I don’t know if anyone has noticed but I have taken a break from talking about politics on social media these days. It’s just became too toxic and was causing me anxiety. I haven’t cut off completely but I’ve definitely toned it way down. However, today I would like to say a few words about recent events.

As I’m sure most you know Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been exposed as an abuser of women and serial harasser. He particularly preyed on young talent who would be vulnerable to a high powered man’s influence. It makes me sick when I think of young women full of ideals and dreams going out to Hollywood, thinking they got their big break in meeting Weinstein and then being treated no better than your average stripper- if not worse.

The other news that made me very sad came from the world of youtube. Creator of Honest Trailers and head of Screenjunkies, Andy Signore, got exposed for sexual harassing many young women. This was honestly more sobering and sad for me than Weinstein because I was a fan of Screenjunkies and had watched many hours of Andy’s content. It’s particularly upsetting because apparently Andy preyed on female fans of the show and young interns. I mean if I had been invited to Screenjunkies I would have been so excited, so to hear such fans were treated so horribly is discouraging.

Then of course you have mixed in all of this the perpetual selective outrage of modern culture. All of these celebrities who were outraged by everything Donald Trump did were ignoring, excusing, or even silencing what Harvey Weinstein did. There were literally people outraged over Melania Trump’s selection of shoes one day but these types of behavior by Weinstein, and Trump for that matter, are ignored until they become politically inconvenient. I am not a fan of Donald Trump as a human being, but I recognize for the good of our country, we need to make the best out of a bad situation. Actual policy disagreement is fine but the continual outrage machine is exhausting and loaded with hypocrisy.

Honestly all of this mess left me feeling pretty depressed this week. I found myself saying ‘where have all the good men gone?’ I feel horrible for the women who are just trying to earn a living and do something they love. And I am fully aware this type of harassment is rampant amongst all the powerful and elite, not just Hollywood. It makes me glad I have chosen a simple life where I am pretty safe from these types of situations (one benefit to working from home is no harassment). Still, it’s not right, and I hope more women will be inspired to speak out in the future. The only way this mess stops is if we have clear consequences for the perpetrators. It’s sad but true.

While these events did make me feel depressed, I also had to remind myself that there are many good men in my life. They aren’t powerful men but they are good men. Naturally my father and brothers fit into this category. They all care deeply about those around them and are fiercely protective of the women in their lives. I also have many wonderful uncles, cousins and friends who have been great examples to me in many ways. 

One advantage to blogging and podcasting is most of my interactions are with men. In my experience men tend to be bigger film fans than women, so over the years I have had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends with many good men. I’ve never been someone who has a lot of good guy friends so this has been a very positive experience for me.

They may not get the articles or flashy attention, but I am grateful for the good men in my life. Thank you for showing me respect and being a loving and kind influence. It gives me something to hope for in this divisive and frustrating time we live in.