About #YoReconozco
In recent days we saw the impressive movement #MeToo, which invited women all over the world to share their stories about the times they have faced sexual violence or harassment. Inspired by this movement a latin american twitter account called Machos en Rehab decided to jumpstart their own campaign: #YoReconozco which translates to I recognise.
Their objective? Having men speak about times in which they recognise they have been the perpetrators of machista violence. This to generate visibility from men to men by people who regret their actions and now know better, recognise their position of privilege, and search to find a new violence free sense of personal masculinity.
Now, in the same way that a lot, and I mean a lot of men joined in to show support to women during the #MeToo campaign, and actively shared their stories to generate debate and engage in these to give more visibility to such an important issue, too many where the men who decided to make a joke, a laughing matter out of the movement.
This all comes to show why more movements which seek to elevate awareness of these issues generally only discussed amongst feminist media are essential in male centered collectives and spaces. It came along with praises to men who recognised their actions and where ashamed of them, to becoming the laughing stock of others who not so quite understand the importance of the issue.
The normalisation of these conducts, from whistling down the street to a stranger passing by, to full fledged rape, must stop. Since these same conducts are the source of this daily battle women have while trying to get to school, they jobs, home. Being objectified, fearing the reaction that might come from a wrong move. That limits the potentials to which a woman can truly enjoy her freedom.
The movement in itself got me thinking about things thought to women, and not to men. Things like moving in groups, even to go to the bathroom. Staying in after certain hour. Protecting oneself almost all the time, because if we ever dare to let our guards down even just a bit anything that may happen to us is directly on us, the blame is shifted to the woman’s negligence and no the the man’s course of action.
It is good that men actively search to change this conducts and misdemeanours perpetuated against women. Specially since it is more likely that men will listen to another man, rather than a woman. Trying to repent oneself, trying to change and trying to make others change is in incredibly vital. To recognise one’s mistake and take a different course of action.
This way, the real differences and violence faced by women around the world, just because of the fact that they where born with two X chromosomes, may be reduced. Until respecting one another, becomes no longer such a far fetched idea, but rather common sense and automatic decision.
And just to end this small post with a small reminder, the objective is not to include men in feminist spaces, but rather for men to realise the position they are in, and make their space feminist for benefit of all.