“There remains what seems like an impenetrable wall of silence around harassment, and we must all play a role in breaking down that wall.”- said Reese Witherspoon when asked about sexual assault. This is also the intention of the Me Too movement. The pro of the Me Too movement is to empower women to stand up for themselves and others, to be part of a community that builds people up and supports each other. That all sounds great but doesn't the Me Too movement also ruin men's lives when a perpetrator does a minor misdeed and loses their job, family, etc. Isn't the movement just cancel culture?

The phrase “sexual harassment” first appeared in 1972 in an issue of The Globe and Mail newspaper published in Toronto. Sexual assault and harassment are unconsented inappropriate touching or choices made based on the sex of another. Examples of sexual assault and harassment are catcalling, unconsented or unwanted touching/kissing, rape, etc.

In 2017 a movie producer named Harvey Weinstein was arrested for the sexual assault of six women; it took six women out of the dozens of women he had abused over decades to come out and put him away. The women he abused were blackmailed or paid into silence and lived on as if nothing had happened. After the conviction of Weinstein, women who had been abused by Harvey or men like Harvey started posting on social media the words "Me Too." (The idea came from the old Me Too movement over a decade before.) This quickly became popular as more victims commented the phrase. The move came soon after starting, with a hashtag that grew. Women began to believe that it wasn't their fault anymore, that there were other victims just like them.

The intention of the Me Too movement at the beginning was to get abusers the punishment they deserved. Perpetrators who slapped someone's ass and perpetrators who raped someone were both harassers and had to be brought to justice. The main point was not just to take perpetrators who had never had a consequence for their actions to get punishment but to show victims that it's okay and not their fault. As said in a Vex Article, "When activist Tarana Burke started the Me Too campaign more than ten years ago, her goal was "to spread a message for survivors: You're heard, you're understood." When actress Alyssa Milano helped kick off the current phase of the movement two years ago, she wanted to "give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem." (Vex, 2019) 

The movement quickly went from a hashtag to big protests. These protests were in large cities such as L.A. and Hollywood. Some things that have come out of the movement in the U.S. are “The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund has helped over 3,600 people seek justice,” “Congress has reformed some of its process for staffers reporting sexual harassment,” and “Americans have changed how they think about power.” The real question is, are these things good? The more lenient the government gets with reporting Sexual Abuse, the easier it can be to make false accusations. A defense fund is helping victims get justice and closure, so what is to stop them from exaggerating the story, from an innocent tap on the ass to “he stalked me!”

The supporters of the Me Too movement have different views on the intentions and outcomes of the move. They believe that the Me Too protest has shared the experience of victims and survivors alike, making a community. Supporters say to make the world a better and safer place, we need to work together. The Me Too movement was meant to empower women, and it's not a man's job to say if it's working.

The adversary of the Me Too movement view varies on whether sexual assault is a big thing or not, but either way, the movement is not the way to go about things. Some stated reasons are that perpetrators are unjustly treated (like losing their job) after minor misdeeds or worry about false accusations. The primary hate towards the movement is that the Me Too is cancel culture. As ex-actress Debra Winger states, "she had no choice but to have a thick skin early on in her career when she first found herself experiencing some "abusive situations." I always found my way. Is that privilege? It didn't feel like it at the time, because I felt like I was in very abusive situations, but it was my responsibility to buck up, get strong," (Fox, 2021). This is the way they believe it should be no running lives after minor incidents.

The Me Too movement was made to help victims come out and seek justice. Women worldwide are raped and harassed every day, and many don’t talk about it. The move was intended to react peacefully but in large numbers. This way, people hear the voices of victims. All though violence is never the answer, neither has peace been an effective tool on its own for stopping sexual assault and harassment. 

I believe Sexual Assault is a critical problem just like any other and needs to be protested. One big challenge with the Me Too movement is it gives conservatives ammunition to trick others into believing fake news. Such as “Me Too protesters get violent during LA protest” and many more. This causes survivors of sexual assault to think that they need to suck it up and walk it off. This is why the movement started in the first place and has backfired again. This is why we need community.