Hollywood is sick; and you are part of Hollywood: I have been too. We are spectators in the Colosseum of Rome watching people hurt each other for fame, glory, or what they might think is survival.
Few celebrities spoke of this problem prior to the present; an exception is Dave Chappelle. He is both a catalyst and victim of success in Hollywood. He is also an example of one of the few who has honest (for now) and seemingly kept his head above the toxic air within Entertainment. I don’t write this article for or about him, but much of what he’s said about Hollywood has proven true, especially in light of recent revelations, and will remain writing on the wall for future generations (plus maybe he assaulted someone too; as he says “who knows”). When talking about why he walked away from Hollywood to go to Africa, he said he hated people being called “crazy” and instead asked people to think about why these celebrities are like that. “Maybe their environment is toxic.”
Unless you don’t use the internet daily (which would be unlikely considering you’re reading this), you likely have heard about the deluge of sexual abuse reports in Hollywood.
Please note how I said “reports”. Would be foolish at this point to assume these reports are the only instances of sexual assault in Hollywood — in even this generation of film and television. This slew of accusations and cases is only the most recent, widely echoed and substantiated. For many years, Hollywood and its viewers knew of Roman Polanksi’s confirmed molestation of a prepubescent girl that he has refused to face criminal justice for. Woody Allen has long been accused of molesting his then wife’s daughter, Dylan Farrow. The latter were unconfirmed by anyone other than Mia Farrow of course, however in the light of recent events, and Woody Allen’s insensitivity to Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse, it seems far more likely and closer to home. He is quoted as saying,
It seems the witch-hunt has already chased the real witches out of the village, and they are actually men, and their black magic has hurt and cursed far more than Salem did — some innocent, some not so much.
In the past few weeks, dozens of men have been accused of sexual assault or harassment, stemming from the enormously successful Harvey Weinstein, who slew of assault allegation seemed to trigger an quake that has since toppled so many high-profile celebrities. Among the list are Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Gary Goddard, Ed Westwick, James Toback, and Louis C.K.
Included is (likely incomplete sadly) list of said assailants/harassers, which seems to get longer every week. This does not even include the growing list of women who have claimed they’ve been assaulted and/or harassed in Hollywood. Why would they not specifically list their abuser? Or perhaps they have and don’t wanted to be implicated or called to testify in a court trial as it is emotionally and financially draining? Or perhaps more depressingly, the list of abusers is too long to remember and name? Perhaps we don’t know them because they are strangers to us. Perhaps we do know them and they are closer than we think, or all around us, and too close to bear and believe.
Almost all of the men (save Louis CK) have largely denied the allegations against them, and have likely been lawyering-up and mounting a defense for the coming legal battles, or at least shuffling their financial portfolios around to prepared for losing work from their now soiled reputation (I say ‘soiled’ as it is the actors who have shit themselves, not the women who shit on them). They can afford to deny these accusations though, or even admit them. As Jen Kirkmans states, these men GET to seek ‘treatment’ for their behaviors — their crimes, their sins. They can perhaps be “redeemed”. If a woman accused me of such, I would likely have to plead guilty simply and do my time in prison to save money — let alone if I were poorer and black. This is not said to trivialize these celebrities’ crimes nor crimes of lesser-status men — quite contrary. In so many cases where the assault and harassment DID indeed happen, and people around them knew it, the women were still forced to keep quiet as they either did not have enough financial, legal, or social resources to be believed and receive justice. Think for a moment (and for many moments after this one), about the implications and scope of this idea: how many more powerful in the entertainment industry have committed crimes we don’t and won’t know about? Worse and wider still: how many men outside the entertainment industry have behaved this horribly?
Several women have already accused George Bush Sr. of harassing and groping them. The Alabama senator candidate Roy Moore is accused of molesting underage girls when he was 32. The elder Bush admits his folly, whereas Moore denies all allegations and dismisses them as a mere ‘political’ attack. New York Mayor Anthony Wiener faces criminal charges for ‘sexting’ a 15 year-old girl. Bill O’Reilly is among several at Fox News accused of sexual misconduct, up to and including the former CEO of Fox, Roger Ailes. Bill Clinton was accused of sexual assault and these cases were dismissed and their renewed attention was viewed largely as political attacks by Trump supporters during the 2016 election. The fact that “Trump” was a catalyst behind the target for this sexual assault conversation will be bookmarked for later (or dog-eared if you don’t use bookmarks). This fact is especially important to remember as Trump himself has been accused of sexual assault and harassment, yet as we all know, is now the acting president of the United States (emphasis on ‘acting’). I digress; it is clear that money and power can protect or at least insulate one against the legal and social consequences of sexual assault. Many of these accusations are decades old, and were able to be buried more easily in the absence of social media, 24/7 news, and people have recording devices with them every where they go. How many times did these men abuse women out of the proven or reported instance? How much did bystanders, colleagues and friend know before they reported this behavior or tried to stop it? Much much voters and viewers know or even encourage when they learned of these assaults?
Even in the world where it was understood that Roman Polanksi raped a girl, people were still flattered to work with him — men and women. Woody Allen was lauded as a comedic genius despite the accusations against him. Bill O’Reilly received a lucrative offer from Fox News despite settling a sexual harassment case.
Power provides protection from consequences, to be sure. And power corrupts absolutely — this for both men and women. In my eyes, those complicit with this power, even as women, they must be seen as perpetrators if the root of the problem is to be seen and solved. Thus, someone like Hillary Clinton would be part of the problem if she helped cover for Bill’s abuse/harassment or even simply kept quiet about it. As Uncle Ben in Spider-man says, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Not only was sexual abuse given putrid air to mutate by the silence of victims, but even more powerfully by the silence and inaction of those with more power who could speak on their behalf. However, as men are the primary perpetrators of sexual violence, this analysis will largely focus on them (including me).
If I am to speak of me, I must mention how I grew up as anything but a sexual ‘stud’. My mother raised me conservatively Christian, and my father was extraordinarily prudish (at least outwardly to me. More of a Catholic guilt I think than genuine sexual piety); thus my environment was sexually stifling (though this seemed to only increase my urges). However, my mother was far more intimate and personal with me, and shared this about her and her life that not all mothers would, and even fewer would tell their son of a tender 11 years of age. She was not gifted the same raw intelligence I was (bash me all you like: harsh fact of life she knows), but she is incredibly wise and insightful nonetheless, and I owe any sort of profundity or goodness I provide to this world, to her. Despite my relative physical frailty to other boys, she recognized my cognitive abilities, and the potential power they could have over others at some point. Her teachings contained a profusely and perpetually impacting message regarding this power, particularly regarding women: “Do not use your power over the weak.”
Women are not weak inherently of course, but I believe it would be foolish to not think men having overall greater physical strength than women on average has proved an advantage up to this point in humanity, and unfortunately a tool men have used to sexually abuse women time and again. Moreover, it would be foolish to think the current structure of power, despite exceptions in some cases (see my article: Micro-cultures), and the political and cultural progression of women in recent times, is not stacked in favor of men. *sigh* Yes I am one of those men. Though I would hardly call myself a feminist as I don’t agree with some of its focuses or branches, and I have a long way to go in terms of helping women, I would be insulting my mother, my sister and all of the women I know who’ve been hurt by men if I did not acknowledge this power imbalance: I would be hindering the progress of women in the face of abusive men if I did not speak out. Men have used this power to hurt women, and in so many cases where it was clear a woman was hurt, in too many cases, they were shielded from consequences due to this power. I’m sure some men wish to imprison me in a public pillory for this statement and prop up California Divorce Law in my face as evidence for how unfair women can be to men, but 1) the fairness of life for men versus women is not the subject of this article and 2) recent events of sexual abuse show a clear trend of almost exclusively men abusing women or other men, and 3) if you are a man abused by a woman (I can relate), I implore you to tell your story.
And in spite of my father’s clear patriarchal attitude and teachings, or perhaps partly because of it, he incidentally instilled extreme physical restraint around women. I remember there was a time I was playing a boxing video game on vacation in Colorado and later that evening I was mimicking punching around the hotel with my sister. I accidentally caught her with a right cross and she immediately started to cry. Almost faster than she started crying, my father dashed in my direction, grabbed me, and spanked me hard repeatedly. There were several instances like this where he was overprotective of my sister or women in general. Unfortunately, this sort of treatment and attitude was sometimes in contradiction to his own toxic attitude and treatment of women, particularly my mother. This fact begets a contrast of behavior of former Liberal lions like Louis CK and Harvey Weinstein, who supported so many progressive, feminist causes and spoke on behalf of women, but in their personal lives, were degrading and abusing women. Though my father has never been that awful to my knowledge. In retrospect, perhaps there was guilt in all of these men’s hearts all the while.
I could not speak to my father about women, and especially not about sex. The only advice I got was like so many Christians (and Muslims I have learned) receive: just don’t do it. I had no role model for my sexual behavior (or lack thereof), but I tried to carry with me the deep respect for women my mother taught me (my ridiculously-high teenage libido was funneled exclusively in porn until I was 18 as I felt it immoral to act upon anything in ‘real’ life). My mother also preached abstinence, but was far more forgiving about my behavior in general than my father, partly because she has been up and down the road of ‘sin’ herself — thus being far more Christian to me. She had premarital sex starting at 16, ending up in 6 kids. But something far more sinful happened when she was 16: she was raped. She became pregnant and was forced to live with the consequences. Alone.
My first girlfriend had recently broken up with her ex and started dating me. He apparently was quite callous and dismissive of her. I remember being so sexually shy around her (when we started I could not get enough of course) and afraid of doing anything wrong to her. A month into dating, she told me that he had forced himself on her. She also said her father was physically abusive. I was furious at those ‘men’ and selfishly beside myself. I was not a good boyfriend really, but I wasn’t a rapist or assailant. Little did I know that she would only be the first to be a victim.
I won’t go into further detail about my exs so I save them reliving the horrors, but I can say somberly yet sincerely that almost every single person I’ve dated or had sexual contact with has been sexually assaulted. In several instances, it was by a family member, a teacher, or manager. This doesn’t even consider sexual harassment, or strictly physical or emotional abuse. Do I just attract women who’ve been victims (or survivors if you prefer)? It is not as if I’ve been asking women, “hey have you been sexually assaulted? If ‘yes’, then let’s date.”
Maybe I seem safe or trustworthy. Maybe pain attracts pain and it is clear I have enough of an ‘edge’ from my own pain; we are in a way kindred spirits. Maybe it’s simply more owed to the fact that so many women have been sexually assaulted: 1 or 4 as most statistics say.
It is not difficult then to see how this sudden barrage of sexual assault stories in Hollywood. And we are all fools for thinking celebrities were and are above this harsh statistic — men and women. Men, for sexually assaulting others of course, and to the “good” men for not standing against this sort of culture when they heard rumors and saw and heard their co-workers and even friends engaging in harassing behavior: the brunt of the blame should be shouldered by men. Women must face their role as well. I understand if you wish to stop reading now, especially as a woman, and predict what I am about to say as basically victim blaming; but the core and goal of this piece depends on these words.
Evil persists not merely because it is not defeated, but because it is not fought. I am not seeking to shame the women who didn’t speak up about the sexual assault in Hollywood, as they thought they would not be believed and that their careers would be hindered or even haltered if they spoke up, especially considering men hold most of the power in Hollywood (and most everywhere). I know they already feel ashamed enough, deep down, even the ones who say they don’t or feel they did what they could, especially if they were a victim or the abuse. I am still calling them out for not speaking out however: power usually does not concede itself and the ends don’t justify the means.
We all like movies right? Of course. We’re all not becoming movie-stars, I’m sure though. We don’t depend on them; we don’t NEED these movies, do we? Perhaps we do. To so many young men, buff, cocky, suave actors are young men’s heroes. To so many young women, beautiful, graceful, confident, and even funny women, actresses are girls’ heroes.
What has happened since they have spoken out against their assailants? Powerful, cocky, suave men have been publicly shamed and brought to justice.
If these women were suddenly not in films or not in Hollywood, would we not notice? Would we not miss their absence? If suddenly these women decided to boycott and forsake their dreams and careers in lieu of speaking out in favor of their justice, would we not support them? Or do we need movies that badly? Are they an integral facet of our lives?
Perhaps most important to appreciate is that so many of these women have worked so hard to finally have a place in the spotlight and (presumably) equal to men, fulfilling their dreams and in a way, the dreams of others acting as inspiration, especially for women of color, proudly saying, ‘you could be here too someday.’ Thus, we have no right to ask them not to perform and pursue their dream, even if it means they must suffer in silence sometimes: we must respect their choice and honor them all the more for their dedication in spite of abuse.
Jennifer Lawrence is beautiful and funny — and a victim of sexual harassment by directors, being stood naked next to other women and criticized for being too ‘fat’, and undignified treatment by so many forums as her photos of her naked were stolen and released online. Reese Witherspoon described being assaulted at 16 by a director — someone she trusted. Lady Gaga was raped by a record producer at 19; Gabrielle Union raped at a Payless shoe store at gunpoint. She says “I had on a long tunic and leggings, so miss me w/ that ‘dress modestly’ bullshit.” These are women who so many of us enjoy now from their films and music. I say again, imagine if these women were not stars in the Hollywood sky and and our lives were dimmer for it? Would this darkness not force us to stop? These are not merely stars and our heroes; they are people, only the most glaring trauma in a world that has not seen or ignored so many sexual victims.
Gabrielle says, “I thought it was all about me, and when I realized literally hundreds of thousands of people, men and women, talking about being a part of this unfortunate club. It just rips your heart out. I will continue talking about it, I will continue to try to keep educating. You see so much now with victim blaming and victim shaming and really trying to put the onus on the victim and trying to say that there’s some right way to deal with trauma.”
Your suffering is not simply about you, and I know how harsh that sounds. But pain is so often shared by proxy, and the depraved, cruel behavior that has caused this pain — by powerful men and the silence of family of friends — does not merely exist in your assailant or abuser.
This is not to say you are selfish having suffered from your trauma and not spoken of it; rather this problem is not all about you, does not affect only you. the realization of this is both liberating and burdensome. You can identify and take solidarity in the suffering of fellow survivors, and learn to better cope with the trauma; but then perhaps you also will feel the compulsion to defend them and speak out for them, to stop this abuse from happening to them and others again. Tragically, you have been forced to fight; you moving on with your life peacefully, but without a sound will not stop or dissuade the men and women who abuse you. On the contrary, these abusers will either think they have won, or fail to notice the horror of their actions, and go unpunished, or worse — continue abusing others. Moreover, speaking out against abusers does justice for YOU. The behavior, the culture, and the system that enables and protects these abusers, is damaged when you speak out, especially in chorus with your fellow survivors. They abusers are publicly shamed, fired and shunned from jobs, and hopefully even face legal consequence. In this way, power works in the inverse. A man accused of rape simply in court of law in a small town may not have to face the social repercussions of their actions; but a person of power will not escape this.
So often people (usually men) ask, “why would this victim not speak up? Why would she not pursue her accuser? Why would she not do x or y to protect herself?” I am aware how women who have spoken out against their abusers have either been ignored, dismissed, rejected, shunned as ‘damaged’, or even punished for daring to do so. Roughly a century ago, it was not possible to rape one’s wife as a woman in a marriage was essentially considered a man’s property and sex owed to him in this legal union. It would be simply stupid to ignore that men on the whole are stronger than women, and can PHYSICALLY force someone into sexual submission, buttressed by the societal and social power of their status. Surely, my readers are familiar with the various histories of their people and know of storied conquerors who instructed their soldiers to ‘rape and pillage’ cities they conquered; given their men free reign with the women inhabitants. Indeed, not only were men given this latitude, they even encouraged men to ‘rape’ towns and villages — rape the women and demoralize the town. The women were “survivors”, but they were emotionally shattered, and their husbands would be left with “damaged goods”, who could not be their good wives they way they used to. In this way, the act of rape was equally as much about harming the survivors lastingly and those around them — thus power — as it was about sex.
Despite still living in this culture of rape, where men feel compelled to assert their power over women sexually, the environment is drastically different. There are laws to protect women from rape in most of the civilized world; the law prosecutes perpetrators of this horrific crime. Perhaps more importantly, there is public and social shaming of these criminals, especially in socially progressive cultures, in the physical world and online. Perhaps MOST importantly, there are platforms for women to share their stories safely, anonymously (if they wish), and share solidarity with other women who’ve suffered sexual abuse. The bad men cannot hide in alleys, bars, dorms, and locked offices any longer; the good men cannot say they don’t know about the problem and can join in fighting it far easier and more vocal than before outside of simply ‘not raping’ someone.
Yet bad men are still able to hide. We need look to the conservatives for a contradiction of principle. For liberals, this hypocrisy has reared its ugly head largely via Hollywood and certain politicians (see the aptly named Anthony Weiner, Elliot Spitzer, and now Al Franken, and John Conyers). Liberals typically proudly proclaims themselves as lions against misogyny and the culture of sexual abuse. Yet these men have been called out and called to resign. For many Republicans, there has been far more denial of inappropriate behavior and refusal to face consequences for their actions. Of course bad behavior is ubiquitous in its impact on victims and moral depravity (and the potential to corrupt one from any “group”); however conservatives pride themselves on the principle of “accountability” and self-determinism, and both reaping the benefits of one’s hard work, and the consequences of one’s mistakes. This particularly prevalent in discussions of welfare/government-aid, and sexual behavior. One is presumed to be able to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps” despite financial adversity of physical ailments. In terms of unwanted pregnancies, the solution is that one should pay for their own birth control, or simply abstain from sex altogether, regardless of how one was raised. With regards to homosexuality, for so many conservatives, like Judge Roy Moore, the solution to this “problem” is simply to not choose this sinful lifestyle.
When Al Franken was accused, I was admittedly hesitant to advocate for his removal solely based on the vulgar photo and a tasteless skit when they were juxtaposed with his reasonably decent senate career, however, as more accusers presented themselves increasingly and his actions revealed a pattern of predatory behavior, I quickly turned on Franken and was convicted that he is a part of an abusive, sexist culture — though the most minor public case. For conservatives, the overall condemnation of similar, and comparatively worse behavior among politicians, has been muted if not mostly absent. Roy more had a strong chance to be elected Senator of Alabama: that he even had this chance is troubling enough. President Trump has back-peddled on his criticism of Roy Moore by saying, “We don’t need a liberal in there.” This victory in the political war is more important than the consequences of neglecting to condemn an abuser. This is all abusers need to continue and succeed in the shadows: supposedly good people doing nothing. Even if one could argue that the good of a senator’s work outweighs their abuse, it is clear this argument is applied hypocritically when we examine Roy Moore and Al Franken. Most liberals regard Franken as a good senator and still called for his resignation. Moore, conversely, as touted a record that seeks to take America back to dark ages. He’s stated, “…the last time America was great was when families were united “even though we had slavery." Again, on the larger stage, so many conservatives dragged Hillary Clinton through mud for allegedly enabling Bill Clinton’s abuse during the 2016 election, yet are still silent and dismissive with regards to Trump’s sexist comments towards women and the accusations of molestation against him. Political culture is arguably even more interwoven than Hollywood, as there is clear incentive to dig up dirt on a given rival, so calling out an enemy, and especially an ally, may bring oneself down too. Yet it is impossible and immoral to ignore the disgusting acts politicians commit, and even more so to not call them out when they promote ‘family values’.
Roy Moore claims he is a man of God; but we must ask, ‘Where is God — more importantly Jesus’s compassion — in this matter? Where are the good conservative family values that would give these women justice? There are a few Republicans who have evoked these moral principles like Senator Jeff Flake and even Senator Ted Cruz, who has withdrawn support for Moore. Perhaps the matter would be more impacting we realized that so many of these women are our sisters, our friends, our mothers. My own mother has been raped several times and is still quite conservative politically. Yet she too thought is sad that Franken was resigning, as regarded him as a good senator for Minnesota; she pointed out the political hypocrisy of Moore and Franken, and admitted Moore’s behavior appears to be much worse. Why can conservatives not reconcile this contrast? As a recent New York Times article points out, “Betraying the principle of gender equality is bad. Rejecting it is worse.”
Quite the opposite has occurred, as so many conservative pundits have focused solely on the ‘liberal’ harassment scandals and abusers. This is not noteworthy by itself; what is striking is the conservative accusation that liberals have lost the ‘moral right’ to supposed gender equality and the call for male improvement, particularly among conservatives. Mostly absent is the concern for the victims’ themselves and seeking ways to protect women from further abuse: this is not the center of discussion. It is almost as if these pundits believe and assert that it is ‘being liberal’ that is the cause or at least correlative for this abuse, rather than a separate social phenomenon that ails both parties.
Nonetheless, the Democratic Party, for all their villains and hypocrisies, has a better track record for women’s rights, and public figures like Al Franken have functionally improved the environment for women. Liberals are taking these abuse accusations far more seriously, despite their hesitations. Women’s rights and concern are at best on the back-burner for Republicans. At worst, politicians like Rep. Don Pridemore stated women should feel more responsible for divorces, and learn to “take a beating” and remember why they were married in first place. Roy Moore co-authored a 2011 textbook stating women ‘shouldn’t run for office’. Even if you are pro-life, these comments evoke sexist perspectives of women. Former Missouri Representative Todd Akin infamously claimed regarding pregnancy from rape,
“From what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Akin said. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.
Even if this comment is seen as the most innocently-intended, it illustrates just how ignorant so many male politicians are, and in the business of making decisions that potentially affects all American women, men have no business being this foolish or callous. Moreover, men should not clog the television airwaves with accusations of hypocrisy when the most cutting hypocrisy is not naming abusers within their own ranks and circles. This act would be far easier attempts to dig up dirt on rivals who can dismiss attacks as politically-motivated. Women have now broken their silence so the stark truth of the matter is that men must call out other men. Simply taking a symbolic stance on the matter or delegating it to a committee as Paul Ryan is not sufficient.
I cannot speak for all, but for me, this the better way to deal with the trauma: the revelations of these assaults and accusations and their success in bringing down so many powerful men only bolsters my beliefs. More must stand up and speak out; in every sphere of society and culture and religion. Strong, courageous women breaking their silence and risking their reputations and careers is essential but only 50% of the solution (if that). The muted response to Roy Moore’s accusers suggests this can far from be solved by women alone (especially when the primary perpetrators are men), especially when men overwhelmingly hold relative power in both Hollywood and Washington. This also cannot be solved be continuing business-as-usual, and hoping more women come forward and that men will corroborate their claims. The spark created will not maintain momentum in this social movement without men and without courage and consistency. Fear cannot dissuade claims — not fear of damaging career nor social status nor peers.
“My concern was to create an environment where Rebecca felt safe, protected and heard,” she said. They discussed curtailing the production. Ms. Corry decided to continue with the show.
“Things were going well for me,” Ms. Corry said in the statement, “and I had no interest in being the person who shut down a production.”
But in all of these spheres of work and culture, we must understand the the audience comes to the show, not vice versa. The show must not go on.
A wise high school teacher told me, “you must get in the system to change the system.” But so many women and men are in the system, and now is the time to change it: it’s always the time to change it. So many women want to not simply support themselves, but their families, and not only live, but thrive. To be an example to other women that success is possible. But what is the cost of success? Dignity? Knowing you may be able to shield yourself from abuse or afford litigation and your reputation survive; but what of other women who cannot? This victory would merely be a pyrrhic one. As Jesus says in Matthew 16:26,
“What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul?”
Indeed the good Christian men in our elected offices, and even the non-religious ones need to heed this moral dilemma. If Roy Moore wins a seat, will his victory truly be a victory? Will the success your parties gains be worth the cost of electing an abuser? As I intended to say to women, I intend to say to men: this is not all about you.
In your personal life, in business, will your success be worth it while you see the mistreatment of women in the side of your eye? Will knowing this is the culture your daughters must endure still keep your soul intact? You may not be an abuser, but are your letting one get away?
And as we are the audience, we must not always be the audience. We do not have to consume the media and products that come from abusers or enablers (a beauty of capitalism). This means boycotting Roman Polanski. We must not let ourselves dance to Chris Brown because it’s “just music”, because the bruises on Rihanna’s face were not “just bruises”; they are evidence of an abuser left unchecked, whom has not truly had to face the consequences for their actions. For the enablers and grey areas, we must call them out and call them to action. This means the psuedo-feminist Beyonce and her sexist husband Jay-Z, who famously claimed that he’s got “99 problem but a bitch ain’t one”.
I do not imply that people do not deserve second chances (I have been far from feminist at many points in my past), and indeed my belief-system rests on this very principle; however, a second chance means an acknowledgement of making a mistake, and constant effort resulting in changed ways.
There may be a day when the gropes, harassment, and degradation may finally cease as men come to terms with their abuse of power through barrages of legislation and progressively gender-sensitive generations, but success cannot merely be hoped for; it must be willed for, constantly fought for.How many women have to be abused before we condemn all abusers equally? More importantly, how long will ‘good’ men ignore opportunities to do so?
I know I ask women to suffer in a different way by potentially suppressing their own futures and livelihoods by speaking out and continuing to fight, but I demand my fellow men do so.
I have a dark sense of humor and love a good performance, but if we keep business-as-usual, then it is our supposed morality and manhood that is the true performance and joke — a terrible one at that.
I do believe there may indeed be a witch-hunt of sorts for any sort of behavior that can be deemed harassing towards women, and some women will perhaps take advantage of this to gain power and attention (as in the case with Aziz Ansari and his accuser). Many women will ignore that they too have been sexually harassing and assaulting men (according to the metric for harassment being used) while accusing men. The pendulum has been swung in favor of men for too long. Though there may be need for correction. the #Metoo movement is necessary and is doing more good than harm.
So remember that this is all a show. As Jaques of Shakespeare says, “All the world’s a stage”. It is not just Hollywood. It is here. Everywhere. It is you. Me. This show must not go on; but it will, if we let it.
