These little hashtags pepper our lives. These are mine and how they represent me. At least that is how I wanted this book to be. It was to be a book of short articles using a hashtag as inspiration. However, it has grown and changed as I have.
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By now, most people have heard about the #MeToo movement and yes it was just that. It spread awareness like wildfire that social media feeds were not dotted with the hashtag but engulfed. I think most people knew that it was an issue, especially women. They did not realize how much it touched their lives.
As of October 2017, it was reported that the hashtag made its way to 85 countries and 1.7 MILLION tweets... this doesn't count the other social media. As the media, Hollywood, and political area reeled from the revelations... they have struggled to also quantify the true impact of this moving process. Polls and statistics are rife with political motives that it is hard to get any real data. It's a very personal issue and hell most of us don't want to admit when we were vulnerable. Would you want to open yourself up to possible ridicule?
The beauty of #MeToo is that it could represent anything from catcalls on the street to dealing with a pervy coworker to fighting off an actual assault. No one asked for more information or proof. It wasn't about that. Just a hashtag of solidarity so others could see. We were saying I understand. I have dealt with the same thing. I stand with you. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
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This is a tough subject. Anytime you are dealing with people's lives and the core of their beliefs, you are going to get blowback. After the first few months of this revelation, as a society, we were only taking baby steps. The first step is not just admitting there is a problem, but knowing just how deep it has permeated into our culture. Newsweek reported that "...81 percent of women surveyed alleging they had experienced sexual harassment or assault and a stunning 43 percent of men said they had experienced sexual misconduct too." That's almost all women and almost half of men. Sexual harassment is defined as an unwanted advance in a work setting, but it goes for any situation like school or riding the bus to go home. Unwanted being the defining term.
Check Out the News Week Article: http://www.newsweek.com/after-metoo-study-finds-nearly-all-women-and-almost-half-men-us-have-815660
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I get the opposite side. The people who knee-jerk and tell others they are being "overly sensitive snowflakes" or those that feel people should grow tougher skin. As a military gal, I can tell you I'm as filthy mouthed and perverted as they come. I enjoy joking and playing around. I'm not going to freak out if someone talks about sex, but I do understand there is a time and place for everything.
