The #MeToo movement - A Force For Good
The sexual harassment allegations made against Hollywood mogul and film producer Harvey Weinstein by countless celebrities and ordinary people have prompted a broader conversation in the workplace and beyond. The accusations are serious, and those coming forward have unraveled a long tradition of abuse and silence rivaling the Catholic Church.
The ensuing social media slap in the face ignited the now popular #MeToo movement, sealing the fate of victimizers and the progress for women. The movement sparked a resurgence of the women’s rights movement over a century ago and the one that began about a year ago amid the 2016 presidential campaign. Since then, women have joined forces to combat political messages seen as “anti feminist” or “anti-woman.” That strategy and sentiment spilled over to Hollywood where technology and the Internet took the activism to new highs and new lows.
With such numbers, it is no surprise that the response of the movement has attained a powerful peak of activism and exposed the scope of women’s negative experiences in the workplace. Victims and advocates found the movement liberating yet disturbing, as accusation after accusation emerged, confirming what many already knew or suspected.
Actress Alyssa Milano popularized the #MeToo phrase; she encouraged women all over the world to tweet or post it to “give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” Social activist Tarana Burke also used the short but poignant phrase to help victims realize they are not alone, and to call out the victimizers. Since its inception, the phrase has been posted all over the net millions of times, often accompanied by personal stories of sexual harassment, misconduct or violence. The movement has included high-profile posts from several celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie.
The #MeToo movement is unique in that it does not ask women to name the men who have harmed them per se, it is merely a consensus. As the movement grew and evolved, some men began to join by either supporting victims or confessing to harassment. Such traumatic experiences can be lessened as more and more women, people in general, come out and validate their experience with a particular individual. If enough accusations point to the same person, then a name is dropped. The accused person generally go on the offensive, trivializing the incident by claiming that is was the woman’s fault or that they have an addiction or psychological disorder. But both men and women don’t buy those claims.
In a show of support and solidarity, some, such as actors James Van Der Beek, have responded to the hashtag by expressing their own experiences of harassment, while others have responded by acknowledging past behaviors against women, producing the hashtag "HowIWillChange." Further still, on November 12, 2017, a few hundred men, women, and children participated in the "Take Back the Workplace March" and the "#MeToo Survivors March" in Hollywood to protest sexual abuse.
All these stories of sexual harassment may paint men in a bad light, but it is important to remember that such cases do not apply to or represent all men in general. There are many men who have a deep respect for women and would not commit such acts, they are a glimmer of hope and should be celebrated. Think of men you know in your life who fit this profile, they should be held up as an example and given greater appreciation and power to be a force for good.
A group specializing in male socialization and violence prevention called A Call to Men is further pursuing the #MeToo movement with their own hashtag, #IWillSpeakUp. Co-Founder Ted Bunch said, "It's not just Hollywood. Viewing women as objects, property and having less value than men is something that all males have been taught, even by 'well-meaning men,' and we pass that on to our boys. So this has to become a men's issue because men won't stop unless other men say so."
Though the silence may be broken and many have been exposed and sentenced to life in shame or shadow, it’s going to take an organized effort between the media and Hollywood as well as solid actions from anti-violence organizations and each of us to end sexual harassment.
It is also important to understand the economic costs and implications of sexual harassment. Victims have been affected professionally in terms of forgone career opportunities, and on the companies that failed to prevent it from happening in the first place or took proper measure to rectify it.
Sexual harassment cases in the workplace have been well documented by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In 2015 it had received over 90,000 complaints alleging some type of sexual harassment and said that the problem is generally underreported.
Another US survey came to the conclusion that a standard Fortune 500 company with 23,750 employees lost $6.7 million a year because of absenteeism, low productivity, and staff turnover as a result of sexual harassment. The survey was answered by personnel and human resources directors and equal-opportunity offices representing 3.3 million employees at 160 corporations. Although this study is from 1988 the results and are staggering. In the first quarter of 2017 for example, 21st Century Fox paid $45 million in payouts to settle sexual harassment allegations. Despite the financial and reputation cost to companies, most executives appear unaware of the size of the problem, or simply choose to ignore it. But the public is not unaware, and the #MeToo movement is making sure they are heard.
Such financial losses and public shaming have pushed the movement further, giving victims a voice and an opportunity to overcome their own shame. Many have been motivated to share their shame story in hopes of giving others the courage to do the same. The movement has not only helped victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, but has also helped victims of other forms of discrimination such as gay or transgender people, those who endured rape or childhood sexual abuse, and physically/mentally challenged individuals.
As a standard of conduct, the victim should receive a public apology so that others can indeed see that one was offered and the shaming can cease. Other compensation can be discussed in private unless both parties agree to disclose the details of a settlement. This process can take time as court proceedings can be lengthy and often victims are not ready to face their victimizers. In such a case, the public should be patient.
A force for good is measured with checks and balances. We don’t forget, but we do forgive; this demonstrates our humanity in the face of adversity. Hashtag popularity may ebb and flow, but the #MeToo movement should be sustained as it is about more than revenge, it is about reuniting us.
The public and the authorities are addressing the accusations, and conditions disclosed in the workplace, raised by the movement. This is a positive outcome for all. Ultimately, the #MeToo movement has fostered change for generations to come, and vindicated generations past.
Despite the payoffs and cover-ups, the truth surfaced and with it a social justice movement among victims and sympathizers that has informed the public conscious and awakened a force for good.
The ensuing social media slap in the face ignited the now popular #MeToo movement, sealing the fate of victimizers and the progress for women. The movement sparked a resurgence of the women’s rights movement over a century ago and the one that began about a year ago amid the 2016 presidential campaign. Since then, women have joined forces to combat political messages seen as “anti feminist” or “anti-woman.” That strategy and sentiment spilled over to Hollywood where technology and the Internet took the activism to new highs and new lows.
All in all, the strategy has worked and toppled yet another brick in the wall of women’s struggle for equality and respect.
Long before victims blew the whistle on Weinstein, sexual harassment was the norm. But on October 15, 2017, the #MeToo movement was born, and it spread virally as a two-word hashtag used on social media to bring awareness to the widespread prevalence of sexual harassment – from creepy to criminal - in the work environment. It had been used more than 200,000 times by the day’s end, and tweeted more than 500,000 times by October 16. More than 4.7 million people in 12 million posts used the hashtag on Facebook during the first 24 hours.With such numbers, it is no surprise that the response of the movement has attained a powerful peak of activism and exposed the scope of women’s negative experiences in the workplace. Victims and advocates found the movement liberating yet disturbing, as accusation after accusation emerged, confirming what many already knew or suspected.
The accusations came to a head, and somebody had to say something…
The #MeToo movement is unique in that it does not ask women to name the men who have harmed them per se, it is merely a consensus. As the movement grew and evolved, some men began to join by either supporting victims or confessing to harassment. Such traumatic experiences can be lessened as more and more women, people in general, come out and validate their experience with a particular individual. If enough accusations point to the same person, then a name is dropped. The accused person generally go on the offensive, trivializing the incident by claiming that is was the woman’s fault or that they have an addiction or psychological disorder. But both men and women don’t buy those claims.
In a show of support and solidarity, some, such as actors James Van Der Beek, have responded to the hashtag by expressing their own experiences of harassment, while others have responded by acknowledging past behaviors against women, producing the hashtag "HowIWillChange." Further still, on November 12, 2017, a few hundred men, women, and children participated in the "Take Back the Workplace March" and the "#MeToo Survivors March" in Hollywood to protest sexual abuse.
All these stories of sexual harassment may paint men in a bad light, but it is important to remember that such cases do not apply to or represent all men in general. There are many men who have a deep respect for women and would not commit such acts, they are a glimmer of hope and should be celebrated. Think of men you know in your life who fit this profile, they should be held up as an example and given greater appreciation and power to be a force for good.
A group specializing in male socialization and violence prevention called A Call to Men is further pursuing the #MeToo movement with their own hashtag, #IWillSpeakUp. Co-Founder Ted Bunch said, "It's not just Hollywood. Viewing women as objects, property and having less value than men is something that all males have been taught, even by 'well-meaning men,' and we pass that on to our boys. So this has to become a men's issue because men won't stop unless other men say so."
Other countries have joined the movement with their own version of the phrase, such as #YoTambien in Spanish, #BalanceTonPorc in French, and #QuellaVoltaChe in Italian.
Aside from the pros and cons, the #MeToo movement has created a force for good in many ways. For example, Time magazine named the “Silence Breakers” as its Person of the Year - those who spoke out against sexual harassment. This honor is given annually to the person or people who have most influenced the news during the past year. In light of this, Tarana Burke released the following statement: “For too long, survivors of sexual assault and harassment have been in the shadows. We have been afraid to speak up, to say ‘Me Too’ and seek accountability. For many, the consequences of doing so have been devastating.”Though the silence may be broken and many have been exposed and sentenced to life in shame or shadow, it’s going to take an organized effort between the media and Hollywood as well as solid actions from anti-violence organizations and each of us to end sexual harassment.
It is also important to understand the economic costs and implications of sexual harassment. Victims have been affected professionally in terms of forgone career opportunities, and on the companies that failed to prevent it from happening in the first place or took proper measure to rectify it.
Sexual harassment cases in the workplace have been well documented by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In 2015 it had received over 90,000 complaints alleging some type of sexual harassment and said that the problem is generally underreported.
Another US survey came to the conclusion that a standard Fortune 500 company with 23,750 employees lost $6.7 million a year because of absenteeism, low productivity, and staff turnover as a result of sexual harassment. The survey was answered by personnel and human resources directors and equal-opportunity offices representing 3.3 million employees at 160 corporations. Although this study is from 1988 the results and are staggering. In the first quarter of 2017 for example, 21st Century Fox paid $45 million in payouts to settle sexual harassment allegations. Despite the financial and reputation cost to companies, most executives appear unaware of the size of the problem, or simply choose to ignore it. But the public is not unaware, and the #MeToo movement is making sure they are heard.
Such financial losses and public shaming have pushed the movement further, giving victims a voice and an opportunity to overcome their own shame. Many have been motivated to share their shame story in hopes of giving others the courage to do the same. The movement has not only helped victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, but has also helped victims of other forms of discrimination such as gay or transgender people, those who endured rape or childhood sexual abuse, and physically/mentally challenged individuals.
Shame has undoubtedly been a force for good, albeit a bittersweet one.
The #MeToo movement is not purely vindictive though, it allows for those who have violated social standards to experience their victims' pain and thus feel remorse and offer an apology. After all, the goal is to expose - not expel - those from society. Those wishing to make amends should be given the chance to do so. The shaming should cease with the restitution.As a standard of conduct, the victim should receive a public apology so that others can indeed see that one was offered and the shaming can cease. Other compensation can be discussed in private unless both parties agree to disclose the details of a settlement. This process can take time as court proceedings can be lengthy and often victims are not ready to face their victimizers. In such a case, the public should be patient.
A force for good is measured with checks and balances. We don’t forget, but we do forgive; this demonstrates our humanity in the face of adversity. Hashtag popularity may ebb and flow, but the #MeToo movement should be sustained as it is about more than revenge, it is about reuniting us.
The public and the authorities are addressing the accusations, and conditions disclosed in the workplace, raised by the movement. This is a positive outcome for all. Ultimately, the #MeToo movement has fostered change for generations to come, and vindicated generations past.
