“Curious
about your take on the #MeToo movement.”
A friend sent me this question and below is my answer:
Conflicted. Forgive
the long answer forthcoming:
By personal
experience, I can use the #MeToo hashtag (as can most of my friends, young and
old). For my generation, it was usually seen as the cost of operating in a
man's world. I admire the courage of those putting careers at risk. I DO NOT
admire actresses who glom on now after the fact, who stood by and allowed other
women to be victimized.
The blame is
not easily assigned. My home Baptist church was benignly misogynistic, interpreting "wives submit to husbands" as women submit to men in a
dismissive and disrespectful manner. This is why I, as a conservative lady,
fell into feminism in college - because of the disrespect I received in my
"conservative" circle.
Good
Christian men are often truly unaware of the abuse women receive in society
because it is foreign to their character.
Feminism itself is culpable because it has debased the
concept of womanhood. If a woman is as immoral and common as any man, why
should they be held in esteem?
Finally, I don't consider a man whistling or cat-calling
a woman abuse. Is it irritating? Sure (but if women are honest also weirdly flattering).
Can it be abuse in some cases? Absolutely, if the woman feels threatened in the
circumstance. I fear some women are
categorizing insignificant instances as abuse and thus my conflict and why - at this point- I haven't added my #MeToo
to the conversation.
One last thing, it obviously boils down to a lack of
Christian teaching. Christ was the great emancipator of women. However, when
every element of masculinity is attacked, even the good and noble elements,
there will of course be a backlash.
