I had designs to write about a different issue this week.

I had a whole column laid out about free trade and how harmful it is to developing nations.

But in wake of the third reported sexual assault of a UIS student, with news filling my timeline about sexual assaults in my home state at the University of Wisconsin, with a viral video of Milo Yiannopoulos spewing hateful ignorance, including a part where he casually calls campus rape culture a lie, and with a lot of Donald Trump garbage, I must deviate from what I originally planned.

I know too many young women who have been victims of assault to not address this as soon as I can.

What are we doing? We constantly claim to be a generation of people who are more compassionate and understanding than ever before, but it’s starting to look like we’re just a generation of boys who can’t keep our hands to ourselves.

And now there is a considerable portion of our country excusing Trump for his comments from the 2005 tape that was recently released, comments I am unwilling to type on my own computer.

I see it on my Twitter feed, all of the clever deflections suggesting “let’s judge everyone for what they said 11 years ago,” saying they’re more concerned about Benghazi than some meaningless words, acting as if there is a statute of limitations on misogyny and bigotry.

And those same people trying to excuse Trump for his ignorance are the ones sharing that silly Yiannopoulos video.

How dare they claim that campus rape culture doesn’t exist? According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women will be sexually assaulted during their time in college.

I don’t need to write about Brock Turner. I don’t need to write about the women who reported sexual assaults and were treated as if they were the criminals, as if they are the ones whose stories should be questioned.

We already know this happens, but we choose to ignore it, because we’re taught that this is just another issue of angry feminists engaging in some mean-spirited man-hating.

I speak directly to the men who are sharing these falsehoods when I say it is time to grow up. You’re going to claim that the stern tones taken toward men when discussing the issues of sexual assault and rape culture are unfair, because not all men are that way.

But you think Trump’s comments are okay. You stand by his claims that it is just “locker room talk,” oblivious to the fact that that is exactly the point that those discussing rape culture are trying to make.

Sure, you may have never sexually assaulted a woman yourself, but you’re willing to give a national platform to a man whose rhetoric perpetuates these issues.

You’re willing to vote for a man who will stand by comments where he brags about sexual assault. You’re willing to allow that man to lead our country. You’re willing to allow that man to teach our young people that those actions are okay.

You’re willing to allow him to open up a new era of misogyny and patriarchy.

But it’s okay, because you’ve never sexually assaulted a woman, right?

Of course, I’m not perfect, either.

I have said things in the past that I am embarrassed about, but I hold myself accountable for what I have said. And I am committed to trying to be more respectful and empathetic every day, instead of just accepting that that is how men in our society act.

And you should too.

Try to understand how these crimes affect women, and learn what you can do to help prevent them.

Act as an example for young people on how to properly treat others, and expect our leaders to do the same.

And stop sharing videos and ideas that perpetuate the issues of sexual assault, rape culture, and the like. Instead use your time to educate yourself on the potential solutions to these very real problems.