|
Subject: Re: Sexual abuse of the male
Greg wrote:
> Males seem to have a different perception about being abused
>Intellectually, I can construe such actions, and such potential actions, as sexual harassment and sexual abuse; but something in my male psyche would stop me from ever making a complaint. I don't think I am unusual as a male. Is this a male thing?
Greg, for me your question leads to the bigger problem of society's, (both now and previously), indoctrination of males as being "the stronger sex" and the whole culture of it being OK for men "to be sexed up". Unfortunately, this often leads to men (males) believing it is OK or even "cool" to receive sexual "advances" from older women. Basically, for me, any sexual advance by an adult to a minor is an abuse of that child's human rights, whether it be male or female. The issue at hand, I feel, just goes to show how much the silence that is sexual abuse, needs to be broken. The sooner our children, both male and female, are educated that it is not OK for an adult to make sexual advances to them, the sooner these predators will lose their power.
The other thing that your reflection brought up for me was- By perpetrating this action, hasn't this teacher justified the whole "male power" episode to your psyche? No reflection on you Greg, I'm just using your example. But in this situation isn't the teacher "feeding" the student's perception that it is OK to do this because "I am a male and I should be flattered that a woman wants me when I'm not even an adult yet" or the whole macho peer group situation of, " Hey boys look at me , ain't I a stud?". Sadly, instances such as you have described are an all too common occurrence these days- Is it any wonder our boys are growing up unconsciously (consciously?) believing that it is OK to exert sexual power over women? Could this be part of the reason that boys are growing up to be scared of women and showing their feelings?
Just a bit of food for thought!
 Leo Perizzolo
| 
