Me and You Too
Students put up their fists in solidarity with the #metoo movement.
The “Me Too” movement has in recent years, become a statement to showcase great acts of strength by women and men against those oppressing them. This movement has spread all over the United States and the world. In the midst of the Harvey Weinstein allegations, the Me Too campaign spread rapidly as more women of Hollywood began to come forward about their mistreatment by men in the work environment. What was surprising to many was the sheer number of those affected by sexual harassment. In a tweet sent out by Alyssa Milano asking women to reply ‘me too’ if they had been sexually harassed or assaulted, over 30,000 people replied. By doing this, the magnitude of the issue had finally surfaced and the masks of these Hollywood terrors behind these dehumanizing crimes began to dissolve.
The recent Bill Cosby conviction on April 26, 2018, of three counts of assault and up to 30 years in prison is a welcomed win for the Me Too movement. While some students may hear of these issues on the news, there are few places for young men and women to be able to comfortably state their opinion on these matters within the school. Junior Gabriella Kluch, has compelling views on the movement.
“Rape culture should be taken a lot more seriously,” said Kluch. “It can be so subtle at first, it’s not just sexual assault, it goes down to owing sex to a guy on the first date. .”
While some students are familiar with the movement and its ability to produce change in society, others at Wakefield had never heard about the Me Too movement. When asked about the Bill Cosby case they were uninformed of it. Senior Anna Tavernaro was one of many students unaware of these issues going on.
“I have to admit, I had never heard of this movement before today,” said Tavernaro. “I think it’s important people know about it because it brings awareness to this issue and proves you can’t get away with these crimes against others.”
According to NPR during a nationwide survey, 81 percent of women said they had been sexually harassed in the workplace whether that be through verbal, cyber or physical. Statistics such as these have been repeated time to time again with only slight decreases in percentages over the years. In today’s society, there is more emphasis put on encouraging individuals to speak out against perpetrators, but it still continues to be a prevalent issue. AP English teacher Cheryl Leshnock has seen first hand the progression over the years and improvement of the treatment of women in the workforce.
“The way I see it, it has become more comfortable for a woman to say this has been done [sexually assaulted] to her,” Lechnock said. “Women now have the ability to be trusted and to be heard.”
The Me Too movement does not only extend to women but men as well. Senior Matthew Errington supports the movement and sees the value of both genders getting involved in creating change in society.
“I have always been an advocate for women’s rights,” Errington said. “In my experience, I think a lot of men feel entitled to things that they have no right to so I think it’s important that men get educated on this matter as a possible future deterrent.”
A world in which all can live without these issues may be a difficult feat to manage, but educating others on the Me Too movement can be a step in the right direction.
“I think this movement will encourage people to speak up against those oppressing them,” said Errington. Hopefully be a kick in the face to men or women who believe they are entitled to the bodies of others.”
