X Ox Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca Why arent female rapists treated like rapists? » Look at the headlines; underage boys apparently ‘have sex’ with their teachers Janis McMath Editor-in-Chief Frames of the trivialization of female- on-male rape are everywhere. The 2012 film That’s My Boy tells the story of an underage boy who has sex with his adult Illustration by CJ Sommerfeld teacher. When it is revealed to his friends that he had sex with an older woman, both of his friends high-five him. South Park highlights this cultural phenomenon in the episode “Miss Teacher Bangs A Boy”; when Kyle goes to the police to report that a teacher is sexually assaulting his The tipping point > It’s time to scrap the antiquated idea of tipping Craig Allan Business Manager Aor of months ago I went toa afé in Port Moody to buy some chocolate. In the old days of pre-COVID, I would usually pay for things in cash, but with paper money being accepted in fewer places because of the reported risk of disease transition, | now pay for most things with cards. Back in those old days I would notice the tip jar on the tables, but I always thought it was more of a novel suggestion and less of a condition of the purchase. However, when I went to pay with my credit card, I noticed something interesting: the point-of-sale machine was automatically set up to ask if I wanted to give a tip, and I had to decline it. It wasn't even brought up like a suggestion, it just sent me to the tip function. | always thought that tipping was something reserved for servers at restaurants and certain trades in which someone is working hard in your home. I don’t really consider someone putting chocolate in a bag asa service. It made me wonder, what is a job that is worth tipping, and why does tipping exist in general? Tipping has been apart of English society going back to the Middle Ages, with masters giving their servants tips for good work. Overtime it grew from tips to hotel workers, to tips for restaurant servers, to today’s culture where almost any job can be tippable. For years, I always thought the reason why we tipped restaurant servers, specifically ones that served alcohol, was because they were paid a significantly lower minimum wage and they would make that up with tips. Therefore, I had the belief that even though I’ve worked many minimum wage jobs, I was never entitled to a tip because | never worked in the service industry, with and without alcohol. Tam right to a degree on that idea, but in a way, I am also wrong. Yes, the Government of BC website talks about minimum wage and mentions that people who serve liquor to patrons do get paid a lower minimum wage. However, it is only .65 cents less than what the standard minimum wage is. This makes me think that a person getting tips can end up making more than minimum wage. Along with this, the website states that on June 1 of this year, the minimum wage will go to $15.20 an hour for all workers including servers. brother, all the police have to say is “nice” in response. This South Park satire is spot- on, and this ideology is easily seen when looking at the comments on news outlets reporting on female teachers raping their underage male students. Thankfully, there are many comments that are outraged— but there are just as many comments that say “nice,” “you know this is the dream,” “why weren't my teachers like this,” and finally “youre all just jealous of the boy.’ The media isn't doing us any favours either; newspaper headlines show their bias for females when reporting on the sexual assault of underage students. There are a disturbing number of articles that state that the female teacher “had sex with’ her student, and this is very soft and forgiving language for a fully grown adult who took advantage of a minor who is incapable of consenting. CBS even has an article that calls many instances of females raping minors as “sex scandals’”— but scandal is a term usually used when something is morally questionable (like cheating)... not illegal like sexual assault. A more apt term for these rapes would be “sex crimes.’ Through using such softened language, these articles imply that these young boys were capable of consenting to having sex with these women. No one Looking at this, I would think that tipping may be on the way out, but from what I have seen, it’s only growing. I’ve seen tip requests at Taco Del Mar, Pizza Garden, Chronic Taco, and many other establishments. Yes, the three I mentioned do serve alcohol at some locations, but I would not consider that their primary job. Therefore, they are probably earning minimum wage, and I think do not need to be tipped. The thing I hate about tipping the most is the guilt of it all. If I decide not to tip, they will know from the fact that the price didn't change, which makes me feel guilty because I think it makes me look cheap. Not to make this sound like a ey tebe eae eee ey e Look at the headlines; underage boys apparently ‘have sex’ with their teachers ¢ The fight to sell oil ¢ The tipping point ..and more would call it “sex” ifthe victim were an infant, and minors should be considered just as mature as a literal infant when it comes to consenting to sexual acts. A minor cannot “have sex” with an adult—so why does society keep using that phrase when it comes to cases of women raping young boys? (Note that there are many articles that do call the woman the rapist, thankfully, but there are substantially fewer articles that give male rapists the softened “had sex with” terminology that women are often granted.) Studies are finding that men are being sexually assaulted much more than was previously touted as well—so society’s ideals surrounding male sexuality need to change at a similar pace. A pressing issue related to toxic masculinity (that doesn’t receive as much attention) is that many view men as “sex-crazed animals” who always want sex. Because of this perspective, some think that men can never be raped since they “always” consent (unless the girl is “ugly”). Trivializing the seriousness of the woman’s crime forces male victims into silence when they’re sexually assaulted. If men admit to being raped, it makes them look weak or unmasculine. If we are to accomplish true equality, we need to destroy these less obvious biases that harm society. revenge motive, but if I don't deserve a tip for cleaning dirty movie theatres, or setting up racks upon racks of clothing, why does someone who just puts cheese onto dough and cooks it in an oven deserve extra pay? With all of these in mind, I think it’s high time we get rid of the act of tipping. Let’s end the wars of what constitutes a suitable tip, and just pay what the price of what the item is. Plus, the tax, because that is another part of purchases that I don't get. Why it’s not just listed it with the price of the item? With liquor sales, employees set to be paid the same price as every other minimum wage worker, now is finally the time for us to give up the nonsensical and outdated custom of gratuity.