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#MeToo redux

Posted: January 25, 2018 at 9:04 am   /   by   /   comments (0)

Recently the big, media question has been, “When does all of this #MeToo stuff stop.” My knee-jerk reaction was it could stop anytime in the next 10 minutes because #MeToo has all but taken over the news. And before I could open my yap to say as much, I decided to let the question simmer on my back burner for a bit. After much internal dialogue (I know you don’t believe I can do “internal dialogue”) I came to the conclusion #MeToo shouldn’t stop until its time has come. This campaign of sexual abuse awareness isn’t over until it’s really over. It isn’t over until everyone is aware and all of the abuses have stopped.

So, here’s to the #MeToo campaign of awareness continuing to bring the victims together in the knowledge they weren’t alone, they weren’t wrong, they didn’t ask for it and they didn’t deserve it. Here’s to #MeToo continuing to bring to the light of day the imbalances, the shame, the kind of abuses and the pain so many people have suffered at the hands of those with the power. I’m somewhat comforted knowing those of us who have suffered are surrounded by people in the same boat. Speaking up has always had consequences. Unfortunately, those consequences often rain down only upon the victim. When I think of this, I know there couldn’t possibly be a time limit on #MeToo. Here’s to #MeToo being the outlet for everyone’s internal pain and external dialogue regarding sexual abuse. Millions of people around the globe have used the phrase since Tarana Burke coined it to empower women. Alyssa Milano urged us to use the phrase as a vehicle to reveal the extent of the problem of sexual abuses. And then an even more horrifying picture began to take shape. Grown women weren’t the only victims of sexual abuses. Indeed, #MeToo meant different things to different people.

And here we are, the #MeToo people. We have found comfort and strength in our numbers. Our silence came at a cost to most, but now we are talking about how we coped or how we didn’t cope. Some of us are getting the help we need. Some of us are helping others. Many of us are witnessing the abusers paying the price for their predation. We have learned sexual abuses happened in nearly every kind of setting wherever there is a person in a position of power and a person at a disadvantage. We are learning that the abuse doesn’t have to be unspoken or kept private, nor is it shameful. We are becoming comfortable with the notion that sex is not ambiguous— any sexual experience that takes place under duress is assault, and it is this type of mindset that is becoming normalized. The #MeToo campaign is about awareness of being dismissive. However, a huge amount of work has to be done to stop the belittling, the undermining and the abuse. Exposing this monumental scale of corruption and exploitation is immeasurable in its scope.

“I want everyone to know that we all have the right to speak up about any discomfort and to be well-heard. No one is entitled to access another’s body without permission. Affection is a birthright to be shared, not taken.” Tanya Pillay, in an interview with The Walrus.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca

 

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