The great outpouring of sexual harassment and assault allegations shows no sign of slowing down. Ever since The New York Times published their explosive exposé chronicling film producer
Harvey Weinstein's history of
sexual misconduct, more and more claims have been lobbied against influential men such as
Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, Louis CK and photographer, Terry Richardson.
While the now-disgraced figures should serve as an example to men everywhere, certain individuals apparently believe that it is a good idea to defend some of the accused. Namely, actor
Matt Damon.
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The 47-year-old was promoting his new feature, Downsizing, on Popcorn with Peter Travers when he felt compelled to speak out about the "culture of outrage" that surrounds allegations of sexual harassment and abuse.
He said, "I do believe that there’s a spectrum of behaviour, right? And we’re going to have to figure—you know, there’s a difference between, you know, patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?"
Now, as if this wasn't bad enough, Damon then decided to defend the disgraced comedian, Louis CK, who has been accused of masturbating in front of several non-consenting women. He decisively asserted:
"When he came out and said, 'I did this. I did these things. These women are all telling the truth.' And I just remember thinking, 'Well, that’s the sign of somebody who—well, we can work with that.' I don’t know Louis C.K. I’ve never met him. I’m a fan of his, but I don’t imagine he’s going to do those things again. You know what I mean?"
"I imagine the price that he’s paid at this point is so beyond anything that he—I just think that we have to kind of start delineating between what these behaviours are."
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Women everywhere were appalled by Matt Damon's brazen defence of someone whose sexual misconduct has been a terribly guarded secret in the entertainment industry for years. The internet, however, was more than willing to step in to ensure that Matt Damon realized his wrongdoing. An online petition has gained over 25,000 signatures after asserting that they want Matt Damon's cameo in the upcoming, all-female Ocean's 8 cancelled.
The reboot will feature some seriously kick-ass women, including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, and Anne Hathaway, and it makes sense that in light of his recent comments, Matt Damon isn't included in the feature.
The people behind the appeal write that "The movie [highlights] the talents of its tremendous female cast and showcase the savvy and prowess of its characters," adding that Damon's involvement would "trivialise the serious nature of the charges against sexual abusers like [Harvey] Weinstein — a show massive disrespect for the brave women speaking out."
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Actress Alyssa Milano spoke out last week about Matt Damon's harmful comments. In an open letter posted on Twitter, she wrote:
"
Dear Matt Damon, it’s the micro that makes the macro."
"We are in a ‘culture of outrage’ because the magnitude of rage is, in fact, overtly outrageous. And it is righteous. I have been a victim of each component of the sexual assault spectrum of which you speak. They all hurt. And they are all connected to a patriarchy intertwined with normalized, accepted–even welcomed– misogyny"
"There are different stages of cancer. Some more treatable than others. But it’s still cancer. 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."
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We can only hope that this petition writes home to Matt Damon about the severity of his words. Defending men who are accused of crimes of sexual misconduct prioritises and silences the experiences of their victims. And this is something, that we women, and society writ large, are no longer willing to tolerate.
