Andrew Yang has started a new third political party, the Forward Party. He sent me an email titled “American Men,” in which he cites many statistics and studies that convince me that boys and men have indeed fallen behind girls and women in many ways. He writes “I’ve long felt that these struggles are being overlooked and underreported in America today, partially because men and boys are not generally framed as sympathetic figures.”
But he does not take the next logical step and tell us why they are not seen as “sympathetic figures.”
Let me take a shot at it: Andrew, could this have something to do with the fact that men commit about 90% of all sexual harassment? Could it have something to do with the fact that men commit about 90% of sexual assaults, including rape? Could it be because men commit well over 50% of all domestic violence and abuse? And, could it be because men commit well over 50% of incest?
Yes, I agree that the overall relationship between women and men is far from being good.
Yes, I do not enjoy listening to man-hating talk and male-bashing talk. But too many of us men “don’t get it.” Women are sick and tired of this evil behavior, and they won’t take it anymore.
Stewart B. Epstein
Rochester, N.Y.
The writer is a former Squirrel Hill resident who taught at West Virginia and Slippery Rock universities.