Right: the originators of the #metoo movement were the subject of Time Magazine's Person of the Year cover for 2017.
Arguments supporting the me-too movement as necessary and appropriate
1. The #MeToo movement has raised awareness of sexual harassment and assault One of the principal intentions of the #MeToo movement has been to increase public awareness of sexual harassment and assault. Though the hash tag #MeToo had been used as a rallying cry since 2006, it only became widely used after a Twitter posting on October 15, 2017, by actor Alyssa Milano in which she stated, 'If you've been sexually harassed or assaulted write "me too" as a reply to this tweet. Suggested by a friend: "If all women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote 'Me too' as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem."'  Social commentators noted that what the hash tag had achieved was to supply a simple marker by which people could indicate that they were the victims of an offence that is usually kept silent. Social activists have long argued that the incidence of rape and other forms of sexual abuse is under-reported and thus communities everywhere do not recognise the full extent of the problem. One day after Milano's post, Twitter announced that half a million people had posted using the hash tag. On the same day Sophie Gilbert commented in The Atlantic, 'The power of #MeToo...is that it takes something that women had long kept quiet about and transforms it into a movement. Unlike many kinds of social-media activism, it isn't a call to action or the beginning of a campaign, culminating in a series of protests and speeches and events. It's simply an attempt to get people to understand the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in society. To get women, and men, to raise their hands.' Many posters and others have spoken of the increased awareness of the problem of sexual abuse that the ever-growing number of #Me-Too posts has given them. Will Goodman, a journalist in New York, wrote on Facebook, 'I have always known that [sexual abuse] is more widespread than acknowledged and to have these stark visual moments on social media is horrifying and heartbreaking.' Commenting on what she has observed through the #MeToo movement in Australia and overseas, Australian actor Yael Stone has stated, ' No one is numb to the discomfort when we are forced to look at the darker parts of our collective psychology. As a society, what have we sanctioned in secrets and silence? What are these parts of our humanity that have the potential to treat others with complete disregard, assuming that power, fame or both will keep them silent? Radically, the heart of this movement suggests that this imbalance will no longer be enough to keep less powerful victims silent. It turns an age-old pattern of behaviour inside out, exposing it to the light and giving us the chance to move forward as a society.' 2. It is difficult for victims of sexual harassment and assault to gain justice through workplace complaints Supporters of the #MeToo movement note there are many factors which make it difficult for women in the workplace to report sexual assault or harassment. Supporters of the #MeToo movement claim it gives victims a chance to reveal their situation that they have not had within the workplace. In a comment and analysis published in Vox on December 19, 2017, it was noted 'Across economic classes, there are common threads when it comes to how workplace sexual harassment - and gender-based violence in the workplace more broadly - affects those who experience it. Fear of retaliation, of not being believed, of losing out on work and money are concerns shared by many survivors.' This fear of job loss or further discrimination means that many victims of abuse do not lodge a complaint. Time magazine's December 18, 2017 edition featured the #MeToo movement and victims who had broken the silence surrounding sexual assault and harassment. Many of the women interviewed explained their fears. One paraphrased interview read, 'Juana Melara, who has worked as a hotel housekeeper for decades, says she and her fellow housekeepers didn't complain about guests who exposed themselves or masturbated in front of them for fear of losing the paycheck they needed to support their families.' Similar claims have been made in Australia where, for example, some of the women who have made accusations of sexual assault or harassment against actor Craig McLachlan have explained that they feared job loss or being disbelieved. It has also been claimed that workplace managers often deal badly with the complaints that are made. Sociology Professor, Anna-Maria Marshall from the University of Illinois has commented on this mishandling of complaints. She notes, '[T]he women who do decide to come forward...are often met with scepticism and discouragement. Supervisors and human resources managers may want to protect women from harassment, but they are also trying to protect the employer from liability. As a result, the process starts to take the shape of litigation defence, and women start to feel as though they were the ones to blame.' This point was made in relation to the handling of the Craig McLachlan allegations. Some of those who are now claiming to have been sexually harassed by McLachlan have recounted that when they complained to representatives of the production company they were discouraged from proceeding. One of the performers who has since made a formal allegation to the police has been reported as saying, '[T]he next day I decided to go to [a female production staff member]. I told her that [McLachlan] was intimidating me on stage and others and she said, "That's a very serious accusation and if you want to take that further I'm going to have to call the producers, is that what you want?" And the insinuation was, you don't want to take this further.' Before three of those now making accusations against McLachlan went public with their allegations, they asked the producers of The Rocky Horror Show, Gordon Frost Organisation (GFO) to investigate their claims before the show opened in Adelaide. The women said they were fearful that the current female cast members might have to endure what they did. However, GFO declined to act and instead threatened the women, through their lawyers, that the company might sue them for defamation. 3. It is difficult for victims of sexual harassment and assault to gain justice through the legal system Supporters of the #MeToo movement claim social media exposure of the offence and offender is far more accessible to victims of sexual assault and harassment than legal redress. The law, they claim, often does not supply justice to victims of sexual abuse. There are many features of the legal system which make it difficult for women to prove that an offence has occurred, including the standard of evidence required . On January 8, 2018, Vox published a comment by Constance Grady in which she stated, 'There are usually few witnesses, physical evidence can be waved away as "she wanted it rough," and most people are primed to believe the accused rather than the victim - especially when... the accused is a powerful and well-liked man.' A report recently released from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency found that in 2009 and 2010, over 3,500 rapes were reported to Victoria Police. Of those, only 3% ended in a court conviction. The prosecution and conviction rates in the United States are higher; however, they are low when compared to the total number of cases investigated. Only 14-18% of all reported sexual assaults are prosecuted and only 18% of rape cases involving adult women result in conviction. In Australia, sexual harassment excludes actions that did not involve physical force or threatened physical force. An editorial published in The Sydney Morning Herald on December 12, 2017 (following allegations of sexual harassment against celebrity gardener, Don Burke) suggested reforms were needed at law to make it easier to act against abusers. The editorial stated, 'A bigger question to flow from the allegations against Burke may be whether Australian laws need to be changed to provide better protections to victims of sexual harassment, and to afford them meaningful redress.' The editorial further noted that a less confrontational means of seeking redress is to lodge a complaint with the Australian Human Rights Commission. However, the editorial observes, this avenue is made less accessible by the requirement that the alleged offence be recent. The Commission can discount a complaint if it is made more than six months after the supposed offence occurred. The editorial concluded, 'As the culture of reporting allegations of sexual harassment undergoes profound change, the law must respond with more flexible solutions.' Regarding the need to resort to social media exposure through the #MeToo movement, Dr Jennifer Wilson, an independent social and political commentator, has queried, 'Does anyone seriously believe that victims of such crimes would choose to disclose this abuse on social media if there was a viable option? An option that wouldn't result in either being ignored and humiliated by police or in an adversarial legal debacle almost guaranteed to end with the perpetrator walking away and the victim traumatised, re-traumatised and publicly flayed by the defence? Because this is what the majority of victims of sexual crimes must face when they enter the criminal justice system.' Writing in The Verge on January 15, 2018, Laura Hudson explained, ' If the environment created by #MeToo is less than ideal in its standards of proof, that is a direct product of a deeply broken justice system...There's a reason why cases of rape and harassment have increasingly been tried in the court of public opinion: it is the only court where most victims have a chance in hell of experiencing anything close to justice.' 4. The naming of specific sexual predators and abusers may protect other potential victims While many of those who have posted as part of the #MeToo movement did not name their assailants, others have. Further, the movement has prompted the publication of lists of men commonly named in informal social networks as being perpetrators of sexual harassment or assault. Those who support this extension of the #MeToo movement see it as supplying some sort of vindication for victims, punishment for perpetrators, and, importantly, serving to protect other women. Commenting on this development in an discussion piece published on October 19, 2017, in The Perspective, Michael Bruckner summarised the views of some of those who favour outing, ' While the #MeToo movement is very empowering and raises awareness, starting to name the harassers and rapists is the best way to enact meaningful change...The big issue is that too many men get away with their crimes against women. Women need to stand together and ensure that this stops. Already, whisper networks of women warning each other are developing to protect the unknowing from danger. Being a victim of sexual assault comes with the terrible burden of not being believed, in addition to a terrible trauma. Outing the men that hurt these people can validate their pain and protect the victims of tomorrow.' On October 17, 2017, Jessica Valenti, writing for The Guardian, urged women to name their abusers. She stated, 'It's true that telling our stories can help - it can help victims not feel quite so alone and make others understand the breadth and depth of the problem. But the truth is that nothing will really change in a lasting way until the social consequences for men are too great for them to risk hurting us. Why have a list of victims when a list of perpetrators could be so much more useful?' In France, women have begun to adopt another hash tag '#BalanceTonPorc' or 'out your pig' and posts are being made which name alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault. Following the #MeToo social media campaign, a list appeared on social media in India containing the names of dozens of professors, activists and journalists accused of 'sexually predatory' behaviour. -41295522Naming alleged perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault is seen as a way of protecting others. One of the performers who has made allegations against Craig McLachlan stated, '[T]he crucial thing ... is to prevent similar behaviour from happening to others.' 5. The #MeToo culture has led to action being taken against alleged perpetrators of harassment and assault In the climate created through the #MeToo movement action is beginning to be taken in a variety of ways against prominent men accused of sexually improper actions. A number of employers and corporations have removed from their positions people who have been accused of sexual harassment and assault. Others have either been pressured to resign or have felt the need to do so. Many supporters of the #MeToo movement see this as indicating a long-awaited shift in public attitude and a punishment of those who have sexually assaulted and harassed women. The following list of alleged perpetrators and the official response made to the accusations raised against them are drawn from an article published in The New York Times and updated on January 11, 2018. It is a sample from the list of 51 prominent accused men that the newspaper published. James Rosen, a Fox News correspondent has left Fox News following accusations of sexual harassment. Marcelo Gomes, a dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, has resigned following accusations of sexual misconduct. Charles Dutoit, a conductor, has withdrawn from three scheduled concert series and had several major orchestras sever contact with him sexual assault allegations from four women. Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker stepped down from his production company after making public accusations of sexual harassment and rape against him. Brett Ratner, a producer and director, stepped away from all activities related to a $450 million agreement to co finance films with Warner Bros. after he was accused of sexual assault or harassment by six women. Tony Mendoza, a California state senator, was removed from his leadership positions pending an internal investigation into accusations of sexual harassment by three women. John Lasseter stepped away as head of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation for 'a six-month sabbatical' after he was accused of sexual harassment. He apologized. Ken Friedman, a chef and restaurateur, took a leave of absence from the management of his restaurants after 10 women accused him of unwanted sexual advances. He has apologized. Marshall Faulk, Heath Evans and Ike Taylor, analysts for NFL Network, and Donovan McNabb and Eric Davis, ESPN radio show hosts, were suspended pending investigations into accusations by a former co-worker, who sued them for sexual harassment and assault. Roy Price, the head of Amazon Studios resigned following an accusation of sexual harassment. Kevin Spacey , an Academy-award winning actor, was fired from 'House of Cards, and cut from other projects following multiple accusations of sexually assaulting men and one accusation of sexual misconduct with a minor. Matt Lauer, co-host of 'Today' was fired by NBC following an accusation of sexually inappropriate behaviour. |
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