Women's rights have increasingly become a hot topic of debate over the years and as recently as 2006 a moment called MeToo surfaced in the bowels of the Internet. It started as something small on Myspace, the aim of which was to raise awareness about an issue faced primarily by women, related to sexual harassment or assault. However, the movement truly became the juggernaut it is today after launching a social media campaign in response to public allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein. This caused a storm in Hollywood, with the MeToo movement coming to the forefront in every American household. However, every movement has flaws and it is important to remember that while social revolutions are routinely led by smart, incredible, talented and lucky people, the terrors of history mean that society fails to create perfect moments and executing them flawlessly. They are usually chaotic, largely uncontrollable movements that can easily deteriorate if left unstructured and corrupted from their primary intentions. The MeToo movement has involved a style of mob mentality, which has made the movement both incredibly progressive but also a double-edged sword that deems the consequences extremely dangerous for those under the movement's wrath. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Our affinity for being social was evolutionary, as an outcast was more likely to be eaten by a predator or d have more difficulty feeding. In mob mentality, each individual rejects responsibility in the belief that someone else will likely have the courage to think or act correctly. Self-awareness mixes and we begin to merge our identity with the group. Any antagonism or deviation is misinterpreted as a personal attack. Groupthink overrides our own critical skills and the flow of ideas becomes authentic. This can be a psychological problem that many people in society face. In an article about how individuals in society become confined to mob mentality, Megan Donley states: "When part of a large group, people tend to experience a diffusion of responsibilities. Generally, the larger a crowd, the more its members become less self-aware and more likely to engage in dangerous behavior. (Donley) Now with social media, people can hide behind a screen and too often in front of a controversial video clip with a thousand comments underneath in which people express their opinions about what happened without having any context or no additional information about what happened. situation. There was a time when “jumping to conclusions” was optically perceived as an unintelligent and uneducated move, generally rejected by the general population. Today, with the increased use of social media, we have weaponized a culture of mob mentality in which no one checks the facts and simply bases their opinions on what they see superficially instead of getting as many facts to formulate their own prejudices. Additionally, news agencies were once responsible for maintaining an unbiased presentation of the news to inform the public of events occurring in their world; However, it's all clickbait for the ratings. Today it simply boils down to the fact that in describing a situation of thein the most polarizing way possible, you get a better emotional response from people. This harshly affects how good social movements meet resistance, further leading to the regression of our society as a whole. This kind of mob mentality has taken a toll on the MeToo moment, giving a great cause a dark side. People posting “#MeToo” say I was either sexually harassed or assaulted. This means a sense of solidarity among victims of sexual abuse so that people feel comfortable speaking out about it and have the opportunity to bring guilty accusers to justice. However, I think the way the #Metoo movement has tried to achieve this goal has taken a wrong path that contradicts the fundamental principle that people are innocent until proven guilty in our culture. It is generally recognized that there are considerable disparities in legal and societal standards, but the cornerstone of innocence until proven guilty is firmly anchored in the foundation of modern social justice philosophy. This movement was subverted by the campaign by promoting the idea that victims are validated simply by coming forward. This word must be believed without proof, otherwise you will be shamed as a victim blamer, misogynist, or rape apologist. In no way should victims be blamed for coming forward with allegations, but over the past year, after the allegations were published and confirmed, many people have been rightfully stripped of their status in society through construction societal behavior of the herd towards the accused without any factual proof. . Let's be clear, no victim should ever be ashamed; However, whether a large number of people ridiculing the accused should be allowed to encroach on both the legal process and personal lives. One article describes how incorrect public shaming, without facts, can be unjustified. “Due to the mob mentality that accompanies public shaming events, there is often very little information about the target, sometimes just one tweet. Yet there is a presumption of guilt and a rapid move toward justice, with no process to verify the facts. Rather than remaining neutral and simply describing public shaming, newsrooms are on firmer journalistic ground when they approach with a point of view, usually that the shaming is unwarranted. (McBride) So, should societal opinion be judge, jury and executioner? As far as society is concerned, it is quite concerning that people are unable to distinguish between sexual harassment and sexual assault, or that they are using their energy for personal gain instead of genuinely discussing the problem. This trend has also created a situation where people can have their own opinions. lives turned upside down by public opinion before they can either confront their accuser, contest the charges against them, or fully investigate the matter, whether illegal or administrative. Aziz Ansari's story was by far the worst of the MeToo campaign and a prime example of people abusing the campaign for personal gain. Aziz Ansari's accuser claims Ansari repeatedly 'forced' her to have sex, which they did not have, and to have oral sex, which she claims to have do. But she later said she simply felt uncomfortable with the way Ansari approached her, implying he wanted to have sex. Now, yes, Ansarishould learn from it and become a better person, which he did, but unfortunately throughout the process he was labeled a rapist. In a recent skit, he addressed the situation (NAME) reports: “He spoke about the aftermath of the allegation with sincerity and humility, again explaining that it made him “a better person.” But unfortunately, he didn't address the alleged behavior, expressing regret over how the woman felt. » (NAME) This is something that has created a situation where people can have their lives turned upside down in the court of public opinion before they can confront their victim or challenge the charges against them or fully investigate the matter. case, whether criminal or administrative. There have been situations where students were forced to leave school because their campus experiences were tainted by public outcry, even though academic research has cleared their reputation. This mob mentality results in innocent people being pushed out of society for unverifiable allegations, either due to the age of the accusation, lack of evidence, and due to the #MeToo movement's compulsion to believe the victim , no questions are asked of these victims. people's lives are in ruins. The #MeToo movement certainly has its flaws, but it has shown how common sexual abuse is because people who haven't experienced it think it's an isolated incident. I believe that the #Metoo movement has gone hand in hand with the recognition of the many victims of sexual assault and violence, women and men. This is an absolutely crucial initiative that exposes sexual abuse as a very personal issue, and it takes a lot of courage to stand up and admit that you have been raped, especially when the abuser is an authority figure , a parent or even someone he raped. trusts. As a society that will continue to value victims, as we should; we should also continue to seek to provide services to return these survivors to a comfortable state. But the #MeToo movement is about more than just deterring criminals. The campaign made victims feel less alone, less ashamed and more willing to come forward. While it is certainly true that a presumed innocent suspect can be negatively affected by public opinion at trial, it can also harm a truthful defendant. In almost every case, there are those who do not believe the accuser and will try to shame, embarrass or ruin their reputation and call them a liar. The campaign also helped alleviate some of the obstacles that stand in the way of truthful accusers and, as a result, more and more potential offenders were detected. Additionally, this movement has also helped identify ways in which our society can allow sexual assault to occur. This makes potential victims more alert and trained, while also making potential predators think twice about what they may do. Society must know that the men who commit these attacks are not always who we think. They are not all monsters and predators, these people are part of everyday society that has become part of our culture. Finally, a Harvard study shows that this freight train movement has triggered other areas of inequality, stating: "As accusations continue to erupt through the nascent #MeToo social media movement, many observers are ask if the nation is finally starting to address gender inequality. (Pazzanese, Walsh) That being said, we must do our best to tread carefully in this.