#MeToo


(Sriram, Danely, Alvin, Xeon)

Sexual harassment, assault, and the need for consent have recently come to the
forefront of society with the emergence of the #MeToo movement, where victims of sexual
harassment are encouraged to share their stories. This movement has led to changing the
discussion around sexual assault and consent, which now must be an “enthusiastic yes”.
A common definition of consent is an affirmative response to the proposal of a sexual
act. However, this definition is not sufficient to protect people involved in a sexual relationship.
Sexual consent must be an “enthusiastic” agreement between involved parties. For example,
consider the case where there is a difference in power and authority between two people. In
such a situation, it can be difficult for the person with lesser power to refuse the advances of
those with more power for fear of retaliation, especially professionally, such as being fired or
blocked from being promoted. A CNN article (Grinberg 1) shares the stories of some woman
who kept silent about their harassment for fear or retaliation or judgment.
With the advent of social media and private messaging, technology has both helped and
hindered this issue. On one hand, private messaging opened new avenues for sexual
harassment to take place. Private messages can be sent asking for sexual favors, and sexual
information including pictures can be publicized to a wide audience, an ability which can be
weaponized against victims by spreading their private images. On the other hand, social media
has also given victims a platform to share their stories on a truly global scale, as we have seen in
the #MeToo movement. This has a truly empowering effect on women everywhere to fight
back against sexual harassment, and has given them a platform to create change by properly
punishing harassers, and more importantly, creating a more favorable and open discussion to
prevent this in the future.

To conclude, it is clear that consent can be given unenthusiastically through feelings of
coercion, especially when judgement, retaliation, or a difference in power is involved. For these
reasons, it is absolutely essential that “enthusiastic consent” is given, with the ability of all
actors to revoke at any moment. Finally, technology has had both a harmful and a positive
influence, as the means of perpetrators have grown, but the platform for victims has also
expanded.

Sources:
Grinberg, Emanuella. “Tweets Show Why Women Don't Report Sex Assault.” CNN, Cable News
Network, 13 Oct. 2016, www.cnn.com/2016/10/13/health/why-women- dont-report/.

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