Alyssa Milano has joined Minnie Driver in taking Matt Damon to task for his ill-advised comments on the #MeToo movement and the current wave of sexual misconduct allegations sweeping Hollywood.
Speaking to Peter Travers on America‘s ABC network, Damon said that there was a “continuum” of bad behaviour, apparently minimising the impact of so-called smaller humiliations like groping or sexual comments as opposed to assault.
“We’re so energised to get retribution, I think, and we live in this culture of outrage, of injury,” he said.
“We’re gonna have to correct enough to kind of go, you know, “none of us came here perfect”. You know what I mean? What’s the point of us being here, if not to improve.“
Driver has already hit out at Damon for his comments, saying, “There are so many men I love who do NOT frame the differentiation between sexual misconduct, assault and rape as an excuse or worse – our problem. Such bollocks.“
Now Alyssa Milano, the actress credited with taking the #MeToo movement global, has published a response to Damon via Twitter that effectively sums up exactly what’s wrong with an attitude that takes a laissez-faire approach to low-level harassment.
We are in a “culture of outrage” because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017
We are not outraged because someone grabbed our asses in a picture. We are outraged because we were made to feel this was normal. We are outraged because we have been gaslighted. We are outraged because we were silenced for so long.
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017
Sexual harassment, misconduct, assault and violence is a systemic disease. The tumor is being cut out right now with no anesthesia. Please send flowers. #MeToo
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) December 16, 2017
Many have been quick to applaud Milano’s articulate response.
https://twitter.com/dianatorp/status/941851835651956738
EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. @Alyssa_Milano 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
I wonder where #MattDamon sleeping tonight in a house of 5 Women (wife and 4 daughters)??
🐕 🏡
Last Note: Men don’t get to decide when “It’s time to move on”! #MeToo https://t.co/B4PCgmSbAA
— Kay Tee (@Quadrant4change) December 16, 2017
https://twitter.com/TheBooyaMoon/status/941872479009730560
Every single word of this. Women’s bodies have been treated as communal property for men to be used as they desire. No fucking more. https://t.co/NKOMtlCsZ5
— Emily Goetz (@MagistraGoetz) December 16, 2017
I have for many years worked on combating sex trafficking (arguably the worst form of sexual assault), but I would never want people to devalue other forms of sexual misconduct. They are all interconnected. And they are all caused by the commodification of women and girls.
— Simon Hedlin (@simonhedlin) December 16, 2017
It bears repeating that no-one is suggesting that leering at a woman is the same thing as rape. As Milano says, it’s all part of a systemic unhealthiness that forces women out of their chosen industries and ignores them when they speak out. No-one should have to put up with bullshit just because “it could be worse”. Let’s keeping cutting that shit out.
