by Roger Bourke White Jr., copyright January 2018
The #MeToo movement is in large part about women complaining about sexual harassment on the job and wanting to end it now.
This aspiration is fine, but actions taken earlier need to be thought about in the context of their times. In the 1970's and 80's this kind of behavior was tolerated by women as just one of many sacrifices made to further their ambitions. This being the case -- a case of sacrificing for ambition -- another question arises: When will other sacrificing-for-ambition activities also become high profile complaining movements?
This was also a time in their lives when these women were engaging in Bride Age thinking. A coming of age ritual that women go through in their late twenties is switching from Bride Age thinking to Matron Age thinking. The styles are quite different. And applying Matron thinking standards to Bride thinking activities is asking for deep misunderstanding. Again, the thinking styles are not the same, just as child and adult thinking are not the same, those judging these activities need to keep that in mind. Many romance stories are about this thinking transition and two songs that express this difference in thinking are I will Follow Him versus Master Jack.
That said, a lighter thought comes to mind in this context: When will the #LongHours movement join the #MeToo movement? Long hours is something men and women, young and old, rich and poor, can all join in on complaining about.
The moral of this tale is that context needs to be kept in mind when complaints like this rise in profile. The activities of yesteryear need to be viewed in the light of yesteryear's moralities. When you apply today's moralities to yesteryear's actions that should be for lesson learning, not applying punishments. If the activity continues into the present -- no lesson learned -- then punish.
This 10 Jan 18 WSJ article, In France, Some Say #MeToo Has Gone Too Far Actress Catherine Deneuve sparks a fight with a letter arguing the campaign against sexual harassment undermines sexual liberation by William Horobin and Sam Schechner, talks about some alternative viewpoints on this controversy.
From the article, "Film star Catherine Deneuve and more than 100 French women this week published a letter in the newspaper Le Monde defending the lustful advances of their male compatriots, and denouncing what they call “puritanism” of the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment that has taken root in the U.S. and other countries since the publication of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein."
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