As I scrolled through Facebook on Monday morning, I kept seeing these two words appear on my feed: “Me Too.” Huh, I wonder what kind of weird facebook status trend this is? Then I saw it again, “Me Too.” And again, and again. No comments; just “Me Too.” I didn’t understand what was going on, so I started my google search, “why is e….” and there; my question was already there. Why is everyone posting "Me Too?"
I didn’t even have to read through the first article I saw, just the heading.
I turned again, back to facebook, but this time I started to count. I passed all the shared/liked/reacted to videos and random memes, actively seeking out how many people were posting those two words. I came across many, too many. I knew this was an issue, but maybe I was too naive to see the extent of the problem.
However, I realized that people also began posting in support, explaining what sexual harassment is and how it affects people. I hate to admit it, but many times when I’m out walking alone at night or even in broad daylight, I have a fear that I might be sexually assaulted or harassed. This kind of fear, this terrible feeling, is not okay.
Just within 24 hours, it is amazing to see how social media brings attention to a certain social issue.
As I am writing this article, at 12AM on a Tuesday, I go back to Facebook, and scroll and scroll and scroll, looking, but there was no more "Me Too." Again, my feed was filled with random videos, dog spotting posts, Ed Sheeran’s bike accident, and random advertisements. And I realize the world moves on too quickly.
If we want to see change, we can’t let important movements such as "Me Too" move on after posting about it once. We even see this with the Black Lives Matter movement; it was powerful but it could have accomplished more. The problem is not the inability to follow through (although it is a large part of the problem), but the inability of this country to come together in order to mobilize.
There is no collectivity; there is no organization. The problem is that politics has become about marketing and campaigning, never getting to the heart of the problem. We need politics in order to make large strides of change, but we need to understand that politics is about people, relationships between people. Some movements divide people, but this... this should not be a two-sided issue.
Take a look and google "protest against harassment and abuse." Select images. Take a look at the photos. Notice: most of these photos are not from the U.S. Some countries have been fighting for justice against abuse for years.
There are voices in this world that can’t speak out. There is no way for those involved in sex trafficking to say, “Me Too.” There is no way to speak against a culture of domestic violence in some countries. There are people in the world who will be condemned for speaking out. This movement reflects a global issue surrounding human rights, and I believe that we can make a change.
Only if everyone comes together and continues to fight will we see change.
