BORN PROTECTORS
I got this message a lot from the men in my extended family (keeping in mind I was raised in a strict patriarchy). I always felt weird about this idea of protection. The men in my life seemed to believe in this distinction - they were the good men, the protectors. And they would save me from the 'bad' men. Yet if I ever expressed that I felt uneasy about men, I was criticised. I was so confused - were they bad, or not? Did I need protecting, or not? Where was the line?
I know so many good men, who would never hurt me. But I have also met enough men who took the opportunity to use their power over me. The good interactions don't outweigh the bad to the point that I feel like I can take a chance.
This comic is not about individual men (except maybe for my cousin, who really looked out for me in that moshpit). It is about patriarchy - the system that allows men who have the inclination to oppress. I know not all men do this, I have plenty of evidence of that. But I grew up so confused about these messages of 'protection' and what they were supposed to teach me about men. I am still trying to unpack it.
