The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Violence Against Women

Episode Date: March 29, 2021

Trevor dives into a global conversation about the overwhelming prevalence of men's violence against women and the urgent need for all men to step up and take responsibility for it. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. March was supposed to be the month for celebrating

women's history. But we haven't really been able to focus on that lately because of what's going on in women's presence. You see, a few weeks ago, the murder of Sarah Everard sparked outrage in England and across the world. And just last week, a gunman in Georgia gunned down seven women who he apparently blamed for his sex addiction. Now, these tragedies each touched on a wide array of big issues, from police violence to racially motivated hate crimes. But for many women, they're only the most extreme manifestation of a problem that

they have to deal with every single day. The top story at this hour, the violence against women and the conversation that it has sparked among women around the world. For many, it can feel like the only way to guarantee your personal safety is to stay at home, lock your doors, and never leave. The World Health Organization says one in three women worldwide have been subjected to physical or sexual violence. And data shows the violence starts alarmingly young. Around the world, six women are killed every hour by men. And for women of color, their cases rarely in the headlines.

On social media, the post text me when you get home, now going viral. Women all over the world sharing their stories. We often are portrayed as paranoid, when we call out or when we say, like, oh, this is our realities. But really, this is what we see and live every day. I thought I was an overprotective mother. So I was surprised to see millions of women out there, their sisters and mothers and friends

asking other women to text them when they get home. Okay now that, that is truly depressing. For many women, every time they leave the house, it's a risk. And this is not something that men experience. Like when the pandemic hit, men were like, so just going outside is dangerous now and women are like, yeah, add it to the list. And that risk of violence is why women are forced to constantly check up on each other to make sure that everyone gets home okay. It's become a normal part of women's routines. Get home, brush your teeth, put on some PJs, and then text your friends a picture

of you holding today's newspaper to prove that you're still alive. And that sucks for women on multiple levels, because sometimes a woman forgets to send the text and accidentally falls asleep, and by the truth is, even if women know they will get home safely most times, they never know which is the time that they won't. Because for women, just being out in public means facing a wide array of potential threats from men. People don't just wake up one day and murder somebody. They are taught from an early age that there is a power difference between men and women and that it is okay to use certain language, certain behavior, and they progress from catcalling and groping.

96% of women, 40 and younger, reported being harassed on the street in the past year. Will you dress the way you are? I'm dressed for work. These are my professional clothes. I've been followed home. I've been stopped. I have the guys tried to sexually harass me. I was cat called probably for the very first time, probably 11 or 12. And you have 30 seconds that young to work out if I say no to this person.

Are they going to be okay with that, or are they going to start yelling at me? Yeah, that's a terrifying thing to have to deal with. Women never know what a cat call might lead to, since that person already has the audacity to start shouting at them on the street. I mean, it's like the guy at the buffet who starts grabbing rice with his bare hands. Yo, that person walking down the street. You think they're all listening to your podcast?

No. Half of them are just pretending to listen to something so when a man cat calls them, they can act like they didn't hear it. And the other half would never listen to your podcast anyway. Oh, you talk about sports with a mix of pop culture? Oh, revolutionary. So women basically have to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their their their their the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the..... Weeeeean, thooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooe, the, the,. So, women basically have to tiptoe around the outside world like it's the quiet place, which is why they leave the house onto the teeth in case, just in case they get noticed by the monster. Too many of us have clutched our keys and our fists in case we need to defend ourselves.

I now have a panic alarm, which is part of my life now. On my keys, on my key chain for my car, I have a mini mace. Camilla Parker packs up bags for her business. She started to give women a layer of safety that fits into a purse. The self-defense bags have a taser, an alarm, and pepper spray. Every woman you know has taken a longer route, has doubled back on herself, has pretended to dawdle by a shop window.

I walk in the middle of the road, and I did tell my daughters to do this. That is a safe place. God damn. It's safer in the middle of the road. Yo, how bad do men have to be for women to be like, I'll take my chances with an 18 wheeler, at least it won't tell me to smile. And I never want to hear anyone talk shit about women's giant purses again, like ever again.

Look at all the shit that they have to bring with them just to stay safe. They got tasers, they got mini-mace sprays on their key chains? What do men have on our key chains? Huh? Bottle openers. I mean that should tell you everything you need to know. Women don't know when they're going to be attacked and men don't know when they're going to be surprised with a tailgate. You gotta be careful, bro, there's bruskies around like every corner. But the solution here isn't to load up women with women. In fact the solution doesn't really have anything to do with women at all. The burden has been placed on us to stay safe, rather than compelling men to change their behavior.

We are finding these comments on social media about why was so and so going out at night, why was she on her own? Why was she dressed like that? Why was she had a drink? Seeking to blame the woman for the fact that she why was she, why she had a drink, you know, seeking to blame the woman for the fact that she's been attacked. The mainstream conversation about the subject uses passive voice all over the place. There's no active agent, nobody's doing it to them. They're just experiencing it.

That immediately frames the entire debate as if it's your problem as a woman. We are the culprits here. Whether we like it or not, this is about men. And we have to deal with that fact, and we can't even start to have that debate unless we start to reframe it with men at the center of it. That's right. The conversation needs to be reframed. Because this is not about what else women can do. You can't solve violence against women without addressing the men committing it.

It would be like trying to address gun violence without restricting access to guns. I mean, that would be so crazy. Like, who would be that stupid to think that you could stop gun violence without trying to stop access to guns? And I know, right now, a lot of guys are watching this going, yo, Trevor, I don't murder women. First of all, congratulations. But second of all, understand that there's more to it than that,

all, all right? As men, we often act in ways that we think are totally appropriate, because we know that we would never do anything wrong. But understand the woman doesn't th is th is th is tho tho to to to to to to to tho tho to tho to just not do those things. Like, you might think you're innocently complimenting a stranger's outfit in a parking lot, but unless you're Christian Suriano, she doesn't need to hear that from you. We should also be teaching the next generation of men to respect women and be aware of their experiences, and we should start them as

as early as possible. Like as soon as they're done nursing, their have to be here. But aside from children, we have a responsibility to teach each other. Like as men, maybe we should start checking in with our friends like women. Only in our case, it'll be a little different. Hey man, did you make it home safely without harassing any women? All right, great. Good to know. Love you. I mean, go Packers. Look, the point is, as men we we we we we we we we we we we we belongs, centered on us, because this is our responsibility not to be creeps, all right? So let's not make it the one thing that we don't take credit for. The Daily Show with Trevor Noa, Ears Edition.

Watch the Daily Show week nights at at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. thoo. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.