The Dangers Of #MeToo & Social Media
By Tyler Huff
Social media enabled the #MeToo movement to exist… And then it killed it.
On the surface, #MeToo seemed a like a way for those who have been sexually assaulted to tell their story in a public setting. In theory, this concept works great because it’s much more difficult for the accused to fight back against the accuser. That’s also exactly why I believe the movement is, at the very least, doomed to failure, if not already there.
What has ended up happening is that everyone seems to automatically believe the person doing the accusing. The phrase “Trust, but verify” comes to mind. (Yes, I am aware that this is a Russian proverb. This article doesn’t pertain to Russia.) I’ve always felt that automatically taking someone at their word without proof, particularly when there may be criminal charges involved, is incredibly detrimental to the future of the accused’s life, especially if they’re exonerated.
You’re probably wondering why I even felt that it was necessary to talk about this subject. Two words: Chris Hardwick.
On June 14th, 2018, Chloe Dykstra published an article entitled, Rose-Colored Glasses: A Confession on Medium. While she never personally names Hardwick in the post, the reader is left to infer that he’s the person she’s talking about. She goes on to detail a story about anorexia, mental, verbal, and physical abuse, and sexual assault. All of which are very serious allegations. I read the article and it does seem very believable, and I’m absolutely not saying that Dykstra is lying about any of it. What I am saying is that I decided long ago to reserve judgment until the whole situation plays out. To compound my skepticism, it doesn’t seem entirely impossible that she might be somewhat angry about her ex-boyfriend’s unprecedented success over the past several years.
One of the reasons why I’m a “trust-but-verify guy” is because of recent #MeToo allegations. Specifically, Kevin Spacey comes to mind. While his handling of the situation could have definitely been better, bringing up something that may or may not have happened 30 years ago seems a little like his accuser simply wanted to take him down and destroy his career.
What we also see in these situations…
We tend to see that many people take the whole “reverse-racism isn’t a thing” stance. Meaning, that a white person can’t experience the effects of racism. “How is this related at all? Many people seem to believe that women can accuse men, but men cannot accuse women of sexual abuse/assault. When you hear of a male accusing a female of the abuse, that story gets buried almost immediately. However; when a female is the accuser, it is almost taboo to say “I’m just not sure about this one.”
Again, I’m not saying that Chloe Dykstra is lying about Chris Hardwick, but the timing seems awfully convenient. It was released a day before his AMC show, Talking with Chris Hardwick, was due to premiere its second season. AMC decided to shelf the series, at least for the time-being. It still hasn’t been announced whether or not the show will continue at some point.
Chris Hardwick was also not the moderator for some panels at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer. Yvette Nicole Brown also filled in for Hardwick on a special The Walking Dead Season 9 Preview episode of Talking Dead.
AMC completed an investigation into the harassment allegations against Hardwick and cleared his name. Most of his fans welcomed him back with open arms, but this will undoubtedly leave a stain on his career.
So, how does all of this relate to social media, really?
Social media absolutely enabled the #MeToo movement to happen. It began when Tarana Burke, a social activist, began using the phrase on MySpace in 2006 to “promote ’empowerment through empathy’ among women of color who have experienced sexual abuse, particularly within underprivileged communities.” But the phrase skyrocketed in 2017 when Alyssa Milano encouraged people to use the hashtag #MeToo on Twitter and other social media to bring attention to sexual harassment following the Harvey Weinstein allegations. As you can see, social media has played an integral part in the growth/success of #MeToo.
What are the dangers?
One might wonder, “what’s wrong with bringing light to sexual abuse?” Well, the problem is that while most accusers are truthful, some have more nefarious plans. I firmly believe that some people have used the attention that #MeToo brings to profit and/or simply destroy someone else.
Social media invented the #MeToo fervor, made the movement explode, and then subsequently killed it, in my eyes. This is the EXACT reason why you cannot believe everything you see online.
Again, this is just my two cents on this sensitive issue.
