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Swapping gender roles

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WARNING: video contains some boobies (but not sexualized), some profanity, sexual abuse, and violence.

There’s something about French films – so raw and real – that make them hard to get out of your head. “Oppressed Majority” is the kind that everyone needs to see to get a better understanding of how our patriarchal, misogynistic society seeps into everyday life in the western world. It is a short film – with English subtitles – that captures the essence of the average woman living in a modern, western society.

The men in the film undergo a swap: the gender based stereotypes and roles typically given to women are now placed on them. By the end of the video, the main male protagonist has “had enough of this feminist society*.”

He has a number of unfair experiences: patronization from a neighbor, absence from his working wife, street harassment, sexual assault at knifepoint during the daytime when trying to stand up for himself in front of a disorderly group of women and – when filing a police report afterwards – doubt, condescension and even a threat from the officer.

“In broad daylight?” and “No witnesses?” she had the audacity to ask to his injured form, implying he was making the story up.

In our society, according to RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization gathering data, 60% of sexual assaults go unreported. Out of every 100 rapes**:

-40 get reported to the police

-10 lead to an arrest 8 get prosecuted

-4 lead to a felony conviction

-3 rapists will spend a single day in prison

-the other 97 will walk free

The officer then objectifies her male employee who walks in with her hot drink, leering at him and saying he “looks good in those jeans.”

The end of the film has a fantastic transition back to the world we live in. The wife scolds and blames the assault on her husband, saying he was asking for it – “Wearing shorts above the knees?” She storms away, then he yells “Bitch!” after her. Others begin to holler and catcall at the woman, bringing us back to the reality of what nearly every female has gone through when walking down the street.

I encourage anyone and anyone to watch this video. It is just about ten minutes of your time, but will leave a great impression.

*Important note: The video does not display a “feminist society.” According to Google, the definition of feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. To be equal, men would not be suppressed, but women would be empowered.

**For more information and sources: https://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates

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    someone with an opinionFeb 13, 2014 at 11:40 pm

    I watched that video and holy crap it was scary. Sexual violence is nothing but frightening, regardless of whether it is being done to men or to women, and the fact that it occurs so often and is joked about so often makes a person lose faith in our society.
    I do believe that for women to be empowered, men will have to give up privileges they currently hold. They wouldn’t be oppressed, no, but, while they say they like the idea, what is difficult for men about male-female equality is that it means giving up advantages they currently have.

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