What Men Can Do In The Wake of #MeToo

As sexual harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein continue to make waves, the #MeToo campaign has taken over social media. The slogan was created by social activist Tarana Burke nearly a decade ago to shed light on sexual abuse experienced by women of color.

In the wake of the Harvey Weinstein and other sexual misconduct cases, women are using the phrase to share their personal stories of harassment and sexual abuse on Facebook and Twitter. The numbers are staggering: yesterday, Twitter reported the hashtag had been used more than 1.2 million times.

Now, many are asking — what are men going to do about persistent harassment and abuse of women?

Nicholas Powers, a poet and English professor at SUNY, and author of the article "Now All Men," said it starts with speaking up, no matter how uncomfortable it might be. 

"Just intervene," he said. "Not only if you see a woman being harassed, but even intervene in the behaviors that lead up to that harassment."

Men often hesitate to do so because it excludes them from the clique of masculinity, Powers said. Making jokes at a woman's expense or creating a scene of sexual harassment allows them to bond with other men.

But, he added, "There has to be some other way that we can be men with each other that doesn't mean dehumanizing women as sort of a ritualistic practice."