The #MeToo Movement started on Twitter almost two years ago, and has changed the way we view social media. After the Harvey Weinstein incident, several women came forward to share their stories of sexual assault. The wave that transformed this hashtag into a movement was popular support. Women from all around the globe shared their haunting stories about well reputed celebrities like R. Kelly and Bill Cosby.
This led to a phenomenal transformation where working women in third world countries realised that the first world has had its share of incidents of violence and abuse. The realisation that they are not better off, induced a sense of belongingness and cohesion within the community and inspired everyday stories to come forward. The response generated by this movement was so overwhelming that cities like Mumbai and Delhi set up investigative panels and offered Legal support to women who had come forward.
It also transpired a group of supporters who strongly promoted the idea of “cancel culture.”
Cancel culture operates on the grass-root level where people come forward in support of the victims and “cancel” the perpetrators, effectively making them social pariahs. These perpetrators are rendered unemployable and their work no longer has commercial value because the people refuse to associate themselves as supporters, fans or colleagues of the guilty.
The power of the community is so impactful that countries with restrictive social media platforms like China, decided to block hashtags associated with the movement. This however, did not stop women from coming forward. After the bans on hashtags, victims decided to circulate video messages and alternate tags. A region in Shanghai that was facing constant Internet Shutdowns, decided to use the “rabbit” and “rice” emoticons as a tag since these words translate to “mi” and “tú” respectively in Chinese.
The only off side of this otherwise active movement is that victims cannot always seek legal recourse and often become targets of trolls and scrutiny. This makes their accusations seem unserious and casual.
There are also certain communities who often cause harm to the victims unintentionally.
The rise of the term “MeToo’d” and its use as a verb has unknowingly initiated a phenomenon where the attention of the people is shifting from the victims towards the perpetrators. They do not view assault as something that “happened to the victim” but instead as something “that the perpetrator did.” This may seem like a minor change to the community at large, but to the victim it is like a retelling of their narrative from a different perspective where the end up feeling sidelined in their own struggle.
While the Internet is powerful and the community has harnessed a safe zone for people with a message to come forward and share their thoughts, it is important that we monitor our doings, confirm the fact of the matter, and sensitise ourselves before forming an opinion.
- Shreya Minocha
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Achievement Cell or its members.
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