Dear Society,
It's me again, and today we're going to be talking about one of my favorite animals: bees!
Bees, wasps, and yellow jackets aren't exactly known as Earth's most gentle and lovable creatures. I happen to love a fuzzy, fat bumblebee when it's pollinating my garden, but I've had several instances where my interactions with the Hymenoptera family (which is sawflies, wasps, ants, bees, and other insects) where they haven't been so pleasant. I've been stung multiple times, some hurting more than others, and I know plenty of people are downright terrified of the bugs, whether that be because they are creepy and crawly or because some people are allergic to such stings and bites.
No one argues with this. Some people are scared of bees and wasps, and that's a fact. Even though your chances of being stung by a bee are about six million to one, there's still a chance that some people could be harmed by these insects, so that fear is rational.
One in five college women is a victim of attempted or completed sexual assault by a man.
Yet, society, you treat fear of men as something emotionally driven, an irrational and completely fictional falsehood.
I'm willing to bet you can name at least one person that's been stung by a bee or a wasp, maybe even yourself. Similarly, I'll bet you know at least four girls and/or women who have been assaulted, harassed, or raped by a boy and/or a man. If you don't think you know someone who has been the victim of such an attack, statistics say you're probably wrong.
So the next time you hear a guy say, "not all men!" or the next time you walk outside and see a bee, please remember these statistics. Remember that every woman you pass down the street is likely eyeing reflections in windows, holding tight to her keys, keeping her head down and her senses on high alert. Remember, society, that you've proven it's preposterous to be so afraid of something so common, so dangerous, and so completely avoided in our justice system.
Remember, society, that until these numbers change, all women are going to stand against any and all men who protest the need for change.
Amiah Jared
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