Me too.
What do these two simple words mean?
Over the past few days, these two words have been sweeping across the nation via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. But what do they mean? What is their purpose?
These two simple yet powerful words are bringing awareness to this country about sexual abuse. Men and women everywhere who have endured sexual abuse and harassment in various forms are courageously stepping out to let people know that they too have fallen victim, and it’s not okay.
Actress Alyssa Milano, commonly known for her roles in “Charmed” and “Who’s the Boss?”, tweeted out the idea for people to share the words “Me too,” if they have ever been sexually abused. So far, over 65,000 people have interacted with her tweet alone, not even including all of the men and women who have posted through other various social media platforms.
While scrolling through Facebook over the past few days, I was heartbroken at the sheer mass of women who posted “Me too,” to their walls. Some were just the simple statements, while others shared more of their experiences. Whether it be getting groped in a public place, cornered by men who were threatening them, molested, or even raped, these brave women told their stories. Each and every one made me sick. Each and every one made me want to fight for justice.
We all know someone who's been through it don't we? If you think you don't, I promise you that someone you know has been, and you aren't even aware of it. After all, we hear about it all the time don't we? We hear about stories like the Stanford rape victim. We hear about famous people such as Kodak Black, Mike Tyson, and Ben Roethlisberger molesting and raping young women. Why don't we hear about more in our day to day lives- in the lives of the people around us? Because men and women are shamed into silence.
In America alone, someone is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, adding up to roughly 570 people every single day. To make it even worse, there will often never be justice. 99% of sexual assault perpetrators get away with it - no consequences. Doesn’t that just make you sick? These men and women’s lives are being destroyed, and our court systems don’t even care.
They want to blame the girl rather than the man. Why? Because rape culture is encouraged in this country. Rappers and musicians talk about it all the time like it’s no big deal, teaching people that it’s okay if they do it too, because have these artists ever gotten in trouble for it? No, of course not. Society would rather blame the girl for what she is wearing or what she was drinking rather than blaming the man for his actions. Every day, we hear of young women (and yes, on occasion, men) who are sexually assaulted, and every day, we do nothing.
Churches don’t want to talk about it. Schools don't want to talk about it. They don’t want to talk about how only 1 in 6 women of completed or attempted rape actually survive. They don’t want to talk about the 60,000 children who are sexually abused every single year, let alone the 321,500 adults who are raped and sexually assaulted. Why do we so often want to shove it under the rug?
Are we afraid to upset someone? Are we worried we’ll make someone uncomfortable? Are we scared we’ll “shame” someone?
How do we put an end to this? How do we stop sexual violence?
I’ll tell you what we don’t do - we DON’T shame the victim. We don’t ask them questions like “Well what were you wearing?” or “Shouldn’t you be flattered that they’d want you?” NO.
Instead, we need to raise our children in such a way where they respect fellow human beings, male or female, because we were all created equal. We need to teach our sons and daughters that men and women are not objects that they can use and abuse to their liking. We should teach them that there are consequences for their actions, and there is no excuse for wrecking someone else’s life for their own selfish desires. We need to raise respectable men and women.
Women who were abused by men need to stop blaming all men. There are good men in this world, just like there are good women. Likewise, there are bad men in this world, just as there are bad women. We can’t let our judgement cloud over the fact that there are men out there who are being abused as well. Sexual abuse doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter if we’re black or white, male or female. It happens to everyone, and we mustn’t forget that.
We need to continue to raise awareness, like we are already doing. We need to mention the statistics. We need to let people know how prevalent it is in our society. We need to quit shoving it under the rug. Schools should talk about it. Churches should talk about it. People should talk about it. Victims should talk about it (if and when they’re ready), without the fear of being shamed.
Thousands of men and women are sharing their “Me too,” stories. We need to love on these people, and seek justice where justice should be served. We need to put a stop to rape culture.
If you're one of these brave men or women, know that you're not alone. There are so many people out there who know what it's like. They know how you feel. They hurt like you hurt. Please, please know that I'm praying for you - every last one of you.
Stop the jokes. Stop the shame. Stop normalizing it.
Pray for them. Pray for the victims. Pray for the perpetrators. Pray for people, that they might never grow up to experience it or execute it.
Stand tall. Stand together - because that’s the only way we’re going to get through this. Don't back down until the battle is won.
And as for me, me too.