Category: Me Too Movement

Sexual harassment and abuse has been an oppressive means of belittling women. Men who are in a position of power are able to coerce themselves to feel entitled to any woman’s attention and body. However, as of late, the Me Too movement has proven a dominant force in fighting the sexual harassment that has been so rampant in Hollywood and business forgives across the US. Men that are in positions of power have been able to use their leverage and wealth to harass women and have been able to silence their victims with bribes in the forms of money or promotion. One incident, in particular, involves the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump.

The most recent being that of the Stormy Daniels case that had settled on the rise of the Me Too movement. The first accusation of sexual assault was declared by Trump’s first ex-wife Ivana Trump, during her litigation, she proclaimed that Trump had raped her. Still, she later rescinded her comments after their divorce claim had been settled for an undisclosed amount of money. Later, Jill Harth sued Trump in 1997 over a breach of contract, and she had filed a suit for a non-violent sexual harassment case. Both of these cases had been settled in court, and the victims were paid off and forced to agree to a non-disclosure agreement to prevent them from further targeting Trump.

During the 2016 campaign, a sound bite video surfaced of Trump on Access Hollywood that confirmed the sexual abuses he so blatantly practiced. In the sound bite, Trump can be heard saying he grabs woman’s genitalia without consent because of his status and wealth. Once elected, Stephanie Clifford, better known as her stage name, Stormy Daniels, had come out with a bombshell allegation of an affair between her and Trump. Trump’s personal lawyer at the time had paid out a contract with Clifford as hush money to not come out about the allegation. All of Trump’s victims had the common factor of being paid off in order to avoid public defamation. Trump’s abuse of power and wealth has allowed him to avoid any severe consequences. Following his election, several more women came forward from years of sexual abuse claims, all of which Trump immediately dismissed. Although the timing of the allegations had been suspect, that does not demean the character and validity of those accusations. Criminal charges were pursued to pay-off Ms. Clifford in effort to drop the charges. However, the suit was not won, and most of the other cases were all settled as civil suits. Trump did not face any disciplinary actions or lose his stronghold or power.

Louis C.K is best known for his comedy acts, but as of late, he has been shunned from comedy due to his atrocious behavior. Louis has been accused of masturbating in his colleagues rooms while watching them. Although these actions were non-violent, Louis was using his power and position to make other vulnerable women feel uncomfortable in their own rooms. Luis did not deny the claims and admitted his wrongs and apologized for his actions. Due to the timing of the event, the Me Too movement had progressed fiercely following Harvey Weinstein’s accusers coming forward. This lead to Hollywood and Luis’s fans to completely disavow him leading to potentially the end of his career. As of late, Louis has begun a comeback tour doing comedy shows across the country. There was no direct position or loss of work other than his declining fan-base that took a hit after his allegations came forward.

Bill Clinton is one of two presidents to be impeached from office. His offense was using his power to coerce a young woman working in the White House named Monica Lewinsky. Initially, Clinton denies having any sexual relations with the woman, but it was determined that he had lied about his interactions with her. His lie is what ultimately kicked him out of office, not his direct offense. The incident occurred in 1995 way before the Me Too movement and came to light in 1998, after which he was impeached and fined.

All of these powerful men had one thing in common; they all had the influence and money to do as they pleased without fearing consequences. Although some cases resulted in legal action and significant fines, for the most part, it seems that these men almost got away from the public eye and have continued to appreciate their positions of power even after the accusations have come forth. Although the Me Too movement has fueled hope for the future, it continues to highlight the lack of responsibility abusers face, which ultimately enables the behavior of individuals in power.

The Me Too Movement has become mainstream in media and in culture, it appears that after every court case of accusations such as the Christine Ford hearing, various women feel obligated to come out from the shadows and retaliate as a way of fighting back. The notion that speaking out about these cases gives rise to women reporting it more often is true, however instances of reported false accusations has stormed the media with a binary option choice. Viewers can either support the allegations entirely, or completely deny it. The support from prominent influencers makes it more difficult to speak out against false accusations that are intensively backed by the community of the Me Too movement.

During the Kavanaugh hearing, there was a pattern amongst the accusers, constant disregard of the opposition story was repeated, even without dependable evidence as any argument against the objecter was seen as endorsement of rape culture. The Me Too movement has most notably made changes in music, sports, medical field, and in the military. The goal of the movement has drastically changed overtime from its original implication, and has persuaded people to believe the accusers before and without fact-checking.

The fundamental end goal for the movement was for women to speak out against sexual harassment and assault, and to also demonstrate the frequentness of these crimes. Currently the end goal is focused on specific people and on celebrities rather than regular office workers. This alludes to another question on whether it should focus on the most extreme cases or all cases of abuse, as a way to prevent the generalization of all men as perpetrators. Taking into account of the transformation of the end goal, many supporters have no end goal. Alternatively criticizing those in the spotlight at the time, without taking consideration of underreported cases.

The Me Too movement is ideal for women seeking a safe space while speaking about their experience. Every woman should speak out to encourage others to come forward about their own experience, however there is a barrier that should not be crossed when supporting and speaking out. The accused should be legally punished after due process, and to confirm the authenticity of the victims story. Numerous individuals believe due process is unnecessary for sexual harassment, and have a distorted view of presumtion of innocence. Fair trial is a legal right and without beyond reasonable doubt the accused must be acquitted from the charges.

Introduction:

#MeToo movement was founded by Tarana Burke but began as a much needed social phenomenon in October 2017 as a hashtag started by American actress Alyssa Milano who shared her story of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein. The hashtag caught like wildfire when women from across the world began talking about their survivor stories. In India, however, this MeToo movement didn’t take flight until actress Tanushree Dutta decided to speak up once against actor Nana Patekar. What began as one woman’s story soon became a phenomenon when names of powerful men in the country started surfacing. From actor Alok Nath to journalist MJ Akbar, the movement has brought to light many stories of sexual harassment and abuse.

Impact:

The key impact of this movement, is that women are feeling the support and encouragement to shake off their trauma, sense of shame and hesitation to come forward and open up about their experiences. There is indeed strength in numbers. Not only is this important for women’s empowerment, but also a key factor in effective detection, control and punishment of such civil or criminal offences against women. Without a complainant coming forward, it is next to impossible to take action against the guilty. Without shedding the sense of shame, it is ipossible to ward off societal disapprobation.

Resignation of the accused:

The single biggest outcome of the movement to date has been the resignation of M.J. Akbar, who was minister of state for external affairs, after no less than 16 women came on record alleging sexual harassment by him in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Former DNA and TOI editor-in-chief, Gautam Adhikari, has quit the US think-tank Centre for American Progress (CAP) after he was accused of kissing at least three women in office without their consent.

A Business Standard reporter, Mayank Jain resigned after The Wire’s Anoo Bhuyan and others alleged that he had made an unwelcome proposition for sex and was also refusing to back off despite her refusals.

The Hindu’s Gouridasan Nair was sent on administrative leave after Yamini Nair and other women accused him of sexual misconduct.

K.R. Sreenivas, resident editor (Hyderabad) of Times of India resigned after journalist Sandhya Menon and six other women sent a petition to Bennett Coleman and Co. Ltd. detailing accounts of harassment by him.

Technology over legal process for justice:

There have been instances where people have approached the ICC( Internal complaint committee) and have been dissuaded. One of the main problems with the ICC stems from the fact that the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) (SHW) Act, 2013, says that the first step should be towards conciliation between the complainant and the respondent. When there is a complaint, such committees should only conduct an inquiry and arrive at a decision. But if reconciliation becomes the first goal, the woman could come under pressure. It is almost like being asked to withdraw the complaint and being dissuaded from pursuing adversarial proceedings, especially in cases where the offender in question has apologised. Many cases have been there in the history which shows that law sometimes ends up harassing even further than it helps. For instance the consider the case of former minister and editor MJ Akbar who has slapped a criminal defamation suit against journalist Priya Ramani, who had accused him of sexual harassment. Senior journalist Seema Mustafa has described the minister’s move against an “ordinary” citizen akin to “bludgeoning a butterfly”.

With the development of social media, it is difficult to censor anyone who chooses to use it to get justice. What the movement has done is build a sense of solidarity, encouraging more women to share their stories and seek justice. It has also started a dialogue on sexual harassment. In that sense, there are many positives to the movement. “Victims hindered or intimidated by the legal process can use technology to facilitate justice”.

Negative Effects of #MeToo:

Some of the negative effects of #MeToo are like confusion about workplace etiquette and, paradoxically, the possibility of fewer opportunities for women, as male executives struggle to adjust to the new rules of engagement.

Men of a certain age appear to have the most difficulty adapting to the new work order. A Pew Research Center poll conducted revealed 66 percent of adults 65 and older believe it’s now harder for men to navigate workplace interactions.

The survey also indicated 51 percent of Americans believe the increased focus on sexual harassment and assault has made it more difficult for men to know how to interact with women at work. Only 12 percent said the interactions would now be easier.

Experts report increasing reluctance from men in positions of authority to hire or work closely with women, in some cases declining to hold one-on-one meetings with female employees.

India also has the chances of facing the similar pattern of behavior from employees , after all most of the culture in the organizations in India comes from West and so it is not hard to imagine or expect the similar behavior pattern in terms of safety and insecurities to flow from there.

There is an extended number of severe and challenging social issues that people try to but cannot eliminate. One such problem is abuse and harassment, and the Me Too movement aims to reduce the rate of assaulting people regardless of their age, gender, and race. The article “Me Too Founder Tarana Burke: Movement Is Not Over” discusses the actual goal of this social movement, as well as its global recognition and similarities with Black Lives Matter (Gurvinder and Rahman-Jones). Precisely this article may shed light on the importance of this movement because it explains that the problem of violence against women has several serious sides, including the guilt of the victim and the very fact of assault.

In my opinion, this article is compelling and sincere. The authors quote the words of the movement’s leader, Tarana Burke, which is probably the paper’s main strength (Gurvinder and Rahman-Jones). Burke mentions that the problem of assaults itself and the fact that victims feel guilty because of the crime need to be eliminated. In other words, “what Tarana sees as a victory for Me Too is helping people not blame themselves for sexual violence committed against them and lead fuller lives” (Gurvinder and Rahman-Jones). Therefore, the critical goal of this social movement is above revenge – the participants and leaders of the Me Too try to help the victims, both male and female, feel better after the violence was committed. The fact of mentioning these brilliant and powerful words is another strength of this article.

The problem addressed by Gurvinder and Rahman-Jones is quite crucial and has to draw the public’s attention. The level of violence perpetrated by famous and wealthy people is on the rise, and victims cannot get justice because of their lower social status. This fact proves the necessity and importance of this movement and this article, which draws attention to the Me Too and lets it become wider and more powerful.

Another positive aspect of Gurvinder’s and Rahman-Jones’s paper is that it mentions the necessity of talking about is disabled persons, everyday children, women, men, and trans people. All individuals “who are not rich, white, and famous, who deal with sexual violence on everyday basis,” need to be heard, protected, and treated equally and fairly. What is more, Burke urges everyone to talk about the systems that allow violence and injustice to happen (Gurvinder and Rahman-Jones). Precisely the misuse of privilege and power leads to sexism and racism, and the goal of both the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements is to stop it. However, a counterargument to this statement is that there are several governmental programs against violence and harassment, so it is not quite right to judge the whole system.

There are some negative aspects of this article that make it not as strong and powerful as it could have been. For instance, it is evident that society has the potential to change the unjust system, but the measures required to be taken are not discussed in the paper. Unfortunately, if one creates awareness without indicating a literal plan of action, he or she will not be able to solve the problem or make a tremendous difference. The relevant problem not addressed in this article is the lack of secure and safe ways for assaulted people to let the authorities know about the crime and get help. If it is currently impossible to solve the problem of violence itself, it is necessary to eliminate the factors contributing to it.

To draw a conclusion, one may say that such movements can actually make a great difference by drawing the public’s attention to severe social issues. However, speaking about a problem is never enough, and the leaders of the Me Too should think of some real aspects of reducing the level of violence and abuse. Certainly, assuring people that assaulting black and white men and women is not appropriate makes a difference, but a multilateral approach may be more effective.

The #MeToo movement exploded in 2017 after the Harvey Wienstein incident, and it has spread all over the internet. It has reached places all around the world and has even taken hold of conservative countries like Korea. #MeToo movement has once again placed the term misogyny as a trending keyword in our everyday conversation and has put the topic up for debate. Unfortunately, the #Metoo movement is not the first time misogyny has been an apparent problem that affects our society. Although it has been a long time since society welcomed the idea of fighting for women’s rights, we hear the questions asked once again: What is defined as misogyny, and where does misogyny take place? It is odd, that these questions are raised only when forms of misogyny appear in harmful and hostile ways, and dismissed when the acts are behind the scenes. Opposition to misogyny is often met with criticism on how dumbfounded the concept is. They act as if misogyny exists in a vacuum, and is unheard of in our society. The people who acknowledge this term is often put in a courtroom charged guilty of invoking a notion that does not exist. The essence of misogyny does not occur for those who do not understand its true meaning

Notably vibrant in the era of #MeToo, Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne adds a strong femenist voice to the discussion of misogyny and its existence in its growth internationally. Misogyny- formed from the greek roots misein,“to hate”, and gynē, “ women”- tends to be referred to men’s deep hatred of women. However, Manne points out that this type of definition is “the naïve conception” (p. 32), she aptly states that this can augment the ignorance of people on misogyny She further notes that this naïve conception limits the responsibility of misogyny primarily to specific individuals. To perceive this issue in such an outlook minimizes misogyny to a personal problem, when in actuality it is a question of the system in which the individual is immersed in “a property of social systems … in which women… tend to face hostility of various kinds because they are a woman in a man’s world ” (Manne 33).

Characterizing misogyny as an individual matter is harmful, for it asserts that gender based stereotypes and discrimination is an anomaly, thus throwing out the idea that our cultural and political system has a significance. Naïve conceptions can also be intentionally misused to dismiss misogyny. Those who testify to being victims of the patriarchal culture are ignored, and left to watch society deny the criticism against misogyny— arguing that men do not hate women but love them. The true meaning of misogyny is lost, and its association with subjective causes “would threaten to make misogyny epistemologically inaccessible to women” (Manne 44), therefore preventing prevention.

Kate Manne’s “epistemology” on the concept of misogyny imposes a few significant points. First is a distinction Manne explains between misogyny and sexism. She refers sexism to the traditional stereotypes that are used to defend and legitimize the skewed distribution of privileges and power between a male and a female in a patriarchal society. Whereas misogyny is the system in which men govern and produce sexist ideas. Misogyny and sexism work hand in hand, one behind the other, with the prior being the enforcement plan and guidance for the latter. In this Manne looks at misogyny in a new light and opens up the debate on the silenced topic of misogyny.

Secondly, Manne’s firmly criticises the conception of misogyny urging a shift in attention away from the men to the victims. Manne argues that misogyny, which may look inactive, will become reactive, once any woman intrudes upon a male’s authority or fails to live up to patriarchal standards. Society will place women on a pedestal to be chastised for their failures or awarded for accomplishing their given role as a “giver… obligated to offer love, sex, affection, and admiration… forms of emotional, social, reproductive, and caregiving labor. (Manne 301)

As a result, controlling women to preserve this ethic of patriarchy.

Admittedly Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny is written from the standpoint of an western feminist, and her sole purpose is to judge societies’ gender power dynamics and sexist principle; Manne’s work provokes controversy and holds value all at once. In a sense Manne’s works seems to have forgotten the queer and trans individuals, or fail to acknowledge other cultures. However, her analysis on misogyny relates to all the unethical aspects between a male and female that has not been resolved. Despite the ongoing attempts from feminist that fight for different positions on gender identity, misogyny continually controlls how a male or a female is treated in this patriarchal society. Misogyny is widespread, across different ethnicities, races and different groups of people. Women worldwide are disrespected, assaulted, criticized, and attacked physically and mentally. Even women with wealth, power, and fame are not dismissed from the mistreatment.

In effect of the #MeToo movement many Korean famous female celebrities and high ranking Korean officials have testified to being abused. Such a movement is quite ironic, as Korea is a conservative nation that loves to mask any flaws. A lot of sexual assaults happen behind closed doors and go unnoticed. One of the biggest Korean scandals in 2019 is the Burning Sun Scandal. This sex scandal involved a handful of and famous Korean male celebrities and high ranking male officials that were a part of illegal activities including human traficking of young women and illegally collecting sex tapes. Multiple accusations against these celebrities were ignored and silenced by higher officials. Sadly, The victims of this scandal was no longer victimized but looked down upon and shamed; it took over a year for the information to be leaked to the media and finally investigated. This is a clear example of misogyny: there are guilty men, misogynists, and their are victims, they young girls. Granted, “particular kinds of women” are often suited as the targets (Manne 33). Nonetheless, Manne points out that “one woman can often serve as a … representative for a whole host of others in the misogynist imagination”, and “almost any woman will be vulnerable to some form of misogynist hostility from some source or other” (Manne 68). Thus coming to a conclusion as to why misogyny is still present regardless of the absence of a misogynist.

But like most cultures, Koreans too abide by the rules set up by men. Like the old korean saying goes “girls have to be beautiful, smart, and kind, but never know that they are beautiful, smart, and kind” In other words they are expected to be perfect, but not self aware of it. This expectation on women trickles down to the gender inequality of employment in South Korea. In 2017, OECD stated that Women’s employment rates are on average 56 percent which is 20 percent less than the male employment rate of 76 percent. For women living in Korea, finding a job is a horror story in itself. They not only have to have a good resume, but the perfect look —factoring into the 1 million plastic surgeries per year ( Business Insider). But after finding a job, they are expected to do more than what is required. According to my friends that live in Korea, as a “freshman” worker they are expected to dress and act like the cute girl next door. To make matters worse, a 2001 paper written by Professor Elizabeth Monk Turner stated that women earn less than 33 to 46 percent men with equivalent experience and skills.

Similarly to other East Asian countries gender roles in Korea is partly derived from the traditional Confucian ideals in which women are obligated to be housewives and take on the responsibility of childcare. Many Koreans argue that a patriarchal ideal is inevitable, because it was established in the past so it can no longer be changed. In Down Girl Manne does not represent misogyny through historical context. Neither does she bring up the idea that patriarchy is going to change because the historical context changed. As a result, it appears that society is trapped in an environment of patriarchal power that exerts itself by practicing misogyny. Manne explains misogyny as men’s christmas list wanting women to stick to their patriarchal standards and to be their helpmate. Manne ends Down Girl without a fixed solution; however, Manne sparks hope as she plans out an ameliorative approach.

Down Girl documents the multiple ongoing forms of misogyny, which helps us realize that the concept of misogyny is everywhere, and that we are all players playing in a man’s game. #MeToo is another plea against misogyny preceding after the many other movements, like the #YesAllWomen” that exploded five years ago. As the conversation on misogyny continues and other episodes of misogyny occurs, I believe that many more campaigns against misogyny will launch. It may seem like a never ending cycle of hashtags, and accusations, but I believe that our society is going through a slow change. I hope the topic of misogyny will continually be part of our conversation. The cat has been let out of the bag and keeping quiet would be like putting it back in.

In 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano asked her followers to tweet “#MeToo” if they had ever been sexually harassed, social media went into a frenzy. At that moment, activist Tarana Burke who started the Me Too movement in 2006, became a minor character in a global story. The spotlight that shines on privileged women who have the ability to share their stories without the fear of repercussions or penalty became even more glaring. This focus results in singular celebrity stories shaping peoples’ understanding of the topic of Me Too. This cycle reduces the systemic and complex societal issues that cause pervasive discrimination and harassment to anecdotes about the rich and famous that are far removed from the reality of working-class women’s lives. Although the Me Too movement has empowered women to share stories of sexual harassment in the workplace and start a dialogue, it is not transformative. When examined with an intersectional lens, the Me Too movement is flawed and limited to a singular focus on privileged women’s stories. Using Kimberle Crenshaw’s Intersectionality theory, this essay will explore the limitations within the Me Too movement, the ways in which race, class, and gender synthesize to shape our experiences, and the cultural shift that is necessary for real change to occur.

In Kimberle Crenshaw’s Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex (1989), she writes about understanding oppression in a new way that she refers to as “Intersectionality”. This theory aims to look at the ways oppression looks for different people, and how people can experience oppression in more than one way (Crenshaw). When looking at the Me Too movement through an intersectional lens, many problems arise. The women whose stories have been most publically shared are most often women with the privilege and position to share their stories. By doing so, these stories all end up being categorized under the same umbrella of harassment although they vary in severity and scope. Famous actors who deal with harassment from a film producer or on a film set are one-percenters. Statistically, these women are the least likely to face harassment and have the most recourse if they do, yet they become the focus of media reports on the topic. This is problematic for the women who are affected the most by sexual harassment as they are experiencing marginalization due to race, class, and gender which places them at increased risk of victimization. By ignoring the stories of oppressed women, the cycle of oppression continues and becomes more pervasive.

From Crenshaw’s perspective, women who experience oppression in more than one way face discrimination differently (Crenshaw, 1989). This is shown in the Me Too movement as often it’s women of color and women in poverty who suffer the most in a society that doesn’t protect our most vulnerable. As Crenshaw said, “The intersectional experience (race and sex) is greater than the sum of racism and sexism” (Crenshaw, 140). The issue of sexual harassment seems largely focused on the experiences of white women with little attention paid to the experiences of racialized women. Indigenous women are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than non-Indigenous women (Prochuck & Govender, 2018) and one in four black women will be sexually harassed before the age of eighteen (Statistics of Black Women and Assault, 2018). These are usually the women who are forced to keep on enduring harassment so as not to lose their jobs, not the women we are seeing in the media who are harassed when working on movie sets. Although these stories of harassment vary, when women declare “Me Too” they are self-identifying as victims, which is a brave act and deserving of support but it is just the first step in a long process.

Me Too as a movement creates conversations between people and provides an outlet for people to share their stories of harassment. Although it has incredible potential, it does not address the systemic issues that allow abuses of power and sexual harassment to flourish. This demonstrates the real danger of a hashtag that doesn’t lead to policy and legislation changes. In order for a real cultural shift to occur, education on many topics is necessary. Men and boys need to be taught about human rights, equity, consent, and the implications of inappropriate behavior. Corporations need to ensure that policy is in place to create workplace cultures in which harassment can’t occur and labor law needs to be enacted to protect workers’ rights. People need to consider intersectionality in all forms and how certain people are affected more than others. After analyzing Crenshaw’s Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex (1989) the importance of recognizing intersectionality in our everyday lives, proves to be an ideal way to an equal-focused society. As a society, we need to be as upset about the working experiences of a racialized cashier working at Tim Horton’s as we are about a Hollywood actress working on a film set.

The MeToo movement is a movement started when an activist named Tarana Burke came out with her story of sexual harassment. The Story reached a lot of people making them want to join the movement and talk about their own stories and cases of when they were sexually harassed. Enough Stories built up where eventually it was involving high-profile celebrities. The men who commit these crimes are not apologetic at all and don’t understand the trauma they cause. The hashtag was started a year ago and still, no men have given private apologies to the women they’ve been accused of sexually harassing. Because of the Me Too movement girls all around the world have been more okay with coming out about their stories. The Me Too movement has given these poor girls a platform for them to speak their minds and talk about the times these sometimes high-profile celebrities have been guilty of sexual abuse and harassment. The Me Too movement which was started a decade ago, to help women who were sexually abused has targeted powerful men who abused their power in institutions and has now brought many of these to account.

The MeToo movement which was created a decade ago takes the stories of girls being the victim of institutional sexual harassment. The platform that is the Me Too movement, was started by Tarana Burke a decade ago. Talking about her story of the time she was institutionally sexually harassed. There have been many stories that have come out after the brave Tarana Burke recounted her story. Some of the stories that have now come out have been about high-case celebrities even an anecdotal story involving the President, ‘This time last year there was a hue and cry over an audio recording of now-President Trump speaking in rather derogatory terms about things he has done to women in the past. (‘The ‘Me Too’)” this kind of speech by someone we put in the highest position in the government is not acceptable. In Further note after Trump’s derogatory audio recordings of what he’s done with women in the past came out, women revealed more stories of high profile celebrities and their accounts of being sexually harassed and abused by them ‘Last Friday, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, co-showrunners for the series Girls, issued a statement defending Murray Miller, a friend, and writer on the show, against allegations that he had sexually assaulted the actress Aurora Perrineau when she was 17. (White)” Instances and cases of sexual harassment have been spiraling since the Me Too movement was started and a lot of celebrities have to defend their honor when it comes to if they have sexually assaulted females or not. A movement of the same size did not come to freshen when this kind of institutional harassment was said by a female the story of Leslie Jones (White)’ A movement of the same magnitude, for example, didn’t manifest when the comedian Leslie Jones was being relentlessly attacked on Twitter; or when the ESPN anchor Jemele Hill was suspended from her job after she tweeted that President Trump was a white supremacist and that those upset about threats to bench kneeling NFL players might consider protesting advertisers.” this shows Leslie Jones a comedian being attacked on Twitter or the ESPN anchor Jemele Hill was suspended for calling Trump a white supremacist. This shows that women are capable of committing harassment like this, but the movement is only on men who’ve done wrong in the workplace.

In modern society, men are able to abuse their authority in many institutions. Right now there really are no laws set in place preventing men from using their high-powered positions to sexually harass and abuse women. We need to do better teaching boys at a young age to be more respectful ‘We need to teach our young men to be respectful to women. Walk through a beach town on spring break or a Saturday night on fraternity row at any university and you’ll see that we are failing on that front. We need to teach women to respect themselves.” (‘Me Too’). Men take their high positions in the workplace for granted when they use their powers to abuse women. Men like Harvey Weinstein used their high job positions to take advantage of women who want positions that he can grant them and so he uses it to his advantage and sexually abuses them. We need to find a way to prevent these men from being able to use their position to prey on women. There are not many laws set in place to stop people from being able to take advantage of people in a lower positions institutionally. The New York Times says, ‘Sexual harassment has hardly been erased in the workplace. Federal law still does not fully protect huge groups of women, including those who work freelance or at companies with fewer than 15 employees. New work policies have little effect without a deeper cultural change. And as the Supreme Court confirmation battle over Brett Kavanaugh showed, Americans disagree on how people accused of sexual misconduct should be held accountable and what the standard of evidence should be.’ (‘#MeToo Brought’). This proves we need more laws set in place to prevent any further cases where men are able to take advantage and get sexual favors for people trying to advance in their careers as aspiring actors.

Throughout the ten-year duration of the MeToo movement, many high-profile celebrities have come out as having been some of the males responsible for some of this. Out of the 201 men who have been accused of using the MeToo movement some such as Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios, as well as Kevin Spacey, a very known actor, and many more have been accused of holding high positions in institutions. The MeToo movement is said to be really changing structuring in institutions as said by the New York Times “analysis shows that the #MeToo movement shook, and is still shaking, power structures in society’s most visible sectors. The Times gathered cases of prominent people who lost their main jobs, significant leadership positions, or major contracts, and whose outings were publicly covered in news reports. (‘#MeToo Brought’). These famous actors and company owners that have been exposed thanks to the MeToo movement would have easily gotten away with it if it wasn’t for the movement.

In conclusion, The MeToo movement has shaken the patriarchal structures at institutional levels. By bringing down 200 plus men from their high profile jobs and 43% of them being replaced by women there is less chance of a case of sexual abuse happening from a man being able to take advantage of women because he is in a higher level of power. By doing this we are able to take a look at the laws and decide whether to reconstruct them or not so instances of this sexual harassment won’t happen or just won’t be as prevalent. The Me Too movement which was started a decade ago, to help women who were sexually abused has targeted powerful men who abused their power in institutions and has now brought many of these to account.

The Internet’s Role in Advancing Women’s Rights Globally

The Internet has played an important role in everyone’s life since it was introduced to the public. Since its introduction to the world, it has become a necessity in every home for being an unlimited source of information that people use for academic research and even as far as diagnosing themselves medically, amongst many other things. But most importantly, it became a powerful communication tool among people to share their opinions and thoughts throughout the globe in just one click. In America, by the use of Social Media, women are fighting to be seen and to have their voices heard. By fighting for their rights, these women have created multiple movements to shed light on their life-changing experiences, from the #MeToo movement that addressed if they have ever been sexually harassed or assaulted to #LeanIn, which encourages women to not be afraid to speak their truth and achieve their goals.

Iraqi Women Rights Suppressed: The Struggle Behind Screens

But this isn’t the case in Iraq; Political, religious, and ethical views have a large impact on what can be viewed and shared on Social Media, specifically for women. For decades, women had no rights. They weren’t even allowed to be in a place that wasn’t home, especially if no male was there to escort them. But as time went by, they became more aware of how well women are being treated around the world and how they can aspire to be the same to practice their equal rights. However, aspirations and dreams to practice equal rights were not welcomed because when you live in a country plagued by war, the consequences keep those who ask questions Silent.

As time went by, Iraqi women realized that social media can be a way of expressing and conveying a point of view. They became more aware of what was happening around the world through different social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. This was an eye-opener for them. It was their only access to freedom. They saw what other women around the world could do and the change they made using Social Media movements. They finally decided to stand up and be heard, so the floodgates opened. Many women started using Social Media to spread awareness of how badly they are treated and how they should fight for their rights, whether it is at home or the workplace.

The High Cost of Advocacy: Tragic Ends for Women’s Rights Influencers in Iraq

As a result, many women faced death threats, which ultimately ended in tragedies. In the case of Tara Fares, an aspiring young woman who was assassinated in broad daylight in Baghdad in September of 2018 for simply wanting to live her life of freedom, integrity, and respect, her tragic death shed light on the challenges faced by individuals striving to express themselves openly in environments where such basic rights are often threatened. By sharing fashion photos and blogs about living her life just as the rest of the world without any fear, she unwillingly became one of the top female Arab Influencers, which caused her to lose her life. Sadly, during the same period, many other activists were found dead in suspicious circumstances. When, finally, women started standing up for themselves, they were silenced.

Women should be treated with respect regardless of where they live. Human rights should be exercised with freedom whether you are a man or a woman. Ethics plays a big part when it comes to exercising your rights. To be held back and restricted on what you should say or do is not right. Society, religion, and ethical beliefs are different all around the globe. However, to be judged and to have your fate decided based on what someone may think is right is not what I would call ethical. But the problem Iraqis are facing today is not only because of its conservative Muslim society, but it also goes decades back when no law was written to protect and respect women. In America, we see women acting like a great force to rewrite the rules because, for years, they have been heard, as early as 1848 when the first women’s rights movement was held in Seneca Falls that resulted in writing the Declaration of Sentiment that states all women and men are created equal.

Looking through the eyes of the law, one would come to think that multiple assassinations of female influencers in Iraq would cause the government to wake up and decide to end the prejudice towards women. Not only did the government not pursue those responsible for Tara’s assassination to show justice for women are served and they are protected no matter what, but horrifying news has circled to introduce laws that, if approved, will destroy women’s futures.

Those laws include allowing girls as young as nine years old to be approved for marriage. Should this law be passed, it would be a defeat for everything women stand for. This will not only weaken women’s power but will also defeat any advancements in achieving their rights as simple as being able to express themselves on social media, whether it be taking pictures or posting a daily blog.

In America, social media proved to be a tool to bring awareness and to send out a message of positivity and protection. By the use of Social Media, women in Iraq found a sense of empowerment. Even though they were able to express their point of view behind this curtain, thinking they were safe, this proved not to be the case, as seen with Tara Fares and many others. These women were intended to be role models and to be the voice of women’s rights, but their lives were cut short. Unless there is a major transformation in laws passed against women and with the leaders of Iraq to help protect and give women their true value, there will never be a change.

References

1. Castells, M. (2009). The Rise of the Network Society: The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture. Wiley-Blackwell.
2. Tufekci, Z. (2017). Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest. Yale University Press.
3. #MeToo Movement. (2018). From grassroots activism to worldwide action.
4. Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Knopf.
5. Al-Ali, N. (2007). Iraqi women: Untold stories from 1948 to the present. Zed Books Ltd.
6. Human Rights Watch. (2019). Iraq: Women’s shelters needed.
7. Fattahova, N. (2018). Iraqi women’s rights activist shot dead in Basra. The National.

All over the world, workplace sexual harassment is a big problem for women and society. This is also true in my home country of India. In this I will discuss about the history of workplace sexual abuse in India and about the Me Too movement and its impacts on the country.

The historical situation of workplace sexual harassment in India: Sexual harassment is the most burning issue in today’s world. Lewd behavior is inappropriate behavior and promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. It also includes sexual assault or abuse. It can occur in the workplace, at home, school, etc. Sexual harassment is considered illegal by the government.

India is one of the developing countries where thousands of cases come across every year. Indian society is mainly the male dominant society where men are considered more powerful than their counterparts. Due to the conservativeness of the Indian society man considered women as sex objects even if they are their colleagues. In general, it can be said that the outside environment is not safe for women. In the past when any woman tried to complain about being sexually harassed by the man then her family stopped her with the fear of being ashamed by society. Women were not able to raise their voices against this issue. And this trend continues and man starts to feel that there is no one to stop them from doing this thing with women. The other reason why this problem continuously rises is attributional bias. People in India thought that women’s work is only to do domestic work and males are responsible for earning bread and butter for the family. So women are not provided as respect as society gives to men.

Women were able to tell their problems at the workplace to others with the fear of losing their jobs ad for the sake of their respect. However, when the literacy rate of India increases, more women can work outside. But they were not feeling safe. But after the case of Vishaka V., the judicial system of India focuses on this problem. Vishaka was a social worker who worked for spreading awareness among people to stop child marriage. After this case, the government gives more attention to this topic. A bill was tabled In parliament about sexual abuse at the workplace in 2007. After that many women after this tried to complain about their problems. But the system was not improved much. Women had to wait for so much time to suit their case in the court also it was not confirmed that the court would provide justice to them or not. Powerful men gave money to big lawyers and policemen and protect themselves from legal actions.

Me too movement is the movement against sexual pressure and sexual assault mainly in India and worldwide. Initially, to movement generally be used in the context of social media, on which the victim women shared their stories of sexual pressure either in their workplace or somewhere else. The purpose of me too movement is to raise the voice of women who stay quiet on being harassed or accused. When this movement started not many women bring courage to share their stories openly. But in 2018, actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of being sexually harassed. This movement was started in 2006, by Tarana Burke to empower feminism. But, it was no so popular until October 2017, Alyssa Milano encouraged women on social media to use this phrase as a hashtag to put their sexual harassment stories online and share with other people. After that, Tarana Burke accepts the title of’Leader’ of this movement but she considers herself as a ‘Worker’. This movement is for men and women without any discrimination related to caste. Burke said that women should not feel ashamed while sharing their problems of sexual violence with people. Sexual violence is generally caused by someone who is known so, People should be educated from their childhood that how to say no and protect themselves from the misbehavior done by other people. This movement helps people to understand the core of the topic.

As I mentioned before, this movement becomes popular with the involvement of Tanushree Dutta. On 26th September 2018, she gives an interview to zoom tv in which she openly accused Nana Patekar of offensive sexual advance on the set in 2009 for the movie ‘Horn ok please ‘. She filed a case against Patekar in the’ Cine and Tv Artist Association’ (CINTAA). But no one takes any action. She again tried to tell people about her case but again largely ignored. After this movement, she spoke up about her case of being harassed by Patekar in September 2018, and this time everyone listens to her and took strict action against him. She also revealed that a decade ago no one listens to her. In this case, many other women inspired by Tanushree and share their stories on social media with the phrase #Me too movement without any fear. This incident results in the success of this movement to some extent.

By this movement, many powerful men were accused and most denied by the allegation in the case of sexual harassment. When Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar, it results in a flood of allegations about sexual misconduct against women in the entertainment industry. Inspired by this Mahima KuKreja called out Comedian Utsav Chakrabarty for sexual molestation. She also revealed that the members of the Indian Comedian industry knew about this, but they remain silent including extremely popular male comedians. Among these many other women all around the world shared their case on twitter without any shame.

MJ Akbar, the former minister of state for external affairs and journalist resigned from his position because many women who worked under him put allegation on him of being sexually harassed and inappropriate behavior. Filmmaker Vikas Bhal lead to the dissolution of Phantom Films. Actor Alok Nath accused of sexual assault with women on the set. AIB shut down. As a result, ministers decided to look into legal changes and sexual harassment at the workplace. Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, was made in 2013 to protect women. According to the law, every company must create a committee of employees for handling sexual harassment cases. Also, companies should develop awareness among women about acceptable behavior. #ME TOO probably reshapes the workplace environment and makes it safer than before. Now the women are more aware of their and less willing to adjust to this misconduct. More women suit a case against men either on phone calls or text messages. The sexual harassment of women at Workplace Act, 2013, gives chance to women to file a complaint within three months. This issue is still very popular in India and the government gives its full attention to these cases. This is the sign of development and improved legal system in India.

But if we talk about the long term impact of this movement then this does not able to improve the country a lot because of the corrupted legal system. After some time actor Alok Nath comes back to the film industry and again starts to make movies. Other powerful wealthy men give money and freed themselves from these cases.

The big challenge is to encourage women to speak up openly about their cases of being sexually harassed. They must raise their voice against it so that the future of girls will secure. Media will be a great source to aware people about this issue. If all the citizens will become united and raise their voice against sexual harassment then a government to take a strict action. Government should improve its judicial system and punish the criminal equally either he is powerful or a common man.

MeToo movement is a social movement that wants to fight to bring an end to sexual violence and sexual assault that is being done against people, the success of this movement is to take a stand that objectifies individuals The movement is designed to help survivors of sexual assault, violence, and harassment that is happening to those who are at a disadvantage: people of color, women and girls, members of LGBQT community and other young women from low wealth communities find pathways to healing. In social movements, there are different social groups that have different statues and unfortunately, there are those who have more power and have the ability to move through society easier than others. Levchak (2019) discusses the difference between advantaged and disadvantaged groups, advantaged groups have greater access to social power and privilege based upon their membership because of their social status while on the other hand, disadvantaged groups are the opposite, their access to social power is limited or denied based on their lack of membership. I believe that is why people from disadvantaged groups are more likely to get targeted, they may often lack the access to resources and are scared, and due to their status, they are also overlooked, especially if they are being attacked by somebody in a position of power who has more wealth and has the ability to easily obtain resources (Levchak 2019: 1).

But they need to know that they are not alone, the purpose of the movement is to give survivors a helping hand, by giving them the resources that they may not have had before to help them continue to live and prosper given their tragedy. The movement provides a variety of resources: healing practices, and tool kits, and setting up local and national dedicated services that are safe spaces for survivors of sexual violence to be able to go to. Not only does the movement provide resources, but it also wants to empower survivors as well because being a survivor means something and that your past does not sum up the person that you are, and that they are not alone, they have a community of people to help them, a support system. The movement wants to also shed awareness by also educating others with the help of survivors, “a community of advocates driven by survivors” (Burke 2017: Me Too Movement). Survivors have overcome something very tragic and their stories mean something in which could also help others, so if a survivor is comfortable the movement would appreciate their perspective and their stories to be shared, this interim brings people together, Burke (2017) says “sexual violence is usually caused by someone the woman knows, so people should be educated from a young age that they have the right to say no to sexual contact from any person, even after repeat solicitations from an authority or spouse, and to report predatory behavior” (Burke 2017: Me Too Movement). The movement is pushing for there to be changed to laws and policies, “there needs to be changes to the system, the world is changing and laws, protocols should address and accommodate those changes” (Walker, 2019: Everyday Democracy). These laws will be implemented in schools, workplaces and in the general public, these laws will hold predators accountable, the movement is aiming for these changes to be permanent goals: processing all untested rape kits, re-examining local school policies, improving the vetting of teachers, and updating sexual harassment policies. With jobs that involve working with students, employees are to participate in fingerprinted analysis and background checks before being able to work.

The movement was first founded by Tarana Burke, back in 2006 when myspace was still an active social media site, she would often post the phrase “me too”, to shed light on her story and her experiences of being a sexual harassment survivor and use it as a way to branch out and relate to others who are going through the same struggles. Her main goal at the time was just to bring awareness to the notion that sexual harassment is becoming a very critical issue, where multiple black women are being targetted and nothing is being done. The movement received more media presence and popularity in October 2017, when actress Alyssa Milano started using Burke’s phrase and hashtagged it, #metoo on Twitter. With the hashtag she wrote, “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet, she was encouraging the spread of the message, she later found out that the hashtag had originally been posted by somebody already, Tarana Burke, so she went back on her twitter account and gave recognition to her, Milano wrote,’I was just made aware of an earlier #MeToo movement, and the origin story is equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring'(NBC News, 2018). The #metoo movement spread around the world and became an international voice, and within 24 hours, Facebook reported over 12 million posts comments and reactions (Khomami, 2017). The movement soon became an organization, and that organization became a database that houses legislative information, toolkits, and advocacy resources in an effort to aid those that have been sexually assaulted or abused. Although the organization is centralized online, there are speaking engagements and sensitivity lessons held in order to help women feel safer in school and work environments (Me Too, 2017). This all started in the wake of allegations being brought forward against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Alyssa Milano was a critic of the way things were being handled in Hollywood and believed she couldn’t just be the only one going through it. Hollywood was becoming iconic for understating the aggression to the female situation. Historically, the expectation of actresses to tolerate their male counterparts’ actions (no matter how belligerent, offensive, or hostile the interaction may be) has always been viewed as a baseline. However, this movement utilizes testimonies of traumatic experiences at the hands of men like Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Louis CK to demonstrate that this kind of exploitation happens at all levels, in and out of the movie-making industry (Khomami, 2017).

The #metoo movement has done many progressive things, for example: the act of states banning Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) that can otherwise protect aggressors in the instance of a sexual harassment claim has happened and due to that, women that are struggling financially won’t have to question selling their silence as opposed to standing up for themselves. As well as the movement toward ending tipped minimum wage that has been a part of our society since 1966 as a result of the economic state of the United States during the Vietnam War. Tipped minimum wage is a detriment to the working class because it only works on the premise of the company motto being “the customer is always right”; However, if someone is being harassed or taken advantage of by a customer, they may be hesitant to report it because they could lose out on the possibility of making a living wage.

This movement wants to address unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances that are being done to women. Sexual violence and sexual harassment are two different things, but both are horrible acts. The Washington Post (Sepulveres, 2017) contrasts the difference between the two key terms sexual violence and sexual harrasment, “Sexual violence refers to sexual activity that occurs when consent is not given freely or obtained. Acts of sexual violence can come in the form of sexual assault, dating or intimate partner violence, fondling or unwanted sexual touching, attempted rape, and completed rape. Sexual harassment is “the unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual behavior, including verbal or physical conduct of sexual nature”(Sepulveres 2017). This matter is becoming a social problem because it is progressing and victims are rising in numbers, it is not just affecting children and women but members of the LGQBT community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2019) expresses that “44 percent of lesbians and 61 percent of bisexual women expereince rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner…26 percent of gay men and 37 percent of bisexual men experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner…47% of transgender people are sexually assaulted at some point in their lifetime” (CDC, 2019). New information is emerging everyday and not only is this matter happening on a local and national basis it is happening internationally, people are being targeted all over the world. In places like Nigeria where almost 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped and forced to work along with the militant regime Boko Haram, the #metoo movement was reoriented into #bringbackourgirls, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have successfully made negotiations and brought back about 100 girls (Matfess, 2017).

People are getting targeted at work, school and even in public spaces, predators are not shy and are willing to advance anywhere. Predators don’t have to be criminals they can be every day regular people, they just come from a place of power, a place of privilege, and usually prey on people who may be on the same level of them whether its within social class, their gender or even their race. Levchak (2019) brings up the topic of intersectionality theory, in which a person’s identity(gender, race, class and sexuality) works together to create disadvantages. Our identities intersect and contribute to our oppression and privilege. The two terms are intertwined and go hand in hand because privilege is “the unearned access to resources only readily available to some people as a result of their advantaged social group membership” and oppression is “a system that maintains advantage and disadvantage based on social group membership and operates on individual, institutional and cultural levels.” (Levchak, 2019). A person is at an advantage because when things are in their favor, they have greater access to things and a person is oppressed because they are at a disadvantage and do not easily get access to things. A person can be either oppressed or privilege due to their class, race or even gender. Women, children and those in the LGQBT are getting targeted at higher rates is because they are oppressed. Targeted by those who are privileged: men, people in higher social classes, people with higher authority whether its authority in the family, workplace or at school and other institutions.

Creator Tarana Burke and supporters have asked “men to call out bad behavior when they see it… and look back at your actions” (Burke 2017: Me Too Movement). Men shouldn’t just be bystanders, In Evans (2019), the author expresses how important the bystander effect is, if you witness something you should do something because not doing anything is doing something, and as a man let other men know when they are wrong, especially if they are harassing and not leaving a woman alone, “Bystander strategies engage others in prevention by increasing awareness and educating on how to intervene effectively and safely…individuals learn skills necessary in order to recognize behaviors or social situations that could potentially be violent or that support norms of violence, as well as how to change social norms safely and help to reduce potential future violence” (Evans, 2019: 2). Become allies with oppressed group: women, children, LGBQT community because their lives matter as well. Just because you’re not experiencing it first hand, does not take away the importance of the topic at hand. Levchak (2019) talks about collective action which is when a group works together to accomplish a common goal (Levchak, 2019). Wade Davis, a former NFL player turned activist, is an ally of the movement having stated that “It is not about women, it’s about us” (Salam, 2018). Davis went on to explain that the #metoo movement is the consequence of the inconsideration of an entire gender, and that it is a result of the male prerogative that women have been expected to tolerate over an infinitesimal number of generations. The #metoo movement inspired a great number of organizations and follow up movements, and two of the main movements that came about were the #howiwillchange and the #Ididthat movement, both of which were founded by men with the desire to better themselves and their peers in order to close the gap between men and women. These groups vie to be allies alongside women in their fight to be heard, and the members of these groups understand that although the issues that women are going through are not directly affecting them, the importance of how their actions and the actions of the men around them perpetuate an unsafe environment for women still matter.

The me too movement wouldn’t be a movement if it weren’t for the people behind it, their willingness to do something instead of waiting for help to come their way or for others, they are activists. An activist starts out by identifying a social change they believe in, an activist takes the time out of their daily life, putting their personal lives, their jobs and even their families on the back burner, they shift their focus from themselves onto other individuals or groups (Oliver, 1992). The importance of the action these activists are doing is to achieve social change that will help individuals or groups outside of themselves. When an activist is trying to make a change they need to have a clear sense of what they are trying to achieve and the tools they need to achieve these goals, they must prepare and organize every aspect of their movement (Oliver, 1992). A movement goes through four stages of development: emergence, coalescence, bureaucratization, and decline. The first stage of a social movement is called emergence, this is the beginning stage, where the first idea comes into play (Christensen, 1), and this all started with Tarana Burke when she decided to post on her Myspace page and again when actress Alyssa Milano brought media attention to the topic. The second stage is called coalescence, in this stage social movements reach roadblocks and they must find ways to maneuver around these obstacles this stage is very critical because it can make or break the progress of a movement, “at this point leadership emerges and strategies for success are worked out” (Christensen 3). The me too movement has clearly stated what they are fighting for. They want to bring an end to sexual assault and sexual violence that is being targeted at marginalized groups: women, children, LGBQT community. Supporters are mobilizing in numbers from getting assistance from different social movement outlets such as Twitter, Facebook all using the hashtag, they are boosting the social movement and bringing more awareness to the cause. The third stage, bureaucratization is the stage where a movement has settled in after they have successfully handled all roadblocks that came their way and they have successfully raised awareness and are in the limelight but they must make sure they use their newfound status to further their agenda, they must now network and carry out their bigger functions since they now have the popularity to do so. (Christensen 3). When looking at the me too movements website they offer resources to survivors, with services and buildings that are safe havens all over the country, they offer training classes and tool kits. The movement also has events in which they go to different colleges and speak on the importance of the bystander effect and the different services they have. In April, 2019 they had presentation tour in which they visited historically black colleges such as Howard University, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Alabama State University, North Carolina Central University and Florida A&M University, where they had survivors as guest speakers tell their stories (Me Too, 2017). The last stage is a decline, and the word itself has a negative connotation, like when something falls off but for social movements, it doesn’t necessarily always mean failure, a social movement can die out on a negative note or even a positive note, where achievement has been made and finalized and they are moving on. In this last stage, it has four ways a movement can decline. First, there is repression, which is when authorities or other agents act on violent means to end a movement like rioting or policemen shutting down a protest with gas and arresting people. Secondly, Cooptation which occurs when leaders of a movement integrate themselves too much by relating to their cause and lose the broad spectrum of their moment and just take on those personal values. Thirdly there is a success which is when a movement has achieved its goals and moved on. Lastly, there is a decline that defines itself as a movement ending due to failure or not being able to handle expansion and plummeted due to internal or external forces (Christensen 4). I believe the movement is on the verge of progressing and will not end anytime soon so they have not reached the decline stage, but for that particular stage, I believe the outcome will be a success, the future looks bright for this movement and with strength from international countries, and celebrities the movement will hopefully achieve their goal and move forward.