The #metoo movement is a stolen story; a cultural crime scene.

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In a story by Ted Gregory for the UChicago News ​on Mar 29, 2023 Tarana Burke discusses her me too movement and Hollwood's co-opting of it.  

 

Tarana reiterates her commitment to ending sexual violence against black girls & women.

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The first time Tarana Burke presented a wellness program for middle school girls in Selma, Alabama, in 2005, she distributed sticky notes to each child. Then she asked the girls to write one of two thoughts: things they learned from that day’s session or “me too,” indicating that they had experienced sexual violence.

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“Me and my home girl went back to our room, dumped the sticky notes, and there were all these ‘me toos.’ Seventy-five percent of these girls wrote ‘me too.’

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She was shocked and distressed to discover the vast, celebrity-driven social media storm that occurred immediately after Milano’s 2017 tweet, which the Associated Press reported was shared in more than 12 million Facebook posts, comments and reactions by 4.7 million users around the world in the first 24 hours.

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And Burke remains agitated about the hashtag version of me too. (#metoo)

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“When people hear me, they want to talk about court cases and Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly,” Burke said, referring to prominent court trials of the two celebrities, “and I’m like, ‘That’s b—t y’all. That’s just smoke and mirrors to confuse you.’ I am hoarse from yelling at the top of my lungs, ‘Stop being diverted. Stop being confused.’ They put a hashtag in front of the s—t I’ve been doing for 20 years and told y’all something else and y’all run behind it.

 

Realising the power of the movement, eventually estimates of upwards of 30 million women cried Me Too in response to the #metoo hashtag, and wanting to jump on the band wagon Australian journalists and feminists began asking who the Australian version of Weinstein was. 

 

All of their inquiries led to one man and one particular victim, Bridget Ninness, who had been subjected to frightening abuse by lifestyle program host Don Burke, and taken action at the time to try to remedy the situation; actions which gave the movement the "legitimacy" to roll in Australia.

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​Bridget Ninness distanced herself from the movement very soon after after realising the corrupted movement was simply political.

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Just as her story started the story in Australia her greatest desire is for the #metoo movement to end.

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She is currently deeply censored but she knows that won't be forever.  Bridget did not tell the whole story and hopes her  decision to open this can of festering worms will facilitate a much deeper and more significant story about healing to be told that will change the world.

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Excelsior.

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#METOO Cultural Crime of the Century?