For far too long, we’ve lived in a culture and system of asymmetrical power and violence, one in which men consistently commit violence against other beings. As Washington University students, we’ve learned a lot about bystander intervention and about how to protect and look after our fellow community-members. We’ve been encouraged to intervene if we see a situation that may lead to sexual assault. We no longer teach that it is a woman’s fault for being assaulted; we no longer tell men that silence means “yes.” I think the changes in consent education and the proliferation of intervention training, particularly on college campuses, is an enormous success, and one that should be applauded.

A few weeks ago, about a week before Wash. U. hosted the presidential debate on campus, I was walking on the Overpass to get to a morning meeting. As I approached the plywood tunnel, I noticed a piece of paper taped to the wall. It said “Ladies,” in large letters, and I noticed a picture of what looked like a possum at the bottom. I wanted to read it, but I was in a rush and kept walking. A few hours later, my roommate sent me a picture of it. I read the text of the sign, and instantly responded, “THAT’S ECOFEMINISM.”

The anonymous letter described watching a boy throw a water bottle at a squirrel climbing up a tree. The writer says that the boy was disappointed to have not hit it. It said that he “is a Brock Turner in the making” (Brock Turner is the infamous Stanford student who was sentenced to only six months in jail for raping a woman). The author writes, “If he is so morally deficient, so absent of ethics, to a small critter, how will he treat you?” They accuse the boy of being the kind of person who roofies girls at parties, and claim they get away this behavior because people stay quiet.

I want to first say thank you to whomever wrote this letter. Thank you for not being quiet. Thank you for calling out this kid, and for trying to protect the members of our community. Writing your letter was an act of bravery and of compassion.

Now I need to backtrack a little bit to explain my response to my roommate. I’m in an anthropology class called “Ecofeminism: Environmental Social Movements and Anthropology.” Most people don’t know what ecofeminism is, but I think it’s important that more of us do. I was so excited by this letter because it’s a perfect example of what we’ve been discussing in class. We read a book called “The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory” by Carol J. Adams. In this book, Adams explores the relationship between the mistreatment of women and animals. She points out how we objectify both the female and animal body for “consumption,” and downplay the violent repercussions of this act—from sexual assault to raising animals for slaughter. Adams also criticizes how we sexualize meat (think Carl’s Jr. commercials) and animalize women (“I felt like a piece of meat”).

I don’t know the kid was who threw this water bottle, and I don’t assume that he’s a sexual predator, but I think that the point the author makes in this letter is not to be scoffed at or ignored. We need to continue to look after one another and I agree with the author of the letter: We must speak up. It isn’t always as obvious as seeing a guy pull a drunk girl away from the party, sometimes we see it in more subtle ways. When a boy in your class disregards what you say and or gives you unsolicited “constructive criticism,” call him out for being rude. When your male friend tells you that “we don’t need feminism anymore,” engage in a conversation and explain why it’s important to you. When a presidential candidate makes crude and demeaning statements about women, and clearly does not respect a woman’s autonomy or consent, get angry and demand that he never become our president. When a kid throws a water bottle at an innocent squirrel, write a letter about it and tell as many people as you can.

As the author of the letter said, “Do yourself a favor and stay away from assholes like this.” I fully agree. Let’s stop taking their s—, even when it feels too small and unimportant to speak up. Let’s all demand that men do better. We deserve better.