In the year since the Harvey Weinstein allegations first broke, the most prominent narrative has been that Hollywood is undergoing a domino effect of downfalls, with one powerful man after another toppling into oblivion as their abusive pasts come back to haunt them. To a certain extent, that’s been true.
4 comments:
THIS! This article is very important. I think a lot more attention should be paid to the following: "Watching these burgeoning comebacks and experiencing the renewed scrutiny has become a recurring nightmare for people who screwed up the courage to speak out — especially for those who aren’t as well known in the industry. For as much ink has been spilled wondering how accused men can ever recover and what should come of their careers, little attention has been paid to what’s come of the less established people who put their more tenuous positions on the line in order to say, “Me too.”" Why are we wasting any time or print space on any of these accused men's redemption stories? The Me Too movement is not just about those with a name, and it shouldn't be solely defined by it. Yes, bing established gives you a platform, but those with those platforms need to do more to help those suffering the same absuses who do not have that luxury. Serious energy needs to be put into figuring out how we successfully champion people from every level in every industry. I don't want to read about Matt or Louis or Harvey and the perspective on their future prospects.
People are often told to stand up injustice; to become a role model for change. All these things are easier said then done! These people are good talkers; horrible supporters.
Things have become difficult for the people who spoke against the harassment. Everyone lauded the victims for speaking up but nobody thought how this was going to the affect the life and careers of the victims. These people have lost the little support that they had in the industry since they spoke against the powerful biggies of the industry.
This wont have had happened had the perpetrators been punished; that has not happened. These perpetrators have been roaming around in full confidence unabashed about their crimes.
So for the victims to really get over their problems, it is immensely important for the perpetrators to be punished so that the lives and careers of the victims are not further affected and damaged due to the misdeeds of the other people.
The results of the #MeToo movement have been extremely disappointing, ESPECIALLY in the entertainment industry. The feeling that women are lying or just trying to become famous by accusing men of sexual assault is even more prevalent in the entertainment industry, where celebrities are involved. If a woman comes out to report a higher-profile man in Hollywood, it is immediately assumed that she is trying to ruin their career, or get more fame for herself. Men in Hollywood are almost NEVER held accountable, because they remind us of our favorite character (that they depict) and everyone seems to believe that it would be crazy to "kick James Franco out of the industry forever just for touching a girl's butt." This is ridiculous. This is like every other crime where celebrities seem to always go free, because they're famous! If we lose them we lose their characters. People don't think celebrity rapists belong in jail with men from the streets who are given 5+ years for being caught with weed. This is still a problem and it's hard to see a future where famous men are actually held accountable for their actions. I hope it's soon, and I hope women keep trying because if not we'll never get there.
As other comments above said, I also found the #MeToo movement’s actual results rather disappointing. While more women did stand up to their attackers, the government and the male public still greatly rejected justice for these women. One of the best examples of this was Dr. Ford vs Kavanaugh, who the government allowed to be voted onto the supreme court, while Ford was threatened and unvalidated as she stood up for herself and women’s voices. Stories like this further tell victims of sexual violence or harassment that even if you do speak up, and even if you are listened to, nothing will happen. Men who are so worried about getting accused or claims against them wouldn’t have to be worried if they have never done anything wrong. It is a complicated subject, and there is no black and white answer, but listening and bringing justice to sexual assault survivors is critical, and this country has been falling very short.
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