Introduction
The past year has marked a revolutionary time in the history of modern feminism. While reflecting on the numerous political, judicial and social actions directly influenced by the #MeToo movement, it is evident that this call for action against sexual violence in the workplace and elsewhere, has become one of the most important movements of our generation. As the movement propelled exactly one year ago, the painful truths of sexual violence and realities of millions of women worldwide flooded the media. The overwhelmingly unified twitter response of “#MeToo” to the women who exposed Hollywood film mogul, Harvey Weinstein, for his repulsive sexual overtures, rekindled a spark for change started by activist Tarana Burke more than a decade ago. This surge to action, though long overdue, triggered a hopeful beginning to the change social feminists have been fighting for since the suffragettes of the early twentieth century. In this paper, I will analyze the consequences of the #MeToo movement and its social impact on America’s misogynist culture of sexual violence and exploitation. More than a year has passed since the viral twitter trend and though certain results have occurred, several events in the past year have strongly indicated that the feminist agenda has yet to be added to any political docket, particularly since the rise of the Trump administration.
#MeToo
As wrenching stories of sexual abuse and harassment amassed in the media, several men, “mostly in the public eye”, finally began to experience consequences for their decades-long mistreatment of women (Donegan , 2018). While some lost their jobs, others were demoted, and many faced public shame and embarrassment. This cultural moment which has exposed such a broad array of bad behaviour across so many industries is acknowledgement that men’s unwelcome sexual advances are an indication of larger sociopolitical powers. By saying “me too” a woman makes herself part of a vast crowd, and chooses to stand with others who have been harassed, assaulted, or been subject any form of sexual violence. Solidarity is powerful, this international stance of unity maintains theories of sexism as “a universal, but not uniform, force” (Donegan , 2018). In other words, this violence experienced by so many, is something that every woman will inevitably experience, but that every woman will experience in different ways (Donegan , 2018). Assembling in this movement, is understanding that effectively freeing this society from misogyny will only be attained cooperatively, with revolutions at the structural, cultural and institutional levels. The #MeToo movement has moved from word of mouth to social media and across the world to build on a campaign launched more than a decade ago by activist Tarana Burke and to create solidarity among survivors of sexual harassment. The movement has catapulted the discussion about the persistence and prevalence of workplace sexual harassment into the headlines: Incidents involving prominent, high-profile figures in entertainment, the media, and politics have dominated the airwaves and spurred calls for decisive action. American Progress
Motives, Memories, and Mental Health
A historic and moment occurred for the movement early this year when judge Rosemarie Aquilina handed Lawrence Gerard Nassar a 175-year sentence, at the end of which she stated, “I just signed your death warrant” (Cacciola & Mather, 2018). The 55-year-old former doctor for the United States national gymnastics team, after a seven-day trial and countless powerful victim impact statements, was convicted for sexually assaulting and molesting his patients for years (Cacciola & Mather, 2018). After the trial, Judge Aquilina was criticized by news outlets, politicians, government officials, privileged men of high social status, and citizens alike of being “too harsh” during the trial, having clouded or biased judgment, and being unfair; all simply because she is a woman. Rather than identifying the wrong doings of Nassar or empathizing with the 150 young women whom he had sexually violated, people criticized and questioned the judgement and capabilities of a federal judge. Would it have been better if, like the country’s notorious golden boy Brock Turner, Nassar was handed a six-month jail sentence and released in half the time as a reward for ‘good behaviour?’ Too often are the “motives, memories and even mental health” of women, whether of high power and social status or not, criticized, judged, and questioned when it comes to cases or disputes regarding sexual violence. This disparagement and belittling of a woman’s experiences and intentions has become a tradition in the justice system which continues to be mimicked in civil society by all levels of law enforcement and citizens. The most recent display of this corrupt behaviour being the violent verbal attacks following Christine Ford’s wrenching testimony in the senate, accusing now Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when the two were in high school.
Patriarchal Power Politics
Statements released in the past month by senators, judge Kavanaugh, and even the President, have reinforced and brought to light the hardships women around the world face when attempting to get justice for the immoral violations of their bodies. Rather than offering support, guidance, justice, or acknowledgment, America has built itself, and subsequently mentored countries across the world, to adopt a disgraceful culture of victim shaming, specifically against women who come forward with allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Earlier in the year, as criminal charges began piling up, measuring the impact of #MeToo was as simple as looking at the consequences faced by powerful people who have been the subject of sexual misconduct allegations. “Weinstein has not only lost his job at the company he co-founded — he has also been indicted on charges of rape and predatory sexual assault. Bill Cosby and former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar have been sentenced since the movement began.” However, while many prominent offenders have been reprimanded since the outpouring of personal testimonies, others such as Donald Trump have remained in positions of power, endorsing other alleged attackers like Brett Kavanaugh to other positions of power. With men like this in places of authority, it becomes imperative that feminism and feminist movements continue to push their political agendas, as “women’s experiences and roles would have remained, and will continue to remain of little importance or interest to states” (Baylis, Owens, & Smith, 2017).
Brett Kavanaugh
The “leader of the free world” along with his various members of his administration and close colleagues have been making continuous headlines across the world in connection to numerous allegations of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct in both the workplace and elsewhere since the beginning of the Trump campaign. As of recently, the Trump administration as well as the justice department have come under serious fire following the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the supreme court of the United States. The testimonies of Anita Hill and Christine Ford accusing supreme court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault provoked a reckoning over gender and power and over partisan politics. A third woman presented the Senate Judiciary Committee with allegations of inappropriate behavior by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, accusing him of sexually aggressive behavior at alcohol-fueled parties when he was in high school. In the sworn statement, she also alleged that Kavanaugh engaged "in abusive and physically aggressive behavior towards girls, including pressing girls against him without their consent, 'grinding' against girls and attempting to remove or shift girls' clothing to expose private body parts." For many, Kavanaugh’s confirmation laid bare how little has changed since #MeToo rose to prominence. The Kavanaugh vote, following Ford’s wrenching testimony, has led many to consider what American society still demands of survivors: that they speak publicly about some of the most painful moments of their lives, facing blame, shaming, and disbelief, all in the hope of reforms that may never come.
The “Himpathy” of ‘Boys will be boys’
` With a leader who has not only made demeaning comments about women on many occasions, but he has also bragged about committing sexual assault, it is clear that this administration entirely may never understand that times have changed, and with it the rules of social conduct and societal norms. Since the start of global conversation, with millions of women making their personal #MeToo moments public, it has become harder to argue thoughtless excuses like ‘boys will be boys’ and to “ignore the decades-old trauma and allegations of women like Christine Ford.” By barring any nominee credibly accused of sexual harassment or assault, or firing them, such as in the case of now-former NBC host Matt Lauer, a new generation of boys and young men will know that their actions have consequences. The #MeToo movement changed our culture and the way we, as a society, look at sexual assault and sexual harassment. Women are coming forward. They are working through their fear, shame, and trauma in order to change the rules. According philosopher Kate Mann, the name for the defensive crouch that most men get in when hearing about the Kavanaugh allegations is called “himpathy.” This concept, as explained by Mann, eludes to the notions that men sympathize with alleged abusers because himpathy puts them in the shoes of the victimizers, rather than the victim.” The notion of himpathy, as we see countless times in the media plays out in a variety of ways, most commonly however, occurs when men deny the victim’s story altogether, trying to undermine her credibility, call her a liar or hysterical, and imply that it simply wasn’t a big deal because it didn’t happen yesterday. In short, it is clear that men will often do anything to shift the blame from where it belongs and to prevent women “from being the proper object of moral concern and sympathy.” Like in most cases involving sexual assault allegations, this concept leads everyone to see powerful men as important, worthwhile, and sympathetic, and to treat women with suspicion and doubt.
What Feminists Say
In the patriarchal world of the past and present, women have long been the subservient, underprivileged, and disregarded sex. With little to no improvement of oppressive conditions in many parts of the world, the fight to push forward feminist movements and agendas continues to become a critical issue within global politics. Effective movement against patriarchal oppression must also confront other systemic inequalities – ones that lend power and viciousness to many women’s experiences of sexism. Intersectionality has given me too a more expansive understanding of sexual harassment and assault. Gesture of saying me too implies solidarity with all women who have had these experiences. Large group of women identifying their suffering as women’s suffering, all been harmed by the same forces of sexism. Feminism and feminist movements struggle with issues of inclusion and exclusion, specifically regarding race, sexuality, class, and geographic location. In this light, the diversity and breadth of the me-too movement is not a weakness, but a strength. If so many women of different kinds of lives have experienced the same sexist behaviour from men, then it becomes easier to believe that the problem goeas beyond individuals and instead relates to wider cultural forces. Is it a woman’s responsibility to navigate, withstand and overcome the misogyny that she encounters, or is it the shared responsibility of everyone to eliminate sexism, so that they never encounter it in the first place? Interaction of different structures of power mean that there are always multiple and complex positions of political authority and subservience to consider. Feminism stresses that all women are exploited by patriarchy
Next Steps
The ongoing public conversation about sexual harassment has led to a torrent of stories about individual experiences, regressive workplace cultures, and the robust reforms needed to help shift the balance of power between perpetrators and their targets. For the current movement to be most effective, however, it is critical that policymakers ensure any responsive measures reflect a comprehensive understanding of the breadth and depth of the problem for all workers. Sexual harassment pervades all industries and occupations. High profile cases attract a lot of attention, regular workers’ stories often go unacknowledged. These are the workers that must be at the center of any policy solutions that lawmakers pursue. Expected to see a swift legislative response to the outpouring of me too movement, victims coming forward. There has been very little movement on the legislative side of this. A fundamental revision of federal laws and state laws particularly the ones that don’t have any laws at all protecting people from sexual harassment at work. Conservatives think alleged victims lie, they can fail to remember things and this can ruin a good man’s life. Liberal think that majority of victims hesitate to come forward because they have nothing to gain, except justice, and they have everything to lose. Regardless of the confirmation result, cement people’s view about this issue. Look towards a by-partisan solution about creating a climate where people feel that the facts are going to be evaluated neutrally, fairly and that victims are going to be respected and heard
Conclusion
Social feminism does not aspire to enable a few women to gain positions of power in patriarchal systems. It’s not about giving women “a seat at the table”. It’s about taking the table apart, so that we can build a new one together. The assistant attorney general, Angela Povilaitis, said: “We teach our girls and daughters to be too nice. To just ignore and put up with uncomfortable situations, to stay silent when they should be allowed to be heard.” a movement once focused on sexual violence has, for many, become broader, women of all racial, ethnic, and class backgrounds have been trying to make our way across these divisive lines for centuries; to figure out what solidarity means, what intersectional means, how to strengthen one another rather than compete or antagonize