No, #MeToo hasn’t gone too far
The revolution will not be quiet.
Well, this is a novelty. I’ve written a few articles about the #MeToo backlash, and by some incredible coincidence that is hardly ever experienced by feminist writers (honestly it literally never happens, except maybe once every other minute or so), I’ve received a load of comments from dudes pushing back against the #MeToo movement. This happens so infrequently to women on the internet that it has its own name, Lewis’s Law. So I thought I would take this opportunity to address some of their concerns.
What I’m hearing is that #MeToo has gone too far — a variation on “feminism has gone too far”, although with an extra level of misunderstanding. Those who claim that “feminism has gone too far” are arguing against a movement that promotes equality for all genders, and they get annoyed because they don’t see it that way. They see it as having some of their rights taken away from them, rather than ensuring a high standard of rights for everybody. It’s the age-old “when you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression”.
But “#MeToo has gone too far” is a little more specific. It’s about equality, but it’s also about the way that men don’t realise that women haven’t had access to the same platforms and cultural approval that they have. It’s another privilege that is easy to overlook if you’ve never…
