Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky says social media platforms have become “online coliseums” that have turned shaming victims of sexual harassment and abuse into a “blood sport.”
Lewinsky reflected on the current environment in an interview with the Evening Standard published Thursday, nearly 20 years after her relationship with former President Bill Clinton. The interview comes after women have begun to publicly share their stories of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace after women alleged decades of sexual harassment and assault against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
On Thursday, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was accused of groping and forcibly kissing a Los Angeles radio host during a USO tour in 2006.
As victims of sexual misconduct have continued to step forward, some top Democrats are now reconsidering how Lewinsky was treated.
Last month, Lewinsky joined in the #MeToo campaign, tweeting the hashtag to signal her experiences with sexual harassment and assault.
In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said she believes Clinton should’ve resigned after the former president’s relationship with Lewinsky was revealed.
Lewinsky largely disappeared from public view in the wake of the scandal, but reemerged three years ago to combat cyberbullying.
In her interview with the Evening Standard, the 44-year-old says she was “patient zero” for “going from being a private person to a globally known, publicly humiliated, losing-by-digital-reputation [person].”
“Certainly, some of our social media arenas have become online coliseums. When we wrap fear around difference, that’s what creates the chasm between [people],” she said. “We’re living at a time when we see the best of people and the worst of people.”
Lewinsky said she feels the “culture of humiliation” surrounding social media will eventually have consequences.
In reflecting on her own experiences being at the center of a media maelstrom 20 years ago, Lewinsky said she hopes that what happened to her “does not happen to anyone again.”
But even as she was insulted and criticized by many, including feminists, Lewinsky recalled the support she received from strangers.
“Back in 1998 I liked to get the mail — hearing from strangers and getting an outpouring of compassion made a significant difference in my life,” she said. “It sounds pathetic but it was sometimes the highlight of my day. Small gestures of compassion can make the world of difference.”
Today, Lewinsky said she is focused on tackling bullying and said she feels “most connected to” victims.
And she has engaged with some who now believe she is owed an apology for how she was treated.
“How many people in the Democratic Party are feeling remorse for their defenses of Bill Clinton’s behavior these days? Would be healthy to express it. @MonicaLewinsky deserves an apology from many of us she has never received,” David Rothkopf, who served as deputy undersecretary of commerce for international trade policy in the Clinton administration, tweeted Tuesday.
Lewinsky thanked Rothkopf for his comment, and then reminded users who said she should’ve apologized to Hillary Clinton that her “very first public words” were an apology.
How many people in the Democratic Party are feeling remorse for their defenses of Bill Clinton’s behavior these days? Would be healthy to express it. @MonicaLewinsky deserves an apology from many of us she has never received.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) November 15, 2017
