12 US TOO
By Santa-Victoria Perez In late 2017, social media platforms were flooded with stories of sexual assault, violence and abuse after actress Alyssa Milano sent out a tweet stating, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” <strong>The</strong> tweets came pouring in by the thousands as women and men alike spoke out and declared “Me Too.” Social media posts sent out by people sharing their stories reached 12 million as of October 2017, according to a CBS report. Since then, countless articles begging women to stop with the #MeToo stories, asking women to be “reasonable” and arguing that the Me Too movement has gone too far have circulated global publications. Le Monde, a French news source, quoted French actress Catherine Deneuve who said, “Realization of the sexual violence women experience ... was necessary. But now this liberation of speech has been turned on its head.” Created ten years ago by Tarana Burke, founder of Just Be Inc., which concentrates on the wellness of young women of color, Me Too has given people an outlet to share their experiences and the opportunity to stand in solidarity. <strong>The</strong> current #MeToo movement has brought forth mirror-like awareness. It has offered just a surface level view of the damage and injustice people have endured. While Me Too is effective in the United States and various “progressive” countries wherein gender equality is a value, Me Too may be ineffective for women in countries where gender equality is not highly regarded. UN Women, a United Nations organization dedicated to the empowerment of women, estimates that 120 million women have experienced forced intercourse or other sexual acts at some point, and an estimated 35 percent of women worldwide have been a victim of physical or sexual violence. LaDawn Johnson, Associate Professor of Sociology, discusses how laws aid the battle for equality in the U.S. and restrict women in certain countries. “One thing we have here in the United States with the Me Too movement is that we have the law, and we’re able to use the law in a different way to help define justice and to help women have a voice.” Johnson said. “We’ve fought very hard here … the Me Too movement is only successful because we have a Constitution that allows for us to have freedom of speech and allows for us to analyze laws and the intent of law.” Constitutional rights of freedom of speech and the right to protest peacefully may be taken for granted, yet these laws are what have cultivated necessary change. Johnson discusses the countries in which laws significantly differ from those of the U.S. “We’re seeing a lot of women facing these types of issues, but we don’t see this [Me Too movement] type of process at all,” Johnson said. “And that’s where there are these issues because there is no place for these women to have a voice, no place for them to gain a voice within the legal system they are inside of.” While local laws may silence and even endorse the abuse of women in countries like Iran, China, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, hope exists that the Me Too movement may ignite inspiration in countries where women have access to media, to varying degrees. In countries where gender equality is not as further along and where media is unrestricted, people who have access to the internet can tweet out or join in, since Me Too is a hashtag, according to Dr. Nancy Yuen. Yuen is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and the author of “Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism,” which investigates the difficulties minority actors face in the film industry. While the Me Too movement has been effective at calling out those who have abused power, from Yuen’s perspective, many of the accused have not been held responsible. “Our president has been accused, and there is very little [government response] to address that.” Yuen said. Though the media has given significant coverage to this case, nothing visible or apparent seems to be happening. In countries where protest is strictly prohibited, the Me Too movement may only serve as a source to inspire hope. “When Anita Hill accused Clarence Thomas, it was the first public national conversation about sexual harassment, and yet nothing happened. He is still the Supreme Court justice,” Yuen said. In the matter of Justice Clarence Thomas, the case was seen to its end, and a decision was reached. <strong>The</strong> process did occur, though the decision may have been and may still be unsatisfactory to many. Yuen also believes that people in the U.S. should not look at the U.S. as better off than other countries. 13
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