Educator, author and filmmaker Jackson Katz encouraged men to step up and share ownership of the issue of violence against women at a lecture on November 17 in Bovard Auditorium at USC. Men have a unique opportunity for leadership on this issue because it’s typically been seen as a women’s issue that too often focuses on the victims of sexual assault and dating violence instead of those who overwhelmingly inflict it: men, Katz said.
Men often see the issue of violence against women as something that doesn’t concern them if they’re not the victims and are not themselves abusing women but Katz noted that the issue is so prevalent that most men are sure to witness incidents of abuse, jokes or banter that crosses a line. According to Katz’s renowned “bystander” training, simply saying something when you see or hear something helps change the culture among those you interact with because you are communicating that you do not tolerate or condone disparaging remarks and anti-women rhetoric.
Katz is co-founder of the multiracial, mixed-gender Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, an influential gender violence prevention program that works with companies, government agencies and universities nationally and internationally.
He is also the author of numerous articles and two books, including the classic bestseller The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help. He created the award-winning Tough Guise educational documentary series, as well as The Bystander Moment: Transforming Rape Culture at Its Roots.