Week 5

This week we discussed the subject of our group assignment, which is about the recently occurred hashtag called MeToo. This hashtag became viral due to actress Alyssa Milano's post on twitter, in which she encouraged people to use #MeToo if they have experienced any kind of sexual harassment. After that, millions of people shared their stories on social media.

Alyssa Milano on the news

We were asked by John what the title of our assignment, #MeToo, means. Some of the points raised in class were that it is an important subject matter, because it shows how powerful the internet can be and how fast a message can spread. Furthermore the question had been raised of how it spread so fast, and why does the medium used, in this case the internet, make a difference. One of the answers given was that it is easier to express yourself on the internet, since you can stay anonymous, because you're sitting behind a screen, no one can see you and no one hears your voice, they just read another anonymous post. This anonymity gives us the freedom of speaking, since no one really knows who we are. It allows us to feel safe and speak up anonymously. Interviews in newspapers for example are not as easy, because they need a name, you have to face another person to speak about what you have to say. This can be fairly difficult especially if it is about such a delicate subject matter as sexual harassment. However on the internet you can just type what you want to say without actually having to interact with someone and having to feel embarrassed about what happened to you. Because there is no one looking at you, no one to make you feel uncomfortable in your skin.

A celebrity that was being accused of having sexually harassed someone was Kevin Spacey, and I personally think that his response to it it shocking. He plays it down by saying he can't remember because if it happened it did 30 years ago. Then he goes on by saying that if it happened it was because he was drunk. So he plays it down by stating it wasn't his fault because he was drunk. So first of all, he does remember what he did, otherwise he wouldn't have to excuse his behavior by saying he was drunk, and second of all, being drunk does not excuse bad behavior in my opinion, even though you're drunk, you usually know the difference between right and wrong. 'No' means no, whether you're drunk or not. He continues by saying he has a lot of respect for that person 'as an actor'. That's a funny statement to me, because it indicates that he does not respect him as a person?And in the end he changes the subject by 'opening up' to people confessing that he's homosexual. By doing this statement he clearly trivializes the problem of sexual harassment, because it sounds like he's bored of the subject and now he moves on to more important problems in his life. I don't know if I'm overreacting here, but that's how I feel about his post.

Kevin Spacey's response to sexual harassment accusation

  Following the previous discussion, John asked us if the #MeToo has any impact at all? One of the answers was that by sharing the #MeToo, people see the amount of individuals that have been sexually harassed, and the number is shocking, which might make people think about the subject more, and make them realize that changes have to be made. Because in a society where sexual harassment seems to be part of our daily lives, changes have to be made, otherwise it means that we accept this kind of behavior, and it will continue to happen.
Another question raised was the impact this hashtag has on society and if it is a short term phenomenon? And I don't know. I believe that there will always be attention seeking people who only follow trends because they want to be part of the spotlight. That being said, it is difficult to know who's telling the truth on the internet. There is no proof, and no jury that makes a decision, as it is the case in court. Another argument was that by using the #MeToo, you're not accusing someone directly, because you don't give any details but only use the #MeToo to make people aware of the issue. The #MeToo movement does not ask people to tell the story, because the point of it is to keep people safe, because some might have been abused by their superior and can't effort to lose their job. Which leads to another issue, the problem around power and relationships. The issue of employer and employee, male or female. Another question to think about then was, if we have more equality between sexes, the same amount of women in a workplace as men, would there be less sexual harassment? And again I'm not sure what to say, because I think that even if there are less women working at a place, there shouldn't be more reason for men to harass them. I don't know I think this is a very delicate subject matter, and a problem that exists since always, and if there are still people who think that because they're in a position of power, they're allowed to do whatever they want, they just need to see a psychiatrist, because power does not equal making other people's life a living hell. I just think that we live in a modern society and I think that by now, gender equality should be considered as natural.