Dral Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Quote http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42708522 Margaret Atwood faces feminist backlash for #MeToo op-ed 16 January 2018 Share this with Facebook Share this with Twitter Share this with Messenger Share this with Email Share Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Author Margaret Atwood Author Margaret Atwood has sparked a Twitter storm after a provocative column on the Me Too anti-sexual harassment movement. Her op-ed published in the Globe and Mail newspaper questioned the impact of the movement against inappropriate sexual behaviour. Ms Atwood called the movement a "symptom" of a broken legal system. She also defended her support for due process in the case of a male writer accused of sexual harassment. Ms Atwood, the Canadian author of the dystopian novel The Handmaid's Tale, is the latest in a number of celebrities to face a backlash after weighing in on the movement sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal. French actress Catherine Deneuve recently apologised to sexual assault victims after signing on to a letter that argued the campaign against sexual harassment had gone too far. You might also like: Deneuve apologises to sex assault victims France's celebrity pushback against 'MeToo' Aziz Ansari responds to assault allegation In the column, Ms Atwood says the Me Too movement "has been very effective and has been seen as a massive wake-up call. But what next?" Skip Twitter post by @MargaretAtwood Report End of Twitter post by @MargaretAtwood She says she is concerned the University of British Columbia denied due process to professor and fellow author Steven Galloway, who first faced accusations of bullying and sexual harassment in 2015. In 2016, members of Canada's literary community, including Ms Atwood, rallied behind Mr Galloway. Canadian authors in university firing row Canadian sex scandal author speaks out They penned an open letter to Mr Galloway's employer defending his right to due process following his suspension over undefined "serious allegations". Media later reported accusations of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault. A number of authors have since removed their names from the controversial letter. Mr Galloway was dismissed by the university and is fighting his termination. He faces no criminal charges. Of the criticism for adding her name to the letter, Ms Atwood wrote: "And now, it seems, I am conducting a War on Women, like the misogynistic, rape-enabling Bad Feminist that I am". She added: "In times of extremes, extremists win. Their ideology becomes a religion, anyone who doesn't puppet their views is seen as an apostate, a heretic or a traitor, and moderates in the middle are annihilated." Ms Atwood also offers misgivings about the movement going too far, warning of the dangers of "vigilante justice", which she says "begins as a response to a lack of justice". Skip Twitter post by @elainecorden Report End of Twitter post by @elainecorden Skip Twitter post by @emmafromtoronto Report End of Twitter post by @emmafromtoronto The column polarised debate on social media, with supporters praising her for challenging convention and for thoughtful criticism. But she faced a fierce reaction against the piece. Detractors criticised her likening of the Me Too movement to the Salem witchcraft trials and accused her of failing women by supporting a powerful male friend Quote Quote If Margarat Atwood is getting attacked by modern feminists, there might be something wrong... is the #MeToo movement going to far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Strome Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rounoush Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 It went too far awhile ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 2 hours ago, Ryan Strome said: Beat me to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Too, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 1 minute ago, nucklehead said: too too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 U2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffraff Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucklehead Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I just want to know where "far" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester13 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I'm actually really glad that someone made a thread on this because I find it an interesting discussion. And, to be honest, while I type this out and I see men sarcastically posting pictures that have nothing to do with the discussion is quite disappointing. I think the movement has missed the middle on this very important issue, but only because society is collectively learning something new as this unfolds. There will unsurprisingly be collateral damage along the way as the public addresses the systemic problem of male dominance in society. The pendulum will swing back and forth on this issue until it stops in the middle, until the bulls eye is found. We are learning what is unacceptable and what needs to happen in order for these situations to stop happening in the future: 1) We as a society need to empower women to speak up right away if they feel uncomfortable, not just give visual cues in Ansari's case, but to verbally say no and walk away, right away. It's understandable to hear women say that they freeze, or don't know what to do in the moment; this is why empowerment is so important: so that those feelings in the moment are no longer a commonality. 2) Men need to learn how consent works. Forcefulness is not ok, and neither is coercion. Men need to take responsibility for their actions, both past, future and present. 3) Society needs to relearn the "innocent until proven guilty" mantra, and to realize how quickly someone's career can be ruined with a simple tweet. This point is not about taking sides on an accusation. As Atwood writes, if we take the guilty verdict before any kind of due process, we are headed in the direction of Gilead from THT. I'll stop for now and discuss further from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I'll just say that last tweet is thoughtless, spiteful and just plain redonkulous. I am just glad that I abided by the code and never once disrespected or taken advantage of any woman. I guess that is just a by product of being incredibly shy and 'humbled' by my lack of good looks and having a mother that taught me how to treat a lady. As a man I feel utter embarrassment when I hear or read about these sexual allegations so there definitely needed to be a movement and I guess that last tweet in the op was made out of anger and frustration, something I cannot relate too but also don't agree with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AppleJack Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 This movement is beyond needed and its about damn time women stand up and say ENOUGH!! Let me share some personal examples of sexual harrassment with you guys. I could tell you about the time in highschool when numerous boys tormented and teased me by making inappopriate, rude comments about my body , how they would push me up against lockers,pinning me down, and touch my breasts or ass. All the time I yelling at them to stop and no one came to my aid,nor where the boys punished when I brought it adults attention. Or what about the time I was follwed as I walked downtown by numerous men catcalling me. Or what about the time at a bus stop a guy not only made rude sexual comments towards me but proceeded to touch himself when I ignored his comments. Or how about the time when I was the skytrain a guy sat beside me, looked at me, made a comment about my obvious pregnant belly and then proceeded to touch my knee as be made comments about my pregnancy. Or the time a random guy actually threarned me because I turned down his advances. Need I go on? Sadly I have countless stories of what its like to be a woman in a male dominated society. So until random $&!# like this no longer happens movements like "me too" not only need to happen but will NEVER go to far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toews Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 Every time you have a movement as big as this, there will some who will take it too far. Its a sensitive topic for those who have been victims of sexual abusers so you are no doubt going to see some emotional responses. Those who want to take the stance that this is a case of feminism run amok will find plenty of material to use to denounce this movement. The way I see it though many of these serial abusers of women are being quickly ousted from their positions of influence and that is huge. At the very least it is making men think about their behavior and the downfall of people like Weinstein serves as a deterrent for potential abusers. Hence I feel the overall impact is positive even though there are some regrettable incidents that have come from this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottish⑦Canuck Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 I think the movement was necessary and really has brought to attention some of the challenges that women face for being women, particularly in the entertainment industry, as well as the archaic attitudes and behaviour of some men. That needs to be brought to light and I think that ultimately the movement has been a positive thing. As Toews points out though, there are some who take it too far and latch on to movements like these to promote extreme views. Unfortunately the most extreme views are almost always heard the loudest. Regarding the last tweet, the idea of innocent men facing accusations ultimately only draws attention away from genuine assault cases and provokes a defensive response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalie13 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 1 hour ago, nucklehead said: I just want to know where "far" is. North Dakota? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester13 Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 28 minutes ago, AppleJack said: This movement is beyond needed and its about damn time women stand up and say ENOUGH!! Let me share some personal examples of sexual harrassment with you guys. I could tell you about the time in highschool when numerous boys tormented and teased me by making inappopriate, rude comments about my body , how they would push me up against lockers,pinning me down, and touch my breasts or ass. All the time I yelling at them to stop and no one came to my aid,nor where the boys punished when I brought it adults attention. Or what about the time I was follwed as I walked downtown by numerous men catcalling me. Or what about the time at a bus stop a guy not only made rude sexual comments towards me but proceeded to touch himself when I ignored his comments. Or how about the time when I was the skytrain a guy sat beside me, looked at me, made a comment about my obvious pregnant belly and then proceeded to touch my knee as be made comments about my pregnancy. Or the time a random guy actually threarned me because I turned down his advances. Need I go on? Sadly I have countless stories of what its like to be a woman in a male dominated society. So until random $&!# like this no longer happens movements like "me too" not only need to happen but will NEVER go to far. I'm so sorry you have experienced what you have. Thank you for sharing. It's stories like yours that are change-makers. We men need to learn that even what they think is the most innocuous action towards a women is simply wrong and far from harmless and/or funny. Going "too far" is part of the process when a society goes through such an eye-opening culture change. This is how we ensure everyone is heard and everyone learns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-AJ- Posted January 19, 2018 Share Posted January 19, 2018 My only concern with this trend (aside from the usual extremists taking it to insane levels) was the potential for some sort of collective guilt being placed upon men. I almost felt as though I was expected to acknowledge some sort of guilt attributed to me as a man and apologize in some way for something terrible that other men have done. I've recently felt more stress when walking alone in things like parks or just sitting in my car. Whenever I see a woman alone walking by me, I start to feel a lot of pressure to somehow make myself look as "safe" as possible. I feel that unless I make decisive actions to look friendly, the assumption will be that I'm a potential rapist or attacker. Maybe this is the way it 'ought to be? I understand how stressful it can be for a woman walking alone, so I suppose the stress and anxiety goes both ways somewhat. There was definitely some truth and good coming out of the #MeToo trend, as women should never be afraid to come out about harassment, don't get me wrong, I just hope that guilt is placed upon the guilty parties, not collective groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.