DISCLAIMER: Let me be clear about what this article is actually addressing. I do not care about your political agenda. I know you don’t care about mine. I do not care about each candidate’s policies nor do I wish to address them (at least for this article). And just because I am addressing an incident involving Donald Trump, does not mean this article is necessarily Pro-Hillary. The only thing I will be talking about is the concept of “Locker Room Talk”, my reaction to it, and why it is simply not okay, especially coming from someone running for the President of the United States.
Glorifying Rape Culture Driven By Toxic Masculinity
My main issue with the entire concept of Trump’s “locker room talk” is his very simple glorification of rape culture. For those of you that don’t know what rape culture is, it is the normalization of sexual violence. So when I say Trump’s locker room talk is the glorification of rape culture, this means that saying things like “Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”, “Grab them by the pussy”, “You can do anything”, this is apparently just normal talk and to be expected of men. But this is not normal. This should not be expected of men, let alone a presidential candidate. Why is it expected of men to say something like this? Why is it expected for boys to act like this? Studies have shown that boys and men tend to police and measure each other’s masculinity and sex is often the main source of measurement. A guy who can get with any and as many girls as he wants is often praised. Any guy who can’t or doesn’t get with girls is considered less of a man. Trump’s excessive need to prove he is “a man’s man” is exactly why he says things like this. The problem with allowing him to say his comments are just “locker room talk” is the same as saying “boys will be boys.” Boys and men need to be held accountable for their actions and stop prioritizing their masculinity and promoting rape culture.
Talking About Sex vs. Talking About Sexual Assault
When someone refers to a conversation as “Locker Room Talk” it’s to be assumed that all men talk like this. It’s not a secret that sex is a very popular subject among men (and women), so yes, talking about sex and sexual acts are to be expected among friends/teammates. HOWEVER, there is a big difference between speaking with vulgarity and glorifying non-consensual sexual contact. I am not suggesting Trump raped anyone. However, what he did do was try to make it seem like it was normal and, actually cool to touch someone’s genitals without their consent, which is sexual assault, which is AGAINST THE LAW. People are not mad because Trump said a crude and vulgar word. People are mad because he said he would not wait for consent from a woman. Consent is the reason people are in an uproar over this; not because he said a dirty word.
Women are Actually People
Another issue I noticed arose from this was when many Republicans began to pull their support of Trump. A common trend I noticed among male supporters was that even though they believed his comments were disgusting and unacceptable, many kept saying something along the lines of “These are our wives, our daughters, our mothers, and our sisters he is talking about.” The problem with this is the idea that the ONLY way this really affects men is if they relate women back to them in some way. The idea that women are “someone’s something.” Women are someone. Period. It is that simple and the fact that that is the only way some men will take offense to these comments says a lot about how they and our society views women: “belonging to…” instead of just “being.”
This Man is Running for President of the United States
I’m shocked I even have to make this argument and point out this very important fact, but I have seen many people claiming that celebrities and such have said similar, if not worse things than Trump and, therefore claim that people shouldn’t be so disturbed by his “Locker Room Talk.” I’m sorry, but he is the REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. He is no longer just a billionaire and reality TV star. He is trying to get elected to run our country, not to get a segment on comedy central. He is really running and he really said these things. He needs to be held to a higher standard and he must deal with that if he expects to become President.
“This is nothing more than a distraction…”
“Let’s be honest. We’re living in the real world. This is nothing more than a distraction…” Do you have any idea what actually goes on in the real world as a woman, Mr. Trump? Do you have to worry about catcallers? Do you have to worry about unwanted sexual advances? Do you fear for your life when you walk alone at night or any time of day, for that matter? Have you ever had to actually deal with being sexually assaulted? I have. This is mine and many other women’s reality. This is not made up. This is not a distraction. It is an epidemic that must be addressed and your “locker room talk” just makes this reality more and more real for people like me. So no Mr. Trump, sexual assault and sexual assault talk are not distractions. It’s as real as the reality that you are a legitimate presidential candidate.
