#MeToo controversy

Re: Whiff of McCarthy in # MeToo, Christie Blatchford; Jan. 30

Christie Blatchford joins the backlash against #MeToo efforts to call out inappropriate, abusive and violent behaviour against women in a week when three men in the highest echelons of the political system have resigned amidst alleged sexual abuse allegations.

Blatchford’s protests against the accusers and the #MeToo and #timesup movements highlight a perceived injustice of men being “universally” portrayed as monsters and lack of due legal process for those being accused. These arguments create an artificial dichotomy — equating the potential injustice of an accusation interrupting a reputation and career with the harm caused by harassment, abuse or assault.

This approach leads to a gross oversimplification of the problem and risks perpetuating systemic patterns of power imbalance that privilege certain members of society at the expense of others.

Women are socialized to be uncomfortable much of the time and to ignore their discomfort. This is amplified for women of colour, queer or disabled women and for the many who have precarious work. It is no surprise that the very high risks involved in naming harassment and assault for those with fewer systemic “legitimate” outlets has kept women silent for generations. The increased power differential inherent in the fields of politics and entertainment that are coupled with unstable work contracts make it unsurprising that these contexts are particularly susceptible to harassment and silencing.

I encourage all of us who have experienced, witnessed or are just hearing about sexual harassment and abuse for the first time, to resist the temptation to be defensive and to reduce and oversimplify a complex social problem. This is especially true for those of us who are in positions or social locations of relative privilege. Power is difficult to discern for those in positions of power but felt intensely for those who are not.

Brenda Spitzer, Toronto