This October I woke up to the news of #metoo movement and how some men have propounded that #metoo is just about privileged woman ranting thereby trivializing and making ‘real issues’ like gang rapes, child sexual abuse, genital mutilation irrelevant. They also believe that there are also men and people from the LGBT community who have faced similar issues and hence #metoo should not be just about women.
Here are some thoughts on this:
Abuse in any form is wrong regardless of where the victim hails from, their age or gender. Victims of sexual harassment of any kind, of any intensity, deserve justice or at least closure. This particular movement is outing powerful and influential men who seem to have bought the woman’s consent with their power, privilege, and entitlement.
Dismissing this movement by saying that there are bigger and more serious issues for women hailing from lower income groups and rural areas, we are in turn trivializing and making the harrowing experiences of women (urban- educated- access to the internet) irrelevant. We cannot pick whose rape/molestation/harassment deserves justice and whose doesn’t and Let’s not pitch women against women.
While this movement is outing famous and powerful men, there are also the assault, abuse, and harassment we’ve suffered in the hands of nameless/ faceless strangers in buses, across busy streets, in schools and colleges. If not justice, these women just hope to find some closure so that they are able to move on with their lives because some of these faceless nameless strangers have managed to leave scars and instill fear that these women will carry with themselves forever.
People bringing up cases where the woman has accused a man only trivializes and dilutes the movement and puts the blame back on the victim. Listen to both sides of the story but please do not dismiss the woman’s testimonial. Believe these women who are trying to share their story with the world. I am so glad that so many women are coming out and talking about their #metoo incidents
which are so hard to believe. It’s needed but I fear that it might fizzle out. Also, I hope it just doesn’t overshadow the serious ones, because generally cases like this blow-up the ones that need our help and attention.
Women are afraid to talk about it and feel unsafe all the time. Do you realize the amount of courage it takes for women to come out of the box and talk about this? The number of times they must have thought about speaking against it but tucked it away because otherwise, it would be hard for these women to survive in this world that didn’t care.
And I think this whole movement is like an umbrella. Just sitting under the shade doesn’t mean that the sunlight won’t be there. So, let the revolution begin at home. Stop waiting for the society to change. Change yourself – you are the society. Educate people around you that this happens and learn to listen. I am hurt that so many of us didn’t think this was important enough to make our community a safe place for us.
I wish more power to people who are trying to endure, mourn, ache, grieve, engage, support, report, unite, empower, strengthen the movement . While there are others who just watch and ignore it. And don’t be this person.
Also, do bear in mind that if you’re not ready to share your story, you don’t have to.
You don’t owe anyone anything.
You don’t owe anyone anything.
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