With a new generation of thoughts, ideas, and innovations, one would think that our world would only grow in its ideals and beliefs. With the title of “the greatest country in the world,” it would be expected that America would be a place for all to come and feel welcome. Instead it has become a place of hate that seems to be going more backwards than forwards with its policies. One can fill in that blank however they choose, but its premise still stands. One could assume that this recent issue is a result of many factors, however, I think the use of media propaganda and the ideals of certain politicians have catapulted this issue to a whole new level.
Every school has a plethora of Instagram, TikTok, and X accounts for a variety of purposes. Some are for sports teams, some for music programs, and then there are the few that are supposed to be for everyone. I’m referring to each school’s Barstool and spirit account. The high school’s is called REDNation. Both of these accounts are on X and are controlled by a specific group of seniors. Since these accounts have been created, they’ve been managed by guys only. They’re passed down every year to the next class, and this cycle will continue for who knows how long. The Barstool is used to throw shade at other schools whether that be about sports or other embarrassing topics. However, Marion’s Barstool has more recently been used to call out its own students, especially girls. They’ve been consistently ridiculed for not being loud enough or choosing not to sit in the student section, even being called inappropriate names by the Barstool and other random burner accounts.
Along with that, certain public figures have pushed this agenda further into the light with their sexist opinions sparking controversy online. Even though there may be some that are actively disagreeing with these videos and media, it can only gain traction if there’s a group of people agreeing and giving it likes, favorites, and retweets. Maybe it’s because I was naive to most social media, but I don’t remember a significant period before 2016 in my lifetime, where this specific issue was being pushed so far in the wrong direction. It’s sad to see so many boys, especially those of younger generations, agreeing with the idea that women are there to serve men and assist them, instead of celebrating women’s accomplishments and pushing them to be their own independent force in the world. Even with women like Caitlin Clark and Taylor Swift pushing the envelope and breaking the records of men and women before them, ultimately giving them the argument for the best in their respective fields, some people simply refuse to give them respect for their talents, arguably because they aren’t men.
With that being said, more iconic figures of this generation are women and because of that, others are demanding the respect of those around them. It’s a crazy idea I know, but women deserve the same if not more respect at times than the men in their lives.
