violence

I am very proud of the recent founding of Men Speak Up at Harvard and am only sad not to be in Cambridge to aid its activities. From my experience, such an organization can certainly fill a useful role on campus. This is not because sexual violence is not taken seriously by the university and my peers, but because men, the very object of scrutiny, are often underrepresented in such discussions. So here is an opportunity to speak rather than be spoken at, and I hope we take it. Another opportunity is to reclaim the middle ground of the debate. Gender relations is the great Bermuda triangle of issues; people sail in arguing and disappear without a trace. Too often will these debates polarize reasonable people. I am thinking chiefly of former Dean Harry Lewis' appeal sometime in the 90s for women, in particular, to travel with someone, even in well-lit and well-traveled areas.