First of all, kudos to the group of high-powered Hollywood women that are launching Time’s Up, the massive anti-harassment initiative that is going to be set in place to effect change in the workplace and throughout the nation, hopefully, in response to the firestorm that occurred just last year. 2017 was the year for accusations to fly thick and heavy, mostly throughout Hollywood it seems, and they brought a new level of awareness to the nation of just how bad things had gotten in Hollywood throughout the years concerning women and the level of sexual harassment they’d had to deal with. None of it was right, none of it warranted, and those that ask why these women didn’t speak up to begin with are usually those that don’t realize that speaking up tends to make a person a target in such crowds.
The first metaphorical shots were fired in 2017 when it came to women saying enough and Me Too concerning their time in the industry and what they had to deal with from men. Some might claim that such a movement demonizes men in a way and makes every last one of them a suspect that should fear for their life and reputation when it comes to dealing with women. Those men that think this way however tend to dismiss a lot of claims and don’t think that the issue is quite as serious as it’s been made out to be. Personally I’m not on the fence about any of it, I think that the men that perpetrated these acts, and it’s been all men that have been accused, need to be held accountable if they are in fact found guilty.
But despite not being on the fence this does seem like it’s gearing up to be something that women take to the necessary level to get their needs and wants noticed and then possibly even further. While the women that were victimized definitely deserve their due and deserve to be noticed, the question remains: when does it end? Many might say that it ends when women have equal rights and there is absolute equality in the workplace and wages are exactly the same. I would fully agree that wages and salaries do need to be the same and that the workplace, no matter where that is, should be safe for everyone. But at this time it seems that some women, not all of them mind you, are demanding reparations for years upon years of inequality.
I hate to be another dissenting voice when it comes down to this but the here and now is going to suffer immensely for the past that has already come and gone. Women deserve to be treated fairly and equally in any workplace, that much I agree with. If one person can do the job in the same manner, or better, than the next person, then they have proven that they deserve to be treated just the same. In terms of being a human being, every person should be treated with dignity and respect.
