I don’t entirely agree with this but it does raise some concerns I have and I am posting it on a separate thread to broaden the discussion from a couple of specific cases (Weir, Moore) to the more general.
Lisa Kimmel, “Is #MeToo worsening the divide between men and women?” Globe and Mail, May 27, 2018
To be clear: I’m supportive of #MeToo so long as justice is pursued through due process; but as I’ve witnessed first-hand, that’s not always what’s happening. If we don’t correct the current course, I firmly believe the movement will ultimately hurt – not help – women in the long run.
Consider the following: The “Mike Pence rule” is alive and well. The Mike Pence rule refers to something the now-Vice-President of the United States said back in 2002. He reportedly does not eat alone with a woman or attend an event where alcohol is being served, unless his wife is present. I’ve heard anecdotally from many male executives that this rule is smart – even “brilliant” in some cases – because retreating from being alone with female co-workers reduces their risk profile to zero. This sentiment was also reflected in a LeanIn.org study that found that male managers are three times as likely to say they are uncomfortable mentoring women and twice as uncomfortable working alone with a woman. The personal and professional implications of such a rule for women are many.
Without due process, everyone loses: There is a difference between the likely bad judgment of the Tom Brokaw, Ryan Lizza and Glen Thrushes of the world, and the likes of Harvey Weinstein, an alleged rapist and serial predator whose actions were an open secret in Hollywood. Yet in an era of trial by Twitter, the #MeToo movement immediately paints everyone with the same brush.
