Why 'Slut Shaming' Needs to Stop

     As the American culture changes, advances, and evolves, some social aspects remain in the past. One such aspect I find to be particularly active is "Slut Shaming." For anyone unfamiliar with the term, slut shaming is an act in which a person or many people judge a woman harshly for having multiple sexual partners in her life. While some people may disagree with this lifestyle, it should not be socially acceptable to so harshly and openly judge someone due to their sexual choices. The problem that currently exists is just that; it is socially acceptable, and even encouraged, to participate in slut shaming.

     There are many problems associated with slut shaming. The first problem, and arguably the most glaringly unfair, is how sexist slut shaming seems to be. Men can sleep around, and indeed, the American culture seems to promote this. Commercials from product developers such as the "Axe" body spray come to mind, where women seemingly flock to the men who wear the product. The implication is that the man can sleep with all of these women, and this should be accepted, and even "cool."

     If the tables were turned, however, and a woman was seen attracting many men, this would be seen as a horrible thing. More importantly, the aforementioned woman would most likely be seen as a slut and therefore a lesser person. A man can be seen attracting many of the opposite sex to sleep with them and be accepted socially, but a woman cannot? For lack of a better term to get my point across, I will use what I deem appropriate for this situation. 

What the fuck? 

     Why is it acceptable for a man to sleep with many women, and not the other way around? If it is not acceptable for women to sleep around, then it should not be for men either. Men seem to pride themselves based on how many women they sleep with, but if a woman sleeps with "too many" men, suddenly she is a horrible sex demon that clearly must be ridiculed and ostracized. Stone the witch, stone the witch!
...
No.
   It is no longer the biblical ages. Women should not be stoned for choosing to sleep with men. Obviously physical stoning is not legal, but totally destroying a persons' mental state because of a few sexual choices is indeed harmful. Sleeping around is a personal choice. Men and women should not receive different treatment if they make that choice. Sluts are not lesser people. The term "slut" should not be in existence any more. Slut shaming is a stigma that is outdated and harmful to the progression and evolution of the American culture.
   
     

The Power of Communication

     Communication. Texting, talking, signing, yelling, body language...this names only a few kinds of communication that human beings have, and there are countless more. Is one form better than another? Hard to say. One may prefer texting to get their thoughts across, while another may prefer to talk in person. Yet another may not want to communicate at all. Even not communicating at all is a form of communication. While the forms of communication are as varied as the colors in the rainbow, one thing remains true in all cases of communication; communication is powerful. Communication is so powerful that it is basically a super power if used in the right way. This may seem far-fetched, but it is indeed that strong a force.

Image found "coolpics.wcgame.ru"

I am not an animal expert, no do I claim to be, but this gorilla appears to be, for lack of a better term, pissed off. He is opening his mouth and baring his fangs in a threatening manner, bristling his fur, and clenching his muscles. Perhaps this is to communicate something such as "back off, buddy" or "I will destroy you if you get one inch closer to me", or even something totally different such as "I am yawning." I don't think this gorilla is yawning, based on his facial expression, but again, I am no gorilla expert. What I do know this this; this gorilla is sending a strong message. To me, this gorilla is communicating a simple statement. Do not mess with me right now. Don't need to tell me twice. Should a gorilla do this to me in real life, I'd probably shrink and slink away in fear of getting pummeled to death. This is because the gorilla has communicated that he is indeed not in a mood to be messed with via his threatening posture and expressions. Should that have happened, this gorilla would have almost mind-controlled me to do something that I previously may not have done. I am not inherently afraid of gorillas, but with the power of communication, this gorilla could have instilled fear in my heart and mind, causing my body to react in an appropriate manner. Communication is a powerful force indeed if it can control the actions of a being with free will. However, as is the nature of the beast, communication can send entirely different signals. This could be via body language, such as seen in the gorilla above, tone in a writing, or something as simple as a few choice words. Two seemingly similar sentences will be used to show what the difference of just one word can make. Pardon the language used, but I believe these show a drastic change in the message being conveyed.
"Darn you."
"Fuck you."
...To me, these two sentences, while only different in one word, send a completely different message. The first sentence seems to imply that the speaker is perhaps mildly upset or kidding about something, the second sentence seems to be a direct threat or insult, an "angry gorilla face" to the reader, if you will.

Image found "siucu.tumblr.com"

...Thank you, gorilla. Thank you for that. I think the angry face would have sufficed, but it is kind of you to provide another example of communication. This gorilla is flipping the bird, which has become a symbol for "fuck you" in the human world. This creature didn't even need to say the words or write them, as seen above. He simply used a gesture to communicate the desired message. Once again, I am no gorilla expert, and he could merely be mimicking what he has seen humans do, but this image was too entertaining to let slide. That being said and all silliness aside, communication is an extremely powerful tool. It can change the way others behave drastically. One word can be such a large difference in a sentence that seemingly similar sentences can have literally separate meanings. Communication is not to be understated or undersold; it is one of the most powerful things in the world.