THE #MeNot MEN

As much as I loathe drawing racial lines, there is no avoiding this one — recently, some old white men have answered the #MeToo movement with their own version of #MeNot.

Let’s start with Bill Clinton, who defensively announced to the world that he never personally apologized to Monica Lewinsky and sees no reason to do so. His defensiveness rose up around his assertion that he apologized publicly to his family, her family, and the country.

Okay, but there is a woman whose life was pretty much ruined when you unzipped your pants…maybe a personal apology is in order. Just to recap, she was 24, you were 51, and you were the President of the United States. Not exactly a level playing field. And while you have maintained your brightly lit profile on the public stage, earning millions of dollars, Monica Lewinsky hid out, unable to get a job, and unable to break free of the scorn heaped upon her as a result of her dalliance with you. Even now, when she has finally been able to speak out, to stand up tall in front of people who finally want to hear what she has to say, she was reminded that the past never dies. Town and Country magazine disinvited her to an event because you were going to be there. You either do not understand the immense value of a personal apology, or you just don’t think that a woman who fell victim to your advances deserves one.

Then there is Woody Allen, who told an interviewer that he should be the “poster boy” for the #MeToo movement because no stars have accused him and he was only “accused by one woman in a child custody case which was looked at and proven to be untrue.” Mr. Allen, that one woman was your adopted daughter and it’s widely known that molestation claims are difficult to prove since, generally speaking, there were only two people there when the acts occurred. It wasn’t proven to be untrue, there just wasn’t proof that it was true — there’s a difference. Most innocent men would want to sit down with their daughter, try to understand how and why she would make such a claim. Most decent men wouldn’t brag about the fact that there has only been one accusation against them, and use that to align themselves with the #MeToo movement. I think I speak for many women when I say, we don’t want you anywhere near our movement.

Speaking of poster boys, Rudy Giuliani is definitely the poster boy for #MeNot. Giuliani unloaded on Stormy Daniels, saying that he doesn’t “respect a porn star who sells her body for sexual exploitation.” He went on to say that the business she is in doesn’t entitle her to credibility and that her lawsuit is frivolous because she has no reputation to protect. Note to Giuliani: The reason there is porn is that men who like to sit in the dark and play with themselves are willing to pay for it. Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, has made a fairly good living in a billion dollar industry and whether or not you approve of that industry, she is still entitled to be treated respectfully. Many of your tribe, including your client Donald Trump, don’t seem to have a problem with porn, although many have a big problem with respecting the rights of another human being.

As distasteful as these men’s comments have been, I’m actually glad they’ve been so public with them. It reminds us why there is a #MeToo movement, and why we will never be silent or ashamed again.

 

2 Responses to THE #MeNot MEN

  1. Joh Norkus says:

    You can include me too, I know what you are saying. With Beverly she turned me onto helpping with “Mon Corps es a Moi'” I believe 1978? in Century City included in the backround of the bunch was Alex Flemming aka Elizabeth Adams in Trousdale and her “little black book”. I remember how her trial was silenced. We were in our twenties some of the women were older, but the underlying status quo never changed Harvey Weinstein for one. I can remember the mentality of those girls too from North Malibu to Hollywood this is a hard nut to crack, no pun intended.

  2. Brian Beck says:

    Mika Brzezinski reported that Trump misses the porn he cannot get in the Whitehouse …

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