The “Me too” movement is a hashtag that has recently taken social media by storm. Started by actress Alyssa Milano, the hashtag is a way to give a voice to women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed. How this could possibly be seen as a negative thing is beyond me, but somehow, uneducated people have found a way to make it about something it’s not. This hashtag is not about women getting upset over something futile, it is not about a woman getting upset about a “compliment”, and it is not about women lying for attention. This hashtag stands to show people that sexual assault is a problem, and it is a problem we cannot ignore. By looking at the thousands of responses of women saying that they have been assaulted and making claims about how it isn’t valid, or how they’re lying, you’re part of the problem at hand. By doing so, you’re showing how very often women aren’t believed when they come forward with rape or assault allegations. Yet, so many people claim that more victims need to come forward or else they’re making the problem worse. How are they supposed to do so when victims are ridiculed and called liars?
Another issue is the fact that people are willing to cover up, or blatantly ignore people who commit sexual assault or harassment. Take the example of Harvey Weinstein- a very well-known movie producer in Hollywood. Within the past few weeks, over 50 women have come forward with assault or rape allegations. Even more, for years people have been making subtle jabs at Weinstein at things such as award shows and on television. In 2013, Seth McFarlane made a joke at the Academy Awards saying that a best-supporting-actress no longer had to pretend to be attracted to Weinstein. The NBC show 30 Rock has made jokes about Weinstein and sexual assault on more than one occasion. Hollywood has known about Weinstein for a very long time, yet nothing has truly been done about it because people have covered it up. By doing so, they are tolerating sexual assault and they are showing women that they will not be believed when they come forward, that women simply want attention, or they want money and fame. When in reality, these women simply want justice. They want justice for the fact that they were forced, coerced, or verbally harassed into doing something they did not want to do. They want to make awareness for the subject, rather than pretend it didn’t happen. They want to help make sure it doesn’t happen to other people. Instead of mocking them, and turning the movement into a joke, we should instead be listening to the victims. Instead of supporting the perpetrators, we should instead force them to realize that their actions have consequences, and will not be tolerated. Then, and only then, will victims of sexual assault and harassment have justice.