Jenna Engelbert

Professor Fielding

WRTC103

February 8, 2019

Is the problem of violence against women exaggerated?

In the article #AmISexist by George Yancy, is based heavily on readers emotions; this engages

the reader to not just to read but relate to the information being given. He then takes the

emotional spark and back up his claims with facts and real-life examples. Written on October 24

of 2018, the author refers to many current events relating to the idea of sexual assault and

harassment toward women.

“It’s true that many of us, including me, have not committed vile acts of rape, sexual

assault and sexual abuse the likes of which Harvey Weinstein has been accused of. We

have not, like Charlie Rose, been accused of sexual harassment by dozens of women who

worked for us; and we are not, like Bill Cosby, being sent to prison for drugging and

sexually assaulting a woman, in this case, Andrea Constand” (13).

It is critical for the reader to be aware of and understand these events to understand the point

Yancy is trying to make. He relates these well-known issues to things he has experienced in his

own life. George Yancy uses his real-life experiences growing up as a heterosexual boy and

statistics to persuade men and inform women about societal norms on violence against women.

Within the article, many smaller topics are brought up and talked about; however, Yancy

really spends time trying to persuade men into letting go of toxic masculinity, owning up to the

patriarchal norms of society and supporting women. This is seen when he accepts and apologizes

for his own actions in the past and encourages other men to do the same. He confronts the
negative connotations that accompany feminism and shares the thought that they need to be

forgotten. “What are we afraid of?”(25). Here, he is talking to other men to really think about

what giving women equality would really do and to stop shutting women down because what

really is there to be afraid of? While talking directly to men, he also speaks to women as well. He

is telling women that there are men out there rooting for their rights and realizing what is

normalized in society is wrong.

As far as appeals go, Yancy uses mainly pathos; for women, he pays attention to how they

feel towards the situation between society and male norms. “If you are a woman reading this, I

have failed you. Through my silence and an uninterrogated collective misogyny, I have failed

you”(9). He uses women’s anger, determination and fuels it by telling them that everything their

fighting for is right. Yancy also uses pity to gain female attention, he admits that he feels

genuinely upset for how he has acted; “It is hard to admit we are sexist. I, for instance, would

like to think that I possess genuine feminist bona fides, but who am I kidding? I am a failed and

broken feminist”(6). For men, he guilts them into seeing his side of the argument and tries to

make them feel bad about how they have been taught to act. ”Some have kept silent out of fear of

being judged, fear of criticism or censure, others out of genuine respect”(3). Here, he exposes

how there are men out there who agree with what he is saying, which can make other men feel

guilty for feeding into these norms that suppress male and female feminists.

The second most popular appeal used by Yancy is logos; after exposing and digging up the

emotions of the reader, he backs up the emotional triggers with facts. “The statistics regarding

sexual assault are telling: One in five women are raped at some point in their lives”(28). This is a

frightening statistic that gives Yancy credibility and makes his argument more believable. He

continues to add more to make his writing vary in information, this continues to use real-life
statistics from real people that prove that what he is talking about is true. “In the United States

one in three women experience some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime”(28). New

information gives the piece an educational aspect that it would not have had without it. Now the

readers are walking away from the writing with new knowledge to help them form their own

conclusions on the topic. Without these statistics included in the piece, it would have lacked the

push for the reader to logically believe what he is talking about to be true.

The least used appeal is ethos, the author still incorporates it throughout the work. One thing

the author definitely uses to his advantage is honesty. Yancy confronts social norms and

apologizes for the way he has been conformed into acting in the past. “I’ve decided not to cut

corners. So, join me, with due diligence and civic duty, and publicly claim: I am sexist!”(4). He

openly admits that he is a little sexist, to no fault of his own; and later encourages other men to

follow in his footsteps to break the patriarchal societal norms surrounding feminism. After

saying this, it is easy for the reader to trust the author for creating the illusion that he has reached

a state unknown to the everyday male.

“I speak as an insider. I know about what so many of us men think about women — the

language we use, the sense of power that we garner through our sexual exploits, our

catcalling and threatening, our sexually objectifying gazes, our dehumanizing and

despicable sexual gestures and our pornographic imaginations. This is not simply locker

room banter but a public display of unchecked bravado for which we often feel no

shame”(10).

Yancy uses the insecurities women feel towards men, accepts them as wrong, and gives off the

impression that he understands women on a higher level; this creates a sense of credibility and
that he is educated on the topic he is discussing. His use of ethos in this piece gains the readers

trust and attention in order to inform them on what his argument is.

Overall, George Yancy makes a compelling argument about our society and the way men are

viewed compared to women; especially how abuse can be easily overlooked, because it is not

always physical. He is effective because of his use of reliable facts and personal stories reveals

things that are found true in society and elaborated on it in a nonaggressive or blameful way. He

is taking responsibility for things he has done and encourages other men to do the same. Yancy

uses all three appeals to expose the readers emotion, gain their trust, and persuasively inform

them on the topic of woman’s violence. This article is particularly effective because this issue is

so pressing at this sensitive time in culture; the issue is significant because a lot of women

around the country are coming forward with histories of sexual assault from famous people. It

acknowledges women’s fight for equality; and not just equal pay, general societal equality.
 Works Cited

Yancy, George. “#IAmSexist.” The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2018,

www.nytimes.com/2018/10/24/opinion/men-sexism-me-too.html.