Abcarian: On the fifth anniversary of the #MeToo movement, the reckoning continues
(The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bill Abbate)
With the fourth quarter of 2019 now behind us, the #MeToo movement has become a political football.
The New York Times published a hit piece titled “How the Weinstein Report Broke My Heart” (1). In it, they called Weinstein a monster who didn’t treat women well and a sexist, and suggested that his behavior toward one woman only increased his desire to be abusive.
The Times, like many other outlets, didn’t examine the totality of the evidence, only a select few.
In light of these revelations, the women who’ve followed the #MeToo movement find themselves in a political reality no news organization or politician can completely ignore. The #MeToo movement has become a way to identify and punish sexual harassers – and to build a narrative to replace accusers like Harvey Weinstein.
In January, three women filed a criminal complaint with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The complaint charges two men with rape. If convicted, both men would face up to life in prison.
But the real story of #MeToo lies elsewhere.
The #MeToo movement was always designed to be political – to make politicians uncomfortable with Harvey Weinstein as a result of this week’s announcement. The reason Weinstein was targeted in the first place has been to change the narrative, and to make everyone think twice before doing the exact same thing.
Weinstein’s accusers were not to be allowed to be a scapegoat. The #MeToo movement is being used to eliminate the Weinstein accusations by focusing on his accusers – which would be the same as saying that the accusers can’t have been victimized, because Weinstein didn’t rape them.
The #MeToo movement is only being used as a cover to cover Weinstein’s past, so a woman can be punished for being a poor candidate. The #MeToo movement is not anti-washington, anti-politician, but pro-woman.
The Washington Post, who are now calling the #MeToo movement “fake” (2), is acting exactly as it was created
