Activist discusses domestic violence with Samo teachers

Madelyn ShaughnessyStaff WriterAnti-sexism activist, speaker, author and filmmaker Jackson Katz participated in one of the weekly Wednesday morning teacher meetings on Nov. 16 to address violence at Samo.Katz and his collaborating partners, including the Santa Monica Police Department and Westside Domestic Violence Network, have embarked on a mission to end violence, examining the stereotypical views that our society has of masculinity.According to Math Teacher Marae Cruce, the main focus of the meeting was to educate Samo faculty in the prevention of violence and understanding how the experiences of bystanders should also be addressed by the media, as opposed to reporting being purely focused on the victims and perpetrators."We can say ‘hey men, stop beating your wives,’ but that does not get to the source of the problem. The source of the problem is that kids are witnessing violence and watching it on television," Cruce said.She went on to further discuss how society and media lead kids to think they must be powerful and if they don’t have money the only way to have power is through the body and violence.  The only way to stop this mindset in society is to end the cycle by confronting the youth.In an email, English department chair Jennifer Pust said that the media often uses language to "cloud the issue" present in the crime.“Dr. Katz talked about several things, but most particularly the way that language helps perpetrate men's violence against women," Pust said.She also explained the way Katz described the "grammatical progression" of crime coverage, and the how it often does not place the blame on the perpetrator.A. John beat Mary.B. Mary was beaten by John.C. Mary was beaten.D. Mary was battered.E. Mary is a battered woman.According to Pust, the way sentences are structured pinpoints the victim instead of the offender and shifts the blame onto the victim.Social studies teacher Marisa Silvestri feels that Katz's meeting was helpful and hopes to incorporate more of his ideas into the freshman seminar curriculum.“I believe Katz's beliefs and messages are extremely important. They hold significance to me as an educator and a woman; that he is attempting to give a voice to those who have been silenced by the majority. I think his ideas are those that have been overlooked in society as a whole because of lack and fear of change,” Silvestri said.However, according to Pust, it is not guaranteed that Samo will take action in an effort to eliminate this issue.“I think the importance for Samohi will largely depend on what we do about it from here.  Dr. Katz provided a useful introduction and a frame of reference for all of us and I think we recognize the severity and importance of these issues," Pust said. "Certainly everyone is concerned about bullying and protecting our students, but whether this becomes really transformative for our school or just one 'really good day' depends on what our school leadership decides to do from here."mshaughnessy@thesamohi.com