Each year, Time recognizes a person or idea as their Person of the Year. This year was not for an individual, but for the silent majority that must deal with sexual harassment in their lives. You see PSA’s and may hear the occasional story in the news, but with such a large platform that Time newspaper has, it opened a dialogue that needs to be discussed.
The "Silence Breakers" refer to the people in the media that have spoken out on harassment they have encountered whether it be at work, school or home. The momentum of the Silence Breakers was coined from a woman named Tarna Burke, who started the #MeToo campaign earlier this year. It was so thrilling; everywhere I looked people were feeling safe enough to post their stories. The #MeToo campaign was created so that other people could share their stories across media platform and understand that they are not alone.
Every 98 seconds, an individual is sexually assaulted. About 60% of individuals in the workplace have experienced harassment, and on average 1 out of every 3 women and men will experience some form of harassment in their lives. This has become so much of a social norm that people are afraid to speak up, or don’t even recognize the treatment as harassment. This is also due to how attackers are reprimanded. They are given a slap on the wrist, or, most of the time, nothing happens. Many of these people who spoke out were not believed; instead, they were shunned or dismissed until the constant reminder in the media caused people to not be able to turn the blind eye.
Victims of Harvey Weinstein, and Louis C.K, and Matt Lauer and even men such as Tyler Crews, speaking up, exemplifies that every experience is valid. It's important to note that men also go through harassment. At the end of the day, harassment is just an abuse of power - it is not related to one sex. There should be an acknowledgment that attackers shouldn’t be categorized as "monsters;" they could be anyone you know, and the blame should only be on them, and not the survivors.
From Donald Trump being last year's Person of the Year while the news broadcasted his “grab her by the p****” comments, to the positive contrast of the Silence Breakers becoming the Person of the Year. From not believing Bill Cosby could ever hurt anyone because of his high status in Hollywood, to everyone believing the victims of Harvey Weinstein. Things are looking up. The things that are hard to change are also hard to discuss. It all starts with believing the victims. Your voice is being heard and is breaking the barrier, so please keep talking.
Hotlines:
http://victimsofcrime.org/help-for-crime-victims/national-hotlines-and-helpful-links
https://www.rainn.org/about-national-sexual-assault-telephone-hotline
http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalshhotline/
