Get men on board

Jan Jordan, an Associate Professor in Criminology, attributes rape culture to ‘‘the patriarchal footprint on our culture’’ (March 13). This focus on patriarchy as the villain is simplistic and potentially misleading. For a start, many of us were raised in matriarchies. In fact, I see a lot of male aggression and entitlement as being due to the absence, rather than the presence, of a strong father figure.

I realise there are many very unsatisfactory men out there, who are dangerous themselves and also disastrous role models for boys.

However, I also believe that both poverty and modernity are pummelling men’s self-esteem, and a male in a state of collapse can cause a lot of damage.

Look at patriarchy, of course, but look at everything, including the effect of online pornography and social media (where the difference between private and public conversation has been annihilated).

I believe most men are also appalled by what’s going on, and we have a critical role in resolving this horrible state of affairs. Most of us can be trusted, and it isn’t sensible to blame us when you actually need to recruit us. GAVAN O’FARRELL

Lower Hutt