For me (too)

The me too campaign recently took social media by storm. I’m sure by this point we’ve all read and heard numerous heartbreaking stories, many of which are all too familiar. Firmly woven within this have also been arguments from many women that this campaign will likely have no affect on the behaviors of those people who commit these offenses, assaults, harassments, and crimes in question.

I am not here to disagree with that, I am a misanthropist you see, so I tend to agree. I would, however, argue against some claims I’ve seen that the movement is without a purpose. Much like the argument many women make that wearing the clothes or makeup they choose to is for themselves and not for other people, I see this movement as being for us. Even if those people (and the societies that so bolster them) are not swayed by the outpouring of heart wrenching accounts of physical and emotional abuse, I am swayed.

I don’t know about anyone else, but the affect on my state of mind and my mental and emotional wellbeing has been… just incredible. I so sincerely hope that this is true for others.

For years I have made excuses in my mind for an abusive relationship that I endured as a teenager, for years I would only ever discuss the details of this experience after a certain amount of alcohol. This was obviously not a conscious choice, this is something far too many people have experienced, the shame of opening up about something painful and the fear of how others might interpret it. I felt every ‘me too’ like a kind and understanding embrace from a friend. I felt the after affects in the spring in my step at the thought of how powerful we all are together. At the thought of not having to be ashamed, at the thought of not having to make excuses.

This is, however, the misanthropic anthropologist, and everything is seeming a bit too cheery. Do I think our day-to-day experiences of harassment and casual sexism are a thing of the past? No. Have I stopped checking to see if anyone’s following behind me when I walk down the street by myself? Definitely not. Will people still continue to be violated and assaulted? Of course. But can we feel the warmth of being able to talk to each other openly about it if and when we’re ready to? Yes, please.

Welcome to The Misanthropic Anthropologist, where we say some cynical things, flirt with the idea of being uplifting, and then bring it back down to the depressing depths of reality.