The personal is political. It’s a truism that’s been on my mind recently, as I’ve pondered why I haven’t been as enthralled by the #MeToo movement as some of my younger colleagues and friends. Don’t get me wrong (and please don’t start drafting your protest letters yet, or at least not until you finish the piece).
I am extremely sympathetic to any victim of sexual assault, as well as to those who have been made to feel uncomfortable in the office. But the idea that there is a toxic epidemic of male power at the heart of most of the world’s problems, which seems to be the subtext behind much of the political energy that has infused #MeToo, I find harder to buy.
Yes, there’s a gender gap. Yes, many women still face discrimination or harassment. Yes, we happen to have a misogynist in the White House right now, though that’s not the most odious thing about him in my opinion (there’s so much to pick from).