Why Calling Mo’Ne Davis A Slut Is And Isn’t An Equality Issue

By

Earlier this week Joey Casselberry, a Bloomsburg University baseball player, faced some heat when he publicly (via Twitter) called Mo’Ne Davis, a 13-year-old Little League player, a slut. Apparently what inspired his Twitter tirade was the fact Disney is making a movie about the remarkable young, female Little League player.

Wait! What? A slut? She’s 13 for god’s sake, is what most people are saying.

Women’s rights advocates are screaming, “You would never use such a term for a man,” and “No female should be called a slut.”

On the side of the equality war, we’re trying to fight against shaming women for their sexuality, and slut should be a word banned from our vocabulary. This makes it an equality issue because clearly he wouldn’t use such a term towards a male player, and if he did it would likely be a term of endearment because men are often praised for being sluts.

So yes, it’s a hit towards equality in some ways.

But what it really boils down is a humanistic issue. A bad decision on his part. We should all support empowering women, but it really isn’t about what he called her. It’s that he called another human being any word. Male or female. My guess is this guy doesn’t respect women highly because he used such a term, and I’m glad he received the backlash he did because I’m sure it was a humiliating experience to the young girl. At her young age she shouldn’t be dealing with such bullying. At his core I’m also sure this guy has many redeeming qualities (hopefully) and I hope this is a harsh lesson he’ll use to encourage some personal growth. Maybe it will not only make him rethink how he talks about another human being (especially publicly), but maybe he will also reconsider how he talks about women in general.

Sidenote: Shortly after the incident, and after Casselberry was kicked off his team because of the offensive tweet, Davis showed just what a remarkable young lady she is by asking the Bloomsburg University baseball team to consider re-instating Casselberry, saying, “Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance. I know right now he’s really hurt, and I know how hard he’s worked just to get to where he is right now.” Classy move on her part, and hopefully everyone will go out and support her Disney movie when it comes out. This may just be the publicity she needs (and deserves)!

thumbnail image – David Shankbone