Let's discuss how reasonable takes keep getting shot down as "bad" because they don't fit the ridiculous extreme-left narrative that, as Merkin points out, keep framing women as helpless and powerless in these situations and implore "all men" to somehow fix creepos who share our gender vs. empowering women to ignore perceived career dynamics and all this other bullshit about why people couldn't not watch Louis jerk off or Al Franken is raping people in their sleep because of a mock boob grab in one photo, then lumping that BS into the same tub as Weinstein.

Raised eyebrows and rolling eyes are appropriate responses for a lot of the shit going on here, including tut-tutting anyone asking about the response...

A bit wobbly here. First we have this:

"That's what having a crime committed against you means! And sexual harassment is a crime."

And then this:

"I found due process, Daphne Merkin. It's in the justice system. Corporations like Miramax are not the justice system. Thank god."

Sexual harassment, in itself, is not a crime. It should indeed result in action being taken against the accused by their employer when the accusations are substantiated, but not a crime.

You may have just inadvertently lent some substance to that which you are criticizing.

Questioning the actions of the Inquisitors is a sure sign someone is practicing witchcraft. It's time to let Merkin's employers know who they have working for them.

The trolls sure latched onto this one.

I read this article. The only reason our critic-columnist expects something more is because like most one-sided thinkers they can’t imagine an opinion steeped in a reality that would shatter their own narrative. If the #metoo movement involved attractive men like say, Brad Pitt, Ryan Goesling, Bradley Cooper or Chris Pratt then it might have some momentum but really what does this one-sided movement go after: older, middle-aged (mainly) white and well-known or famous men. Brad Pitt, Chris Pratt and the rest are still too “fantasy-worthy” to accuse them and ruin the mastubatory moment that so many females say they rely on these days (and at no wonder). And these well-known “men” who so readily apologize barely pass for men at all. There is a high probability that some are probably really innocent of any real wrongdoing and just apologize to get people off their backs. It’s funny how no one is a victim until the media bandwagon pulls out and has everyone’s attention. There is the problem, no one cares anymore. People don’t have long attention spans and no one cares. Just like gay marriage and Black Lives Matter, this “movement” of the social bowels will soon pass too. If all men were smart these days they should do what a lot of men are doing now: not go anywhere where they would be alone with a woman be it the workplace, or in recreational public. Men should insist on a mandatory “two-chaperone accompaniment” by friends, coworkers, neighbors, family or anyone else who could spare a few minutes before walking into a room alone with a female. It saves time and future hassles and if it’s something that can’t be said in front of others then it really wasn’t that important to be said at all. And if men do take that risk they should get the reasoning in writing via text or email first - lest more men end up being hauled up in front of a judge and are sued, accused of something they didn’t do or, thrown in jail for something they didn’t do. Men should insist on it or refuse the bait.

@10
>Just like gay marriage and Black Lives Matter, this “movement” of the social bowels will soon pass too.

uh gay marriage became legal nationwide in the last decade, what the fuck did this turn into halfway through

Sorry for all the crap that showers down on any woman with the audacity to think she should be consulted before being touched. Especially the bile that comes when a woman suggests that they are in the workplace to work and not as an on-site convenience to male workers.

The #MeToo Movement welcomes the Pussyfication of the American male!

From the NYT comments section:

"Let’s just pause and ask what is the bigger problem: (men abusing and harassing women) and what is smaller offshoot problem (women too easily accusing men). The false equivalency Ms. Merkin draws is not deserving of NY Times editorial space, and is an old tactic for shutting people up. (See also: reverse racism.)"

I suppose its good news in a way that the Stranger is staring to reach some obvious Trump voters . . .

Taylor Swift got her butt squeezed by a creeper so she sued him and won. Good on her.
Taylor Swift acted and the world reacted. All modern women want to be Taylor Swift, whether they know it or not. Soon having your butt squeezed by a creeper became the defining experience all modern women simply had to have. With no shortage of creepers, butts were reported being squeezed on a massive scale and a new social scourge had finally been brought to the light- involuntary butt squeezing. Thank you Taylor Swift.

Megan,
I read the article & your entire response.

I'm afraid Ms. Merkin has a valid point. Solicitation of a woman (usually) for romance or even sex isn't a crime. Indeed, it is inherently 'non-consensual' and a question. Yes, at first it can be messy or awkward. But the vast majority of adult, rational, American (and probably all) women especially if they have a sense of humor, will 'roll their eyes'. Some will be flattered and some will indeed, accept the solicitation.

I'm reminded of my time in Peace Corps in Africa years ago. Not a few of my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) who were women would tell me hilarious (usually) tales of local men soliciting them while in service. Since English wasn't their (the men) first language and the culture was different, the PCVs getting hit on was often very funny. "May I sex you tonight?" was an example. It took strength & wit for these women PCVs (they were a wide array of women, black, white, asian, gay etc.) to fend off countless entreaties. But, they did it with aplomb.

So Merkin and others (Camille Paglia, Caitlin Flanagan et al) are correct to point out the the #MeToo movement is getting diluted and having unintended consequences. Al Franken ISN'T Harvey Weinstein. Some of the accusations are frivolous and have unnecessarily ruined careers & home lives. Like any other movement, it needs to be held to account. Merkin's article was excellent.

It needs to be held to account? Authoritarian, and movements don’t need your approval. You are not in charge of these movements. They rise up without your permission such as the BLM movement which exists because of police brutality, murders and an odious prison industrial complex which is racist and classist.

It needs to be held to account?

Yes, for the reasons given in that comment, and more besides: Sen. Franken and Mayor Murray were treated as guilty the moment accusations were made, exculpatory evidence was ignored, and they were forced from office against the clear wishes of citizens expressed in real elections. This is all very much McCarthyist, and profoundly anti-democratic. What’s a single word to describe all of that...?

Authoritarian,

Yes, thank you! Forcing duly-elected officials from office without election, impeachment, or trial is supremely authoritarian. Thank you for admitting this.

...and movements don’t need your approval.

Actually, as noted @4, disapproval in the form of ridicule can be a very effective weapon against a movement which is turning authoritarian. If enough of us who initially supported a movement (i.e. to stop sexual harassment) turn against it if it turns authoritarian, then we can stop it just as we enabled it.

They rise up without your permission...

And we citizens can smack them down again if they turn authoritarian. Thanks again for the confirmation!

This pattern is as old as the hills. Every group that is marginalized, whether it be blacks in the south (or everywhere in America, ftm), gays & lesbians, women, Jews, Latinos, etc, are always judged by the worst of their group, so they must act like saints to be recognized. The group in power are always judged by the best of their group, and can act like degenerates (child rapist/stalker/creep Roy Moore still received 650k+ votes!) and still be seen as decent folk.

So when you start your hand-wringing over "SJWs", you're not showing how smart you are, how sophisticated you are in seeing "above the issue." You're just another bigot in a long line of bigots, following the dominant paradigm's programming to a T. You're just a lazy thinker, comfortable in your complacency.

21: Yeah, i'm sure you're an original thinker with your immediate acceptance of every bit of unproven theory underlying popular movements like this one.