Progress Of #MeToo Prevalent Despite Kavanaugh Confirmation

Times have changed since 1991 when Anita Hill accused Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas of harassment. At that point in time, women were not taken as seriously, they were not heard, they were not allowed to be heard. This was all until the social media revolution, the #MeToo movement of 2017. The #MeToo movement is shaping up to be the most powerful force for fairer treatment women and men. Women are now more confident to voice their opinion and to stand up for themselves. This was evident when a year ago, Harvey Weinstein was exposed as a sexual predator by several women, which finally lead to his arrest. Another recent occurence sparked more change in the #MeToo revolution, the accusations against Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was accused by four women of sexual assault and misconduct from decades ago.

This all started when the President of the United States, Donald Trump, nominated Kavanaugh for the position of a Supreme Court Justice. Amid this nomination and the rising of the #MeToo movement, women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct while at parties in the summer of 1982. These courageous women were empowered by #MeToo to take advantage of the changing climate of the world and prevent Brett Kavanaugh from becoming a Supreme Court Justice on account of his past unacceptable behavior. The primary accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, invited the FBI to investigate and even took a polygraph test and passed, while Kavanaugh denied investigation and a polygraph test. Although it may be difficult to find evidence of an occurrence from 36 years ago, Kavanaugh’s own testimony should’ve been examined closely and investigated further. Under oath, he portrayed himself as a “typical [illegal] teenage drinker.” Kavanaugh also told numerous “small fibs while under oath.” He redefined many controversial terms found in his yearbook to avoid embarrassment which is clearly not what a future judge should do. His visible hatred of the Democratic party also should’ve turned heads; however, Kavanaugh was confirmed a judge winning the senate vote 50-48.

We may never truly know what happened in Maryland during the summer of ‘82, but all we can do now is hope. We can hope that this whole experience will make Kavanaugh a better judge  and respect the power of women. We can hope that such incidents will transform the world in such a way that women are considered equals. As to the #MeToo movement, despite the loss this time, it is only growing stronger. From Harvey Weinstein to Brett Kavanaugh, admirable women have stood up not only for themselves, not just for women kind, but every gender and every race. While the #MeToo movement is just one year old, time will tell how it will reshape history and pave way for a better future.

Sources:

“Brett Kavanaugh's Testimony Disqualifies Him from the Supreme Court.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 4 Oct. 2018, www.economist.com/node/21752007?frsc=dg%7Ce.