But we are getting away from the point that the slutwalk appears to have an agenda that diminishes women to sexual devices-as opposed to beautiful and valuable human beings. It is part of a 100 year tradition of progressive society trying to redefine common decency.
I guess I don't see it that way at all. These women are simply saying that whether they are dressed like sluts or not -- indeed, whether they ARE sluts or not--they have the right to walk the streets without fear of harassment or worse. Try as I may, I just don't see how that can be anything but desirable. Wouldn't we, as men,want the same for ourselves?
(By the way, there must be some women with opinions on this out there. Join in the conversation!)
We as men, do have that right ourselves. Isn't it ironic that there are men comfortable defining what is "decent" for a woman or what she can do with her body. I've always maintained that if men bore children, abortion would be more than legal, it would be popular.
If you want to start a movement to gain respect for your agenda, it's best not to turn off most of your potential supporters by using language that is almost guaranteed to alienate them. In the comedy world there is a saying that if you have to explain a joke, it's not funny. I believe that a similar rule would apply here. If you have to explain the concept, it loses its pizzazz. Basically I believe that the organizers of this event shot themselves in the foot by using terms that are distasteful to the majority of the people. It does not matter what a word used to mean. What matters is what people hear and understand today.
Actually, the first walk in Toronto was a roaring success that attracted a lot of participants. Everyone understood the point. And the mainstream media was on board to make the point very clear.