By now, everyone knows the alleged history of Harvey Weinstein’s predatory escapades. Part sexual-deviant, part power-player, Weinstein used both to his advantage and is alleged to have harassed dozens of women over the course of his Hollywood career. One of the most vocal women speaking out about his harassment is Rose McGowan, who claims Weinstein raped her, and though she informed Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos about the incident, little was done. She’s calling Friday a #WomenBoycott of Twitter, a move that sounds triumphant, but in effect, focuses on the wrong thing.
The list of women who allege Weinstein harassed them is both exhausting and hard not to take seriously, since almost every woman tells – separately, one assumes – a similar tale of being singled out, invited to a hotel room, and met with a nearly-naked (or sometimes completely nude) Weinstein inviting her to give him a massage and please him sexually.
One can’t blame McGowan for feeling angry and speaking out via various platforms, including Twitter. Enraged and no doubt emboldened by other women alleging similar harassment or even rape, McGowan’s tweets have become increasingly pointed over the last few days. At one point, she told actor Ben Affleck to “fuck off” after it was reported he inappropriately touched a woman at a televised event (he apologized on his Twitter account). Sometime after that, and after posting a private phone number (“doxxing”), McGowan’s Twitter account was temporarily suspended. Following that incident, she has asked other men and women to take a break from Twitter to speak out against women being silenced.
Gents, let’s do this too. No tweeting for a day. In solidarity with @rosemcgowan. https://t.co/vjM0WZynOC #WomenBoycottTwitter pic.twitter.com/aiXZqrj2JA
— Jeeves Williams (@jeeveswilliams) October 12, 2017
While the multiple allegations against Weinstein are serious (even one would be enough) and there is absolutely no excuse or room for sexual assault against men or women, a Twitter break or boycott seems misguided. McGowan wasn’t silenced on Twitter for speaking out against sexual assault. She was silenced for posting a private phone number – again, doxxing – which is illegal at best and juvenile at worst.
The problem here isn’t Twitter or McGowan or “toxic masculinity,” as the catchphrase might insist. The problem here is a rampant abuse of power over the course of several decades, by an abusive, predatory, deviant man. A Twitter boycott will neither stop sexual predators, nor will it encourage Twitter not to suspend accounts which attempt to dox others.
If McGowan’s goal – and it should be all of Hollywood’s now – is to stop sexual predators like Weinstein, the campaign should focus on that, not Twitter, however brave it is to speak out there (and it is). A national conversation, such as the one stemming from the piece that broke the Weinstein story, combined with the effects of law enforcement, should continue. As Twitter is only a microcosm of America, the former will likely take longer, but be more effective long-term.
Nicole Russell is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. She is a journalist in Washington, D.C., who previously worked in Republican politics in Minnesota. She was the 2010 recipient of the American Spectator’s Young Journalist Award.
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