The female equivalent of the irritating male bro bandwagon culture are the perpetually outraged butch haired feminist writers lining the streets of magazine outlet Manhattan and the pressed juice bars therein. Both encased in bubbles of their own making, an orthodoxy without any evidence of outcome success.
Moira Donegan outed herself as the creator of the Shitty Media Men google spreadsheet publicized by Buzzfeed last fall during the early days of the #MeToo hashtag revolution. A young 20-something freelance magazine writer on a range of matters from women’s victimization to women’s victimization, Donegan claims she started the anonymous sexual harassing men hit list in the media industry as a way for women to share their pain post Weinstein takedown Rapture. More of an inside-clique pass-around among necessarily subjugated women in her profession. She never expected the Buzzfeed publicity or the list to be made public and grow so rapidly in 24 hours.
She [Donegan] acknowledges the flaws of the exercise, namely false accusations, and notes the disclaimer up top that read: “This document is only a collection of misconduct allegations and rumors. Take everything with a grain of salt.”
After her Shitty Media Men list and the unsubstantiated claims against them quickly rose to 70 names in New York circles, Donegan removed the doc from Google share. Donegan notes her regret at the irresponsible nature of her Shitty Media Men list, but defends herself by noting that some of the men on the list were eventually punished:
Acknowledging the swift reaction — including likening its “irresponsible” and anonymous nature to the “Burn Book” from Mean Girls — Donegan also points out that eventually some of the men on the list were investigated and have since either left their jobs or were fired.
So, not that they were found guilty by any meaningful body, but simply that they quit or were fired after being anonymously accused of horrible behavior on your shit list. That Star Chamber hindsight logic seems to stand up to the highest principles of Lady Justice.
The machinations of an angry young woman in Manhattan these days is hardly worth forensic examination. More fascinating is the manner in which human nature can’t help but repeat itself. How those who take power from those in power seek to abuse that power almost instantly in precisely the same manner. Look to Latin American coup d’états for a longer range historical example. Meet the new generalissimo, same as the old generalissimo.
The privileged white women of the arts driving the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement have fallen quickly into broad misandry, gross gender stereotypes, and sweeping sexist comments about the opposing gender. They’re definition of equality is the very Jim Crow type framework of keeping men down on the farm, while the more patient, sensitive, and emotionally intelligent gender necessarily takes the rudder. The same patient, sensitive, and emotionally intelligent gender that have backstabbed, sold out, and intentionally stepped over one another to enable men like Weinstein to prosper for decades of gross behavior.
Donegan only came forward as the list author after she was informed that Harper’s Bazaar was going to run a story naming her as the originator. For their part, Harper’s Bazaar and the reporter writing the revelation piece has been insulted, threatened, and harassed online. Such is the sweet way of the women who want to run things instead of their locker room mentality counterparts.
Not super sharp people see gender. People with reasoning skills see good and bad people. Martin Luther King, Jr. takes credit for publicizing a variation of this notion first. There are shitty men and there are shitty women. When you make a list exposing only one, you reveal not only your bias and agenda, but a discrediting level of anger. Angry people are horrible leaders and decision makers. They do make good soldiers and hot trophy wives. They have their place in this world. But that place should not be policy making. Let alone deciding who lives or dies professionally by means of a 2018 version anonymous blacklist.
Feature photo credit: Twitter
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