Benefits of the #Me Too Movement

Farawayhome

Just watched the RTÉ News. It had a report that the me too movement has spread to countries such as Ethiopia. Women here have a horrible time, a third of them have reported rape. They are trying to make change and the whole movement has inspired women to report rape and assault. In the past women have been afraid and ashamed to report these types of assaults inflicted on them. There was a report saying that more women have come forward in Ireland and it's the same in America and I'm sure other countries. This shows that overall the me too movement has been a very good thing and it's getting rapists off the streets.

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

RTE is a load of sh1te.

Your Face

Farawayhome wrote: »

... and it's getting rapists off the streets.

That's great if true.
Can you back that up with facts?

Gimme A Pound

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo wrote: »

RTE is a load of sh1te.

Inane comment.

I watched it too. To be welcomed as Ethiopia is horrific for women - especially poor women. But there's a long way to go.

As a woman here though, I can't agree we have a horrible time. I've won the lottery compared to being born in e.g. Ethiopia.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Well, the fact that it's being reported in itself is a positive sign. If governments and police forces see rises in a particular crime, they tend to focus in on it a bit more with their strategies. Theoretically at least.

It also means that people who think they can get away with it because of power might think twice before committing rape or sexual abuse. Cases in point, Hearvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey.

OneEightSeven

This clip from the Simpson sums up my thoughts of the movement:

Nikki Sixx

The benefits:
1. remakes of movies which originally had an all male cast, to a contemporary version with all female cast.
2. Female leading roles in most movies.

Gimme A Pound

Nikki Sixx wrote: »

The benefits:
1. remakes of movies which originally had an all male cast, with a contemporary all female cast.
2. Female leading roles in most movies.

Remakes of movies plural? I've only heard of Ghostbusters and don't know anyone who liked it or bothered with it.

Lead roles seem about 50/50 in movies.

This thread is about Ethiopia though, and such a movement IS beneficial in a country like that where women are subjugated.

Nikki Sixx

Estella Colossal Testosterone wrote: »

Remakes of movies plural? I've only heard of Ghostbusters and don't know anyone who liked it or bothered with it.

Lead roles seem about 50/50 in movies.

This thread is about Ethiopia though, and such a movement IS beneficial in a country like that where women are subjugated.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OceansEightPoster.jpeg

Nikki Sixx

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thewrap.com/movie-remakes-gender-swapped-leads-his-girl-friday-oceans/amp/

Gimme A Pound

Most of that small number of films pre date #metoo!

I totally understand the problems with #metoo btw - but those are things like false allegations and diminishing what sexual abuse is, not a handful of sh1t remakes with the genders reversed. Also there are obviously genuine cases and it's unfair to dismiss the whole movement.

But this is about a country where women are actually badly treated. Feminists (rightly) get criticised for focusing on trivial crap in the West rather than women's rights in countries where they actually are mistreated - and yet here's an example of women's rights in such a country being addressed, yet it's met with dismissal. "RTE is a load of sh1te" - I mean really, pathetic.

Estella Colossal Testosterone

Estella Colossal Testosterone wrote: »

Most of that small number of films pre date #metoo!

I totally understand the problems with #metoo btw - but those are things like false allegations and diminishing what sexual abuse is, not a handful of sh1t remakes with the genders reversed. Also there are obviously genuine cases and it's unfair to dismiss the whole movement.

But this is about a country where women are actually badly treated. Feminists (rightly) get criticised for focusing on trivial crap in the West rather than women's rights in countries where they actually are mistreated - and yet here's an example of women's rights in such a country being addressed, yet it's met with dismissal. "RTE is a load of sh1te" - I mean really, pathetic.

does thread title need "Only in Ethiopia" added for clarity?

rgodard80a

Estella Colossal Testosterone wrote: »

Ethiopia is horrific for women

Africa is horrific for women.

Lucky we didn't let thousands of grown and teenage males into Ireland from that deeply dysfunctional and violent culture directly into Ireland.... oh wait...

hatrickpatrick

I've always agreed with the me too movement as far as rape, assault, and harassment go (although the public trial by social media with no recourse to actually deny the allegations and not have one's reputation destroyed is f*cked up) - but, as usual, the problem is that the definition of "sexual harassment" has been stretched too wide to be taken without a pinch of salt. A once off comment, fishing for reciprocation, is not harassment - harassment takes place over a time period and involves persistence after being rebuked. Being sexually forward and unmoderated in one's language is not and should not be regarded as wrongdoing, unless it fails to stop after being rebuked. Verbally hitting on another adult once or twice can never in my view be regarded as wrongdoing.

If the various feminist movements legitimately trying to tackle the very real and nasty subculture of people who think that groping people or riding someone who's unconscious is ok would make an effort to separate themselves from the "lewd comments can count as harassment even with no pre-history" and "if you get drunk in a club and enthusiastically participate in sex, you were still raped" puritanical idiots, I'd have a much, much easier time getting behind it. As it happens, the umbrella is simply too large at this point and there are so many different behaviours being swept into the banner of "sexual wrongdoing" that, in my view, it's probably almost impossible to find average people who don't have serious misgivings about at least some of it.

In my view, there should be two separate and distinct categories used when we talk about this:

1: Sexual assault - physically sexual contact without consent, plain and simple. Everything from groping to rape. Most people wouldn't disagree on this.
2: Sexual harassment - *persistent* sexual attention after one has made it clear that they are not interested and that it makes them uncomfortable.

As far as I'm concerned, any sexual behaviour which does not fall into one of those two groups is, by definition, not "wrong". It can be subjectively unpleasant, sure, but it can equally be enjoyable and indeed lead to enjoyable sexual encounters or even relationships. Some people might find sexually forward comments, fishing for reciprocation and potentially eventual hooking up, offensive or unpleasant - but an equal, or most likely far larger, number of people find these an enjoyable aspect of life.

The sweeping in of categories other than actual wrongdoing into the banner of sexual harassment is, in my view, really about a clash of introverts vs extroverts. And I don't see why extroverts should have to assume that being introverted is "the norm" and self-censor their behaviour or language accordingly - in my view, if you're sexually introverted and open sexuality makes you uncomfortable, it's your job to tell people that. If they persist in making you uncomfortable intentionally, then it is indeed sexual harassment. But nobody should have to assume that asking someone out or complimenting their appearance is going to be taken badly, because (at least in my experience) the vast majority of people enjoy it and are open to it.

Reviews and Books Galore

Qoute: Africa is horrific for women.

Lucky we didn't let tens of thousands of grown and teenage males from that deeply dysfunctional and violent culture directly into Ireland.... oh wait...


Africa is a huge continent that is quite diverse with many different sub and micro cultures.

Anyhew, the Hollywood me too was kind of interesting. It seemed to lose steam when Argento was outed as being maybe a statuatory rapist as, IMO, a lot of people were afraid of their own skeletons coming out.

Mad_maxx

A report from places like Ethiopia about issues like rape is worthy, shoehorning it into the "Me Too" movement is not as it foggies the difference between the plight of women in much of Africa and what ( largely speaking) entitled affluent Hollywood women are moaning about in order to stay relevant

beejee

Just another social-media brain fart that has as much impact on reality as a care-bear-stare.

Fooling people into thinking their twitter account can change anything is a dangerous precedent. A virtual world with virtual results.

James Brown

beejee wrote: »

Just another social-media brain fart that has as much impact on reality as a care-bear-stare.

Fooling people into thinking their twitter account can change anything is a dangerous precedent. A virtual world with virtual results.

Apart from the arrests, criminal proceedings, pay outs and change in bigoted culture in numerous industries, what has the Romans #metoo movement done for us?

beejee

Matt Barrett wrote: »

Apart from the arrests, criminal proceedings, pay outs and change in bigoted culture in numerous industries, what has the Romans #metoo movement done for us?

There must have been a dozen individual results. Maybe even a bakers dozen! Not bad for the concerted effort of millions of people.

#makingadifference. Please share to save earth.

Upforthematch

beejee wrote: »

Just another social-media brain fart that has as much impact on reality as a care-bear-stare.

Fooling people into thinking their twitter account can change anything is a dangerous precedent. A virtual world with virtual results.

I don't know about that - political results aren't virtual results.

Propaganda farms are there sending out millions of tweets, 'Influencers' exist.

Perhaps some twitter accounts are more influential than others.

Farawayhome

Reports in Ireland are up. These are ordinary women encouraged to report their ordeals. This is a good thing.

Airyfairy12

The metoo movement has been fantastic. It opened up a conversation about sexual harassment and abuse like never before. As a woman ive been sexually harassed more times than I can count, from being 14 and followed through town on a Saturday afternoon by two grown men, having my ass slapped by a middle aged man while leaving the cinema at 15, been called a slut by a man across the street because I didnt respond to his cat calls at age 22, at 17 teenage boys telling me 'shut up' because im 'just a stupid woman', boyfriends telling their mates about what they did to me in the bedroom, the man who followed me home late one night after id repeatedly told him I was not interested in having a relationship with him. I could go on and on and not even touch the surface, these examples a extremely light and mundane compared to scenarios ive been in with men where ive felt degraded, afraid and dealt with aftermaths of trauma. I never spoke about these experiences because I didnt know how to, women were constantly being called liars, prudes, too sensitive or asking for it when they divulged their own experiences so it was always ingrained in me that talking about it made me look bad and might even get me into trouble.
Besides this I knew all my female friends had experiences just like mine, id heard them mention things, id seen things happen to them, it just seemed normal, like this is how the world is for women and we were expected to shut up and deal with it. Terrified walking past a group of men for fear that at the very least they might pass some comment on our appearance or what they wanted us to do to their d!ck, worse case scenario they would grab, grope or follow.

Im not saying these situations dont happen to men, they do, but the imbalance is that they most commonly happen to women, regularly, the biggest killer for women is male partners and when ever I hear men talk about their experiences of harassment or sexual assault - although valid they consist of one or two events in which they felt a woman was being a little over the top or to forceful. They dont understand how common place these experiences are for women and god help a girl if she's pretty, she can literally become a bag of meat in the eyes of men. Women have every right to speak up about what theyve experienced and I dont know why men have a problem with that? Do they feel threatened? blamed? or do they expect women to remain quiet and put up with it? Any man that ive encountered who has been strongly in opposition to the Metoo movement has generally been known for treating women badly, sexist comments and belittling women.

Since the metoo movement, from speaking to friends, we've felt that our experiences are acknowledged and called out for what they are, we didnt feel shame any longer or like we must have done something to cause that behavior from men. Ive also noticed a big change in how men respond to women in public, particularly young men and although they might stare and make their feelings of attraction known, they leave out the intimidating behavior and smutty comments and generally seem to speak to women as people.

I cant see how anyone could find fault with it? Its done nothing by improve peoples lives, the only people who have had any sort of negative backlash from the movement are rapists and sexists.