Across the US and Canada, women are coming forward and speaking out about the sexual violence they have faced over the years from men in positions of authority. In this episode, the family talks through #MeToo and tries to find out where the line between exposing bad, sometimes monstrous, behaviour and protecting due process lies.
It’s a tough subject, especially for Anne-France Goldwater, who had to explain to Daniel and Samantha how different things were when she came of age.
“It’s certainly difficult for me to engage with my children how a previous generation dealt with the issue of sexual harassment and sexual assault,” Anne-France said.
As a women, she said she’s always known it was something to be endured.
“I have no doubt, in fact, that this has to be the common experience of many women. We all go through a number of years where we’re all young and attractive and palatable and out there in the open market, and are therefore viewed by many men as prey,” Anne-France said.
“We may not be afraid of you—or your brother, your neighbour, your cousin or your best friend—but we don’t know who to be afraid of. Because in general, we’re at risk,” she said.
Further Reading:
- Samantha Goldwater-Adler: The Problem With #MeToo and Viral Outrage, by Jessi Hempel — “I think it touches on something that quite applies to the Twitter hashtag movements that have been going in in the modern day,” Samantha said. “It’s really worth considering outrage culture and does it actually result in any meaningful change.”
- Daniel Goldwater: Happiness, a film by Todd Solondz — “A very, very black comedy that involves a bunch of different stories of people who are in most ways sexually frustrated and pathetic,” Daniel said. “It also humanizes these aggressors and presents them as very pathetic, and sad, and flawed people.…It’s a very difficult watch, but I recommend it.”
- Anne-France Goldwater: What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men? by Claire Dederer — This one is recommended “first, because I’m very taken with her writing,” Anne-France says. “Notably, she addresses a problem in what do we do when these stars and idols of ours are taken down because of their sordid history of sexual assault and harassment.”
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PHOTO CREDIT: Marco Verch/Flickr