SlutWalk

SlutWalks are protest marches organized to challenge the falsehood that women get raped because of the way they dress. The protests began on April 3rd 2011 when Constable Michael Sanguinetti, a Canadian police officer in Toronto, implied that "women should avoid dressing like sluts" in order to not be victimized. This blaming the victim mentality is a constant barrier in the awareness and irratification of sexual violence. The officer has since then apologized for his statement.

During the slutwaks, many women dress up provocatively expressing that the way a woman dresses should not be used as an excuse to justify the violent act of rape.

Thousands of women and men have attended various SlutWalks which has sparked national and international debates. Organizers of SlutWalks say that this is one way to redeem the word "slut" which currently has a negative connotation. This leads me to my question. Why in the world would you want to redeem the word "slut?" That's as bizarre as a black person using the word "nigger" as a term of endearment.

Growing up on the East Coast (U.S.A), I used the word nigger frequently as I addressed my friends. As I got older and became more equipped with knowledge and wisdom, I could no longer accept a word that was meant for the degradation and dehumanization of people of African descent as a term of endearment. There's a reason why the "Million Man March" at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. attended by mostly African American men on October 16, 1995 was not called the "Million Nigger March." I have the same sentiments when it comes to the SlutWalks.

Reclaiming the language of the oppressor just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe I'm missing something. Supporters of the marches have raised a good point. If it wasn't called "SlutWalks," would we be talking about it today? Would the movement have gotten the national and even international recognition that it now has? What do you think?