Macy’s DisRESPECT for Men
One thing that major retailing giants and politicians have common is a concern with their image in the hearts and minds of customers and voters. They are concerned with the percentage of the population which views them positively as well as negatively. In my view, and in toda’s highly uncertain economic environment, I believe that Macy’s has made a major mistake by aligning itself with the radical feminist Family Violence Prevention Fund and their new ultra high-tech campaign titled RESPECT.
To fully comprehend the impact of this campaign on men and the women who love them, one must go to the Press Release issued jointly by Macy’s and the Family Violence Prevention Fund and listen more than once to the powerfully negative audio which accompanies the text.
Most readers already will have an image of Macy’s. Here is the image Macy’s new partner self-promotes: For more than two decades, the Family Violence Prevention Fund has been one of the world’s leading organizations working to prevent violence against women and children (bold added). Instrumental in developing the landmark Violence Against Women Act (bold added) passed by Congress in 1994, the FVPF has continued to break new ground by reaching new audiences including men and youth, promoting leadership within communities to ensure that violence prevention efforts become self-sustaining, and transforming the way health care providers, police, judges, employers and others address violence. For more information, visit www.endabuse.org.
In the same Press Release, Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Macy’s, Inc. writes: “As part of its continued work to end violence against women and children (bold added) Macy’s will support the campaign.”
The problem, of course, is that Macy’s has left out the other half of the adult population harmed by domestic violence — men. Personally, I find it tragic that a major retailing giant would knowingly support and propagate such propaganda. Macy’s cannot claim ignorance given that the empirical research reality is well known, well documented, and readily available. Briefly — and contrary to the RESPECT falsifications — sound empirical research reveals that both females and males initiate domestic violence at about equal rates and with the most recent studies suggesting an escalating rate of violence initiation by girls and women. Further, at least 38% of the physically harmed victims of domestic violence are men. Finally, data from the Department of Health and Human Services indicate that for most forms of abuse, children are much more likely to be harmed or killed by their mothers than by their fathers. For more information see: www.mediaradar.org.
If Macy’s wants to maintain a positive image, it cannot afford to support harmful campaigns that damage and degrade men. The same holds for politicians (see ‘Obama/Biden: Escalating the War on Fathers and Families’).
In my view, facing and accepting the empirical research reality on domestic violence is in the best interests of children, women, men, candidates, and corporations. Let’s get on with it.
Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at Florida International University in Miami.
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Stumble It!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 am
Yeah, I wish they’d ask me what I think the meaning of respect is. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I got the email from Ed at RADAR earlier.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:56 am
http://www.macysinc.com/contact/reachus.aspx
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 pm
With regards to domestic violence, the problem is not the fact that men who are victims of domestic violence are ignored.
Rather, it is the reason why men who are the victims of domestic violence are ignored:
Namely, so that men can be accorded one role and one role only in the domestic violence picture, the role of perpetrator.
The family law kings and queens at the ABA portray things just that way in their domestic violence edicts, casting men as lying thugs by default and women as faultless saints by default.
That portrayal has very real consequences, as millions of men are unwilling divorced from their homes and their children.
Unless men recover family rights, there is no hope for any “men’s movement”.
If men do recover their own family rights, there is all the hope in the world.
September 26th, 2008 at 3:35 am
“SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sept. 18, 2008–On Friday, September 19, the Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) and Macy’s will ask the nation to join in marking the first annual National RESPECT! Day(SM). A newly designated observance, National RESPECT! Day will launch a multi-year movement, in partnership with Macy’s, designed to raise awareness of domestic and dating violence and to encourage positive discourse about prevention by teaching respect.”
Great more national anti-male propaganda.
August 27th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
I can testify to the unfairness of Macy’s policy!!! I work for MCCS West (formerly FACS Group) which is the call center in Tempe. I was suspended because I was arrested for disorderly conduct (dv) because my wife was attacking me and I was trying to defend myself. I went to jail because I got a bit defensive with the police. I am current on suspension untill I get it resolved thru the courts!
Anyways, before my wife started treatment for her bipolar disorder I was being attacked on a daily basis and would goto work with scratch marks, bite marks, bruises all over. When I was approached by managers, supervisors and even the security guard it was all a joke to them! The security guard even caught one incident on survallence tape from the parking lot in which my wife was being very aggressive and confrontational towards me. At that point he actually understood the danger I was in and had helped me and stopped making jokes. Thats terrible policy when a contracted security guard offers more help then the company that states they are taking a pro-active stance on it! I feel personally that Macy’s as a whole discriminates agianst their male employee’s!!!!
September 18th, 2009 at 4:37 am
I won’t be buying from macys ever again for life and ill make sure to loudly and quite publicly trash the quality of their merchandise at every opportunity I get wether its true or not…they don’t seem to mind trashing us as males , so my motto once again is , “if you trash my gender = you’ll NOT get my tender ” just one more merchant who has excommunicated themselves needlessly from my wallet for life…”you go girl “…idiots…at best.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:08 am
Thanks for the info on Macy’s. I make a point of never doing business with anti male companies.