture, but I'm gonna stick with the topic of sexual violence against men.
Male rape is a real thing.
It's not funny.
2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape.
Worse, it's hard enough gathering any sort of accurate data on female victims of sexual assault due to fear and stigma, but even more difficult to gather data for males.
Do you know how society often responds to male rape victims?
"How can a guy be raped? How does that even work?"
"Women can't rape men."
"What are you complaining about? Man, I wish a woman would do that to ME!"
"Jesus, you were raped by a fag? That's sick. So does that mean you're...you know...gay?"
Those are all direct quotes burned into my mind from male rape survivors I've spoken to. I've read enough variants of the above quotes to know they weren't isolated incidents. I'm a sexual assault survivor myself, and none of my attackers ever saw justice because I was ignored for various reasons...but at least nobody has EVER questioned whether or not that it was possible for me to be raped. That's a response unique to MEN.
Is it any wonder why men often just slip into a lifetime of silence about what was done to them? Is it any wonder why we're not hearing more about this?
There is almost no movement for men about men's issues. Frequently, I see people yelling at feminists to do something about it. Speaking as a feminist, I'm really not comfortable with that idea. I can listen. I can stand beside men at rallies and lend my support. I can write articles and speak up about this being an issue that exists.
But there is a point where it's not my place. I'm not a man. I wasn't raised as one. I don't know what it's like to go through stuff like this as a man. It's not right for women to be telling men what's best for men on things like this...not anymore than it is for men to be telling women what's best for women.
You guys need each other on that; but first, we all have to wake up and realize a problem exists.
When Feminism and Masculinism meet as consorts and fall in love, their union is called Equalism, and their children are Humanism, Humanitarianism, and Harmony.