This seems to be the sentiment of society as a whole. Not just from those who have decided that society has become too progressive but from those who have decided that we haven't progressed enough. It's truly what people characterize as the "want it all, need it all". We either have to fix everything in one fell swoop or declare the world to be a misogynistic, racist, homophobic world that can never be redeemed. While I'm not going to deny that the world isn't those three things, it's not the fact that we can't fix them, it's that we've decided that everyone must fit into a box and that's not how the world works.
Recently, I was reading about misogyny on the popular show, Jersey Shore, which detailed a double standard that had been portrayed on the show. Then I committed a cardinal sin of the internet: I read the comments. Most comments were about how the Jersey Shore had fallen from being entertaining and the discussion of how it was wrong. Then I hit a comment about how all 20-something men are misogynists. It was a heated debate, either agreeing with the original commenter about how right they were, or that they were wrong and there are men who wouldn't be deemed misogynists. I do have to agree that there are men who are misogynists but there are men who aren't that we seem to think have some hidden agenda against women. I'm going on the offensive: The louder a person is, the more polarizing it makes the group as a whole. It's why we deem conservatives stupid, feminists as bra-burners, and liberals as evil socialists. With the abilities of the internet, we can easily communicate with people and tell the stories of the hard struggles that it stays with us longer than the other side of the story.
Honestly, just like with sexuality, there are degrees. There are raging misogynists who see no value of women and actively abuse them. There are those who only verbally say things like believing women shouldn't work and should stay at home. There are those who allow women to do what they want while in their relationships. There are those who are right alongside women, demanding that they are treated the same as they are. Problem is, we only hear the extremes and forget that those who aren't vocal or aren't horrible statistics do exist. I'm all for equal rights of everyone, because I don't see the point of demonizing anyone whether it be for gender, sexuality, age or race. Yet, I wouldn't be taken seriously because I'm a young, white, straight girl. I couldn't possibly know the struggle of others except when it comes to my gender. I don't claim to know how everyone feels, but I can at least try to help people. Instead of demonizing anyone and everyone who doesn't share your exact and only opinion, why can't we help each other understand? Why can't we let those of privilege help those who don't gain some? Not everyone that has some sort of privilege wants to watch those who don't suffer.
Take the steps as victories. Aim to destroy those who destroy our progress. There's no point in having such a black and white version of society because that's not what society is. Aim to teach children how to treat each other, not to let the television be the only teaching tool. We can change how society is, but we can't expect it to be fixed tomorrow.
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