Locker room talk.
This was the most notable phrase from Sunday night’s second presidential debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
No time was wasted before debate moderator Anderson Cooper addressed the evening’s most anticipated topic: recently released audio from a 2005 interview where Trump spoke about his desire to kiss married women and grab women’s genitals. The GOP nominee said the dialogue was “locker room talk” and “it’s one of those things.”
That is where the issue truly stands.
It goes without saying a presidential nominee who claims to have “great respect for women” should never speak this way about them. It seemed apparent before that Trump had controversial feelings about women, saying that he “loves women” and “cherishes” them and then later calling former Miss Universe Alicia Machado “Miss Piggy” after she gained weight. However, this new clip of him speaking with “Today” show host Billy Bush about “moving in” on married women speaks volumes, not only about his opinion of the opposite sex, but an entire culture of men objectifying women.
To say this 11-year-old interview is nothing more than a “private conversation” and “locker room talk” is unacceptable. Bush and other men can be heard on the recording laughing and speaking just as crudely about women. They spot a woman on the street and say that “all [they] see are legs.” At one point, Trump can be heard referring to the woman as “it” and saying “it looks good.”
It is 2016. How can men still be speaking this way about women?
Yes, the recording is over a decade old. While many things have changed since 2005, such as the phones in our pockets to the number of users on Facebook, respect for women is not a new fad that has just come about.
This banter between Trump and Bush resembles a scene from the television show “Mad Men,” a show set in the 1960s known for its portrayal of women’s inequality to men. This recording sets us back as a society. Conversations in 2005 should not resemble those from the days where “the pill” was seen as a dirty word.
For Trump to say “it’s one of those things” for men to talk like that puts a stamp on this action. He is saying men will speak this way and that is how it is. Hopefully other American men will recognize that women are not to be seen as a pair of legs or an object to try and woo with furniture shopping.
We are moving in both directions in this year’s election. On one hand, we have a historic first with a female nominee for president. On the other we have to rehash the discussion that women are human beings who deserve respect from men.
While the soundbite of Trump saying he would grab women inappropriately circulates through the news, men should listen and recognize how wrong this statement is. This is a country that is constantly innovating and creating, moving forward to better ourselves and this attitude about women will hinder that ability.
Gentlemen, the next time you find yourself in a locker room filled with this sort of “chatter,” do not feel the need to participate. The only thing you should talk about grabbing is your towel off the floor.
