I was stunned and offended when I read Austin Rucker’s commentary Thursday in which he dismissed the message of the new group “Men With Integrity” as un uncontroversial topic that does not need discussing.à The group,àin Rucker’s own words,àexists “to raise awareness about sexism and sexual assault.”à Since when are these issues “not aàbig deal?”à

Rucker made several pointsàabout the methods the group is using – heàdoesn’t like theàWall of Integrity or the black bracelets.à I’m not going toàargue about the effectiveness of their awareness-raising techniques.à What concerns me is the fact that someone can actually feel comfortable articulating the rude assumptions that are the foundation of his article.

According to Rucker, “sexism is not a big deal,” “sexism was effectively resolved” and the individual impact of sexism “cannot hold a candle” to the impact of issues like melanoma and POW and MIAs, the other two issues that black bracelets raise awareness for. He also claims that sexism “has a simple resolution.” The most appalling thing is that he actually believes that everyone is in agreement about these issues.

One purpose of Men With Integrity is spreading the word and starting discussions about sexual assault.à Considering the statistic that approximately one out of every three women is the victim of assault, I think that it is obvious that this issue affects all of us and merits discussion.à According to Rucker, though, these issues are not problems that “really need to reach a massive audience.”à

What he and many others don’t understand is that sexism encompasses more than explicit situations like how women are being paid less than men. It’s an attitude that is encouraged in society and that pervades almost every aspect of our culture.à We see it in the messages that tell us howàwe shouldàdefine ourselves everywhere – from magazine covers to beer commercials.à Escaping the effects of sexism is not as simple as not hanging out with someone who tells “titty jokes,” as Rucker suggests.à à

Men are affected by sexism, too, which is another issue the group addresses.à We are all familiar with the idea of the virgin-whore complex that girls are caught in.à Women are simultaneously expected to be virginal, ladylike and domestic, while being sexual,àexperienced and worldly.à But, men deal with sex role stereotypes, as well.à They are expected to be “manly” – strong, aggressive, competitive and predatory when it comes to women.à Growing up, they are conditioned by the media and even sometimes by their parents to see men as competent providers who shape society and women as less serious sexual objects who serve their husbands and children. Pornography, frequent “locker-room” type conversations with their friends and glaring media stereotypes reinforce many different types of sexism that boys see as they grow up. à

Both genders grow up watching unrealistic portrayals of their sexes in pornography, on TV and in magazines.à I could go on and on listing examples and explaining why sexism is an issue today, but that’s not the point of this.à My point is that these issues ARE important and DO need discussing.à

This new organization on our campus is a group of men who are challenging the stereotypes.à They are holding themselves accountable and taking responsibility for the way they define themselves as men.à Theyàare taking a stand against sexism and sexual assault, issues traditionally seen as women’s issues.ààI applaud them for acknowledging these issues as their own and for doing something about it.à à

Rucker seems to think that the “rape is bad” message has been overplayed and that everyone agrees with it.à But this group isn’t just about rape.à It’s about challenging the sexual stereotypes that help create rapists in the first place.à Raising awareness is the first step to overcoming the abundance of sexual assault and sexism in today’s society, and if we were all in agreement, then I wouldn’t be skipping class to write this right now.

Elizabeth George is a senior finance major. She may be contacted at [email protected].