Publicly, We Say #MeToo. Privately, We Have Misgivings.
- 6 years ago
Publicly, We Say #MeToo. Privately, We Have Misgivings.
But privately, I suspect, many of us, including many longstanding feminists, will be rolling our eyes, having had it with the reflexive and unnuanced sense of outrage
that has accompanied this cause from its inception, turning a bona fide moment of moral accountability into a series of ad hoc and sometimes unproven accusations.
“What ever happened to flirting?” and “What about the women who are the predators?” Some women, including
random people I talk to in supermarket lines, have gone so far as to call it an outright witch hunt.
But the trickle-down effect to cases like those of Garrison Keillor, Jonathan Schwartz, Ryan Lizza
and Al Franken, in which the accusations are scattered, anonymous or, as far as the public knows, very vague and unspecific, has been troubling.
Consider the fact that the campaign last month against the Met to remove a Balthus painting
that shows a young girl in a suggestive light was organized by two young Manhattan feminists.
You can be sure that this weekend at the Golden Globes, Hollywood celebrities, not exactly known for their
independent thinking, will turn the red carpet into a #MeToo moment replete with designer duds.
Publicly, they say the right things, expressing approval and joining in the chorus of voices
that applaud the takedown of maleficent characters who prey on vulnerable women in the workplace.
But privately, I suspect, many of us, including many longstanding feminists, will be rolling our eyes, having had it with the reflexive and unnuanced sense of outrage
that has accompanied this cause from its inception, turning a bona fide moment of moral accountability into a series of ad hoc and sometimes unproven accusations.
“What ever happened to flirting?” and “What about the women who are the predators?” Some women, including
random people I talk to in supermarket lines, have gone so far as to call it an outright witch hunt.
But the trickle-down effect to cases like those of Garrison Keillor, Jonathan Schwartz, Ryan Lizza
and Al Franken, in which the accusations are scattered, anonymous or, as far as the public knows, very vague and unspecific, has been troubling.
Consider the fact that the campaign last month against the Met to remove a Balthus painting
that shows a young girl in a suggestive light was organized by two young Manhattan feminists.
You can be sure that this weekend at the Golden Globes, Hollywood celebrities, not exactly known for their
independent thinking, will turn the red carpet into a #MeToo moment replete with designer duds.
Publicly, they say the right things, expressing approval and joining in the chorus of voices
that applaud the takedown of maleficent characters who prey on vulnerable women in the workplace.