I know it’s trendy to use social media to jump on the bandwagon when famous folks promote the next cause célèbre. Please forgive me if I don’t mindlessly join in but there’s a good reason that I can’t type #METOO. It’s not because numerous men (and some gals) haven’t tried, or because I haven’t lost jobs or felt humiliated, harassed, and furious due to these assaults. “Fuck off!” is the appropriate response. Unless he has a gun, being asked to watch Weinstein play with himself should have resulted in dumping some sort of liquid in his lap!
#NOTME because I don’t need to be a star that badly.
#NOTME because I would never accept money in exchange for my silence.
This doesn’t mean that I have no sympathy for those who couldn’t find the inner strength to walk away. It simply says that the campaign I will support will unequivocally state, “TREAT ME WITH RESPECT OR MOVE ON.”
It’s a little late now to complain about the Hollywood culture. Are we supposed to believe that if Weinstein looked like Clark Gable this would have been a problem, or that blowjobs weren’t commonly used to get the part? I don’t want to hear about these incidents now—some involving dead actors. #METOO is the wrong message to send. No way, no how. Sign me up for that hashtag, honey.
—Jessica Berk
