Me Too... For Now

Anonymous
Me Too...For Now

So many women and men have been posting to their social media, "Me too," to announce that they have been the victims of sexual harassment or worse in response to Harvey Weinstein's being exposed for sexually harassing and potentially raping several women throughout his career. In recent years there has been an ever increasing push for women AND men to start speaking out against things like sexual harassment and abuse which are largely kept silent by a society who often shames the victims; some even in the face of overwhelming evidence in their favor like witnesses, DNA, and or video. This should not be a case of something we lock away and allow to keep happening because society has not learned to protect it's most vulnerable, because we forget that that next victim could be one's mother, or little brother, or wife, nephew, or daughter, or even themselves because these things can and do happen to anyone.

Me Too... For Now

As much as I applaud these women and men for getting up the courage to post such things, what happens tomorrow when the social media blitz ends? What happens when or if Harvey is jailed, and there are still thousands of victims who still remain out there in less public cases and with far less protection via their money, their fame, or their prestige to come forward?

We've seen many of these same social media blitzes where something happens---a Vegas Shooting, a Paris terrorist attack, Ice Bucket Challenge, Kony 2012, and on an on where people are fired up about it for a few weeks and then fall totally silent in their want for change, in their want to do anything politically about it, or their want to expose injustice in their worlds up until something big happens again, and we talk about it for another 15 minutes before we forget and pack up our bags and move on.

Me Too... For Now

The only time I've seen real action in accordance to these social media campaigns is when it comes to fundraising. When all people have to do is click a few buttons to donate a few bucks, they are willing to do that because that's the easy part. That's the part they can quickly and easily feel good about themselves for doing and they feel like they've solved something. ALS alone with the Ice Bucket Challenge received millions of dollars---though if you ask those that donated today what ALS actually is, or why they donated, or if they've donated or helped in any way since, you'll hear the sounds of crickets chirping. And trust, I'm not knocking the success of fundraising, because those things do help, but that drive to want to help, doesn't seem to ever have any lasting effects on the majority of people.

As we stand today, our very own president of the United States is being sued for sexual harassment. He's been caught on tape, several women have spoken out about this among a whole host of things, and yet he is still the president. The same went for Bill Clinton and many presidents before him. Imagine the message that sends and why we continue to live in a world that requires more than just a couple bucks on a Tuesday to effect change. None of us can solve all the worlds problems, but show up, really show up and DO SOMETHING to effect change in your world other than just tweeting about how wrong things are around you. Use your vote, sign real petitions that go to lawmakers, fight to change the laws to protect our must vulnerable or else, you and I will still be hear tomorrow posting pictures and posting messages that only serve to die off in the wind.

Me Too... For Now
54 Opinion