It has been crystal clear that men are still clueless about sexual harassment.
For instance, renowned actor Matt Damon, in a recent interview, referred to the recent allegations as a "culture of outrage" in response to the reaction of the scandals in Hollywood concerning misconduct.
Everybody has a reason to be outraged. The fear of worrying about how others will react is exactly what held women back in coming forward in the first place.
Those who initiated allegations of sexual harassment or sexual assault against A-list powerful men feared that people will think of them as self-serving or lying for the purpose of ulterior motives. Being faced with unfair consequences because of their stories failing to resonate with men is ridiculous.
This is the only situation in which people are actually pointing fingers at the victims instead of taking action against the perpetrators.
These allegations are not limited to just rape, but many types and forms of sexual harassment and misconduct that are not acceptable. In regard to what Matt Damon was saying, people are entitled to their freedom in a reaction in response to the freedom of speech. The reaction or "outrage" is actually the bravery that sparked the #MeToo movement. Standing up to harassment a topic of concern is bigger than the industry or Hollywood.
It is about the gender equality of men and women.
Consent is still a hard thing to grasp for some people apparently. Consent is the clear mutual agreement of sexual activity between all persons involved and can be withdrawn by either party at any point.
Consent should not be assumed. It cannot be given if one of the people involved is inebriated. The outbreak of scandals occurring everywhere might cause men to stop and think "What if I did something and didn’t realize it?"
Deal with it.
Take accountability for the things you may have done wrong. Take the steps in educating yourself and changing.
The good guy narrative is another thing that is harmful and actually counter-intuitive. It should never be up to a person to decide if they are "nice" because that's completely up to everybody else's interpretation of them.
These self-proclaimed "nice guys" usually pretend to understand when they are just as ignorant as everybody else. How to differentiate whether or not people are actually "nice" is a line that is starting to blur more than ever.
Accepting the fact that you have no idea what women are going through is the first thing you need to understand. Shutting up and listening to people when they talk about the problems they go through would also help. But mostly, learning that you are ignorant of most things and demonstrate a willingness to listen and learn about harassment would be most helpful.
America has a social hierarchy. Tools such as racism, classicism, and sexism are what holds a specific group of people back in society.
As a man in society, its important for myself to be aware of the privilege that comes along with being a man, and I suggest that other men do the same.
Women are seen as commodities while men, thanks to their toxic masculinity think they are entitled. Young women are definitely not the only victims of these crimes. However, there is a power dynamic that often leaves women powerless when faced with confronting abusers or telling their story. The abuse of power can be used anywhere from the workplace to the bedroom.
To sum it all up very frankly: The problem isn't the woman, it's men.
