#metoo – The Orbital

2Jan

By Amal AbdiNo Comments

Opinion

Anger in the Supreme Court

For as long as feminism has been around, the angry feminist has been a stereotype used to dismiss the claims of women. Calling a woman angry is the best way to ignore what she is saying, after all, who would listen to a screaming woman who cannot control her emotions. In the Supreme Court hearing last month, Brett Kavanaugh revealed himself to be an angry man. Throughout American history white men’s rage has been seen as righteous. An angry man is a hero, he is a revolutionist, maybe he is an American Founding Father, a symbol of patriotism to be loved and his angry fetishized. But why is it that every women who is enraged is immediately dismissed? In 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court by George H.W. Bush. After his nomination, Anita Hill, a law professor who had p...

Aziz Ansari: A Case of Male Entitlement

The aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein allegations sparked a global conversation about sexual violence, harassment and assault. The Time’s Up movement, headed by Hollywood elite, and the two word hashtag #MeToo movement circulating on social media, were established late last year to curb sexual harassment in the workplace and start a long, awaited discussion about sexism and gender equality. What has unfolded is the resignation and takedown of powerful figures across many industries and the exposure of sex crimes committed by high profile male celebrities. Critics of the movements often compare the misconduct allegations to a witch-hunt where the verdict is usually guilty till proven innocent, a by-product of the social media bubble we currently reside in. One narrative that didn’t qu...

Hashtag Solidarity

On October the 5th the New York Times revealed numerous allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer. These allegations stretch over three decades and it was revealed that at least eight of them were paid off. Many women have begun to speak out about the harassment they experienced from Weinstein. Among those women are well-known actresses including Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. The coverage of these allegations encouraged others in the industry to come forward including Jennifer Lawrence and Reese Witherspoon. Alyssa Milano, an actress, tweeted on October the 15th encouraging assault victims to use the hashtag #metoo to demonstrate how huge the problem of sexual assault is in 2017. She says “This was really about showing this happens everywhere. That ...