In light of the floodgates opening on the exposure of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry of Hollywood, I wanted to essentially vent to the internet my thoughts and feelings on the issue. I think that as a society it’s pretty easy to write off Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey as a couple “bad apples,” but the reality of the situation is that their individual actions represent a small portion of a much deeper, institutionally ingrained problem with Hollywood. With more and more people being exposed by their victims, it’s becoming clear that it’s not a people issue, but a culture issue. Too often are individuals not comfortable enough to talk about sex with their children, friends, family, etc., that many people begin to have distorted views on what is acceptable and what is not, even though it may be extremely clear for you and me.
As a woman on a college campus, I have a one in four chance of being sexually assaulted in some way, shape, or form. While it may be a new trend in popular news sources trying to gain the support of millennials, being hypervigilant of sexual misconduct is not new to me or many other women my age. Working to fix sexual harassment/assault is not simply a newfangled movement created by the media to bring to the attention of unaware readers, but is in fact the life that many people, not just women, have been living, whether it be due to a history with sexual misconduct or preventative measures.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful that there is finally a mainstream dialogue regarding this issue and that victims are being so brave to call our their abusers, but the conversation can’t stop at, “It’s bad so we should fix it.” The “bad apples” idea is extremely antiquated, and we need to call attention to what it actually is: a societal induced disease. Actual change needs to happen soon, or the narrative of rampant sexual harassment is going to continue until we are too numb to care.