Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In Episode 5 of "A Turn Toward Hopeful Action," Dr. Cynthia Ganote talks with W. Kamau Bell about men, the messages boys and young men received growing up, and what those messages cost. Both came of age in Generation X, and they discuss the “no means no” lessons many boys were taught, alongside the slightly-older peer voices that said to those same boys “well, not always.”

Filmed on location at the Othering & Belonging Conference in Louisville, KY, the conversation looks at how slightly-older peers spread messages to boys and young men, and how technology amplifies rap3 culture. Bell argues that billionaires who profit from our attention have made rap3 culture worse, and that they don’t care about the people it harms.

For context -- here's what the data says: The 2019 AAU Campus Climate Survey found that 26.4% of undergraduate women and 6.9% of undergraduate men reported non-consensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent since enrolling. Among the 21 schools that took part in both the 2015 and 2019 AAU surveys, the rate rose by 3.0 percentage points for undergraduate women, reaching 26.4%. For undergraduate men, it rose by 1.4 points, to 6.9%. Graduate and professional women saw a 2.4-point rise, to 10.8%.

In this episode:

-- What boys were taught about consent, and what they were not

-- How the "no means no" and then the "not always” message was conveyed

-- How technology has "super-sized" rap3 culture, and Bell’s argument about the billionaires behind the technology

-- Hopeful Action close: What steps can men take to reduce rap3 culture?

Views expressed in this episode are those of the guest and host.

If this conversation brings up something personal, support is available. The RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline is 800-656-4673, or visit online.rainn.org.

Source: AAU, “AAU Releases 2019 Survey on Sexual Assault and Misconduct” https://www.aau.edu/newsroom/aau-releases-2019-survey-sexual-assault-and-misconduct