Jackson Katz
There was a link to a TED talk that promised to “Turn Every Man Who Watches It Into A Feminist.” PG gave it a try, and was not impressed.
The speaker was Jackson Katz. He likes to put the letters Ph.D. after his name. You have to dig into his biography to see that his doctorate is “in cultural studies and education from UCLA.”
The speech was given at a gathering called TEDxFiDiWomen. (Spell check suggestion: Committeewomen) It is an “independently organized TED event. The speech was about what men can do to reduce violence, mostly against women. The choir Dr. Katz preached to enjoyed the sermon. Did anyone who needs to change his behavior hear this talk?
Dr. Katz is an entertaining speaker. He spoke fast and loud, and the intensity of his rhetoric grew as he went along. He seemed to get his crowd fired up. How this emotion will be channeled is a good question. It would not surprise this viewer if some of these fired up women went home, and took the frustration out on a significant other. Verbal abuse is violence.
The first part of the lecture is wondering why this is considered a men’s issue. There were a few exercises in semantic mumbo jumbo, which might prove something. The idea that this is a human problem… that bullying and aggression are not good ways to treat people … is hinted at. Then, the focus goes back on the men, and how they need a “paradigm change”.
The moment when PG almost gave up on Dr. Katz involved racism. Yes, he had to throw that boogeyman in there. He gave the example of a bunch of white men having a conversation, and someone making a “racist remark.” The enlightened man is supposed to speak up, and say that this is not acceptable.
What PG wonders is why this was assumed to be a group of white men. Are you saying that only white people say rude things about other races? Or, maybe it is alright for black men to say rude things about white men. Until saying so called racist comments is considered wrong for all people, we are going to have a problem. At the very least, Dr. Katz is not as inclusive as he wants you to believe. Or maybe he just said something the “liberal” TED audience would find acceptable.
Some people find this sort of thing entertaining. It is possible that a man listening will hear this “leadership training” and learn to treat his neighbors better. PG suspects that the former is much more likely. The link is above if you want to hear it yourself.
Chamblee54 
Luther, I worked for 17 years with many hundreds of men who had been violent toward women they were in ‘intimate’ relationships with. This is not a sham problem. And no, the female listeners are not likely to go home and attack their male partners. And yes, white racism is a huge problem to this very day. You know I am fond of you and would be glad to discuss any of this with you. xox, Gus
Thank you for stopping by, and caring enough to reply.
As noted, I have a few issues with the presentation. This is not to deny a problem with abusive people. I do take issue with saying that females are unlikely to attack males. If you include verbal abuse, this is highly likely.
Yes, white racism is a problem. So is anti white racism. In the first part of the talk, Dr. Katz said that violence was not a male problem, but a human problem. I agree with this inclusiveness. I think it should be extended to racism. It is not just a white problem. The hatred that POC have towards PWOC is a huge problem.
I didn’t actually watch the presentation, but have heard Jackson talk and read stuff he’s written. To me racism or sexism or any -ism is a problem of prejudice+power. Women as a class and POC as a class do not have the power that males and whites do–their way is not enforced as the norm.
Please enunciate how “the hatred that POC have toward PWOC is a huge problem.”
Abrazos, Gus
Each of us bears a responsibility to reject hate, whatever its form, whatever its justification. A soul filled with hate can devastate a community. A nation filled with hate can devastate a people. It must start and end with each of us.
This is a from a facebook graphic. Here is the source. http://www.allegiancemusical.com/blog-entry/reject-hate
Any hate felt by any acronym group, towards another acronym group, is a problem. Two wrongs do not make a right.
When making comments, hit the little blue button in the corner of the window. Do not go to the comment you are replying to, and click reply there. This is the second time I have typed this message, and the first time was a lot better.
Thanks