As you scroll through Facebook and Twitter, you begin to see the words “me too” all too often.
You see it on the Facebook pages of people who rarely post anything on social media. You see it on the pages of people who are popular, famous. You see it on the pages of the ones who sit quietly next to you in class. You see it on pages of individuals who might not have ever said anything at all before this started. And yet, you still scroll past it as if it is just another post.
It isn’t just another post though. It is the voice of someone who has been sexually harassed or assaulted taking a stance. It is someone who might be sharing their assault for the first time. It is someone who has had something traumatic happen to them and yet has never said anything. It is someone who might have been too afraid to say anything until now. The whole point of the “me too” movement is to shed light on the magnitude of individuals who have been sexually assaulted or harassed.
At least 12 MILLION people have posted the “me too” on their social media accounts and that number is rising.
For so long, the issue of sexual harassment and assault has been downplayed or pushed aside like it isn’t a big deal. But it is a big deal. If 12 million posts aren't enough to catch your attention, then you need to open your eyes to reality.
Every single one of those posts is shedding light on an issue that is a major problem within this country and around the world. RAINN reports that “every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted.” Think about that. That means that over 800 individuals are assaulted in a day, 36 every single hour. If that isn’t a problem, then I don’t know what is.
To think that in order to show that sexual assault and harassment is a serious problem, we had to use yet another hashtag is unbelievable. Maybe it is time to finally start to believe the individuals who are brave enough to share their story and to step up and ask for help. Maybe now is the time to start to put a stop to this.
The numbers are going to keep rising and more and more individuals are going to step up and raise their voice. Realizing that you have millions of people who know how you feel and what you have gone through can make someone brave enough to say those two little words.
“Me too.”
This so much more than a campaign. Open your eyes at the reality and magnitude of sexual harassment and assault. It is a light this country needed to see that sexual harassment and assault are a real problem.