Food for Thought

I realize we probably have way more things to discuss tonight than we will have time for, but I think this is huge. Emma Watson gave a speech at the United Nation headquarters in New York over the weekend launching a new campaign, HeforShe. Yes, she's fabulous and yes, I love Harry Potter and yes, I would kill for her British accent. But it's not just that. She's got some important things to say, and her position in our society as a celebrity means that people will listen. She immediately brings to light several misconceptions about feminism (and feminists), and recognizes and addresses the issues that men face within gender inequality as well. Go, Emma.

The gist of the campaign is actually to urge men and boys to become advocates against gender inequality, because it is everybody's issue. "Why has the word become such an uncomfortable one?" She poses the question and immediately I think of our Johnson discussion - we have to start using these words out loud in order to help people understand what they truly mean, so they can stop being uncomfortable and frowned upon. She also says something that I think we can all take with us as part of the duties of the roles we are in as teachers (even if we aren't Harry Potter stars with British accents...), that "having seen what [we've] seen and given the chance, it is [our] responsibility to say something."

What are your thoughts?