Blog 7: #MeToo Movement Affects Politics
It's been a little over a month since the #MeToo movement burst out on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Since then, dozens of sexual assault allegations have popped up against many powerful men, including celebrities and politicians.
For some background, the movement resulted because of a counselor that tweeted about how a little girl she once counseled to told her that she was sexually abused. The counselor couldn't bear to hear what happened to the child so she told her she couldn't help her. Later she said it was because she didn't have the courage to say me too back.
The counselor tweeted this many years later and had the message that sexual assault and harassment could no longer happen and stay quiet. People needed to stop hiding what had happened to them. They needed to share their stories. But it takes a lot of courage to tell these stories. So she created the hashtag, #MeToo, so people could simply say this to say what had happened to them instead of having to tell their darkest most shameful stories to the world.
The #MeToo got millions of re-tweets and shares on Facebook on Instagram within the first week. I personally had dozens of friends who shared it. I had no idea what had happened to them and I was instantly filled with pity and hope. I pitied that they had kept it inside for so long. I hoped that since they had let it out they would be ready for help and prayers.
However, this affected so many more people than just my friends. It affected millions of people and they all had people that had hurt them. Many of these people were celebrities such as Kevin Spacey or Harvey Weinstien.
Spacey is a famous actor known for movies such as "American Beauty" and thee show "House of Cards" on Netflix. This show was stopped in production of the sixth season when allegations against Spacey came out. He issued a statement saying he was sorry for his actions, but also took the time to come out as gay. Many people saw this as spin and did not respect the decision he had made to come out.
The movement also affected politicians such as Roy Moore who is currently running for senator in Alabama. Moore was accused of sexually harassing and assaulting six teenage girls so far. Moore is in a tightly contested race for senator, and President Donald Trump has continued to voice his support for Moore through all of this.
For some background, the movement resulted because of a counselor that tweeted about how a little girl she once counseled to told her that she was sexually abused. The counselor couldn't bear to hear what happened to the child so she told her she couldn't help her. Later she said it was because she didn't have the courage to say me too back.
The counselor tweeted this many years later and had the message that sexual assault and harassment could no longer happen and stay quiet. People needed to stop hiding what had happened to them. They needed to share their stories. But it takes a lot of courage to tell these stories. So she created the hashtag, #MeToo, so people could simply say this to say what had happened to them instead of having to tell their darkest most shameful stories to the world.
The #MeToo got millions of re-tweets and shares on Facebook on Instagram within the first week. I personally had dozens of friends who shared it. I had no idea what had happened to them and I was instantly filled with pity and hope. I pitied that they had kept it inside for so long. I hoped that since they had let it out they would be ready for help and prayers.
However, this affected so many more people than just my friends. It affected millions of people and they all had people that had hurt them. Many of these people were celebrities such as Kevin Spacey or Harvey Weinstien.
Spacey is a famous actor known for movies such as "American Beauty" and thee show "House of Cards" on Netflix. This show was stopped in production of the sixth season when allegations against Spacey came out. He issued a statement saying he was sorry for his actions, but also took the time to come out as gay. Many people saw this as spin and did not respect the decision he had made to come out.
The movement also affected politicians such as Roy Moore who is currently running for senator in Alabama. Moore was accused of sexually harassing and assaulting six teenage girls so far. Moore is in a tightly contested race for senator, and President Donald Trump has continued to voice his support for Moore through all of this.
This tweet has caused major controversies, as have many of Trump's tweets. Unlike his other tweets though, this one endorses someone accused of child molestation.
While Moore has not admitted to any of this, it seems more and more likely to be true with each new girl who accuses him. Yet Trump still supports him.
People have been more vehemently against Trump than ever before this on social media. He is clearly prioritizing party issues over the personal character of Moore. This cannot be allowed when a senate seat is on the line, a seat that could affect national public policy for years.
Without the #MeToo campaign, the cases against Moore might never have come out, as well as the millions of other stories. The power of social media has affected pop culture, politics, and political opinion once more.
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