What Men Think About #MeToo

Back in October, I shared this New York Times article about 8 men who confessed to sexually harassing or assaulting women.

Today, I want you to consider this follow-up – reader letters to the Times about #MeToo. They are all across the board in terms of agreement and dissent. I’ve taken the liberty to share some of the statements that echo my feelings about this confusing time.

“I know I’ve said things that created discomfort, embarrassment and shame for girls and women that I knew in school, at work and in public. Most of this occurred in my teen years and early 20s. I’m guessing that my frontal cortex began to operate in my mid-20s and I began to behave like a decent adult. I became a better man. But I was part of the problem. I am sorry.” – Michael

Human attitudes toward differences between the sexes did not emerge solely from the misguided ideas of ancestral social architects

“Human attitudes toward differences between the sexes did not emerge solely from the misguided ideas of ancestral social architects, as Mr. Yancy implies in his essay. They are the byproducts of natural selection among primates. We are still waking up to the realization that historically acceptable practices by men are truly abysmal in a moral society, which means we have generations of counter-evolutionary education before us until we can realistically expect permanent change. In the meantime, we need to be cautious about assigning blame and be patient while men right themselves, lest we find our nation even more divided by men falsely claiming victimhood.” – GBarry

“There can be no question, ever, that the victims suffer more than the perpetrators. However, if we are to make any significant progress on this monumental societal problem, the  perpetrators  must learn to be unflinchingly honest with themselves and those around them. That requires the trust that their tentative efforts won’t be belittled. Opening and draining these wounds for both parties is ugly and uncomfortable, and utterly necessary.” – Harry

My original thoughts on #MeToo can be read in this post, which was originally shared over 3000 times (before we lost our social media count – long story…)

Your comments, as always, are appreciated below.