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Okay, Bill Cosby was found guilty. Perhaps the Harvey Weinstein case is next. Kevin Spacey has disappeared. Matt Lauer is out at NBC. But after we expose and punish the next perpetrator in the media and in the courts, then what? Do we just do it again…and again?
A few weeks ago HBO showcased Al Pacino playing Penn State coach Joe Paterno. This week it was announced that Brad Pitt bought the rights to the Harvey Weinstein story. In studios and agencies all over Hollywood, there are no doubt scores of other “catch the perp” and “meToo” stories in development. And in courtrooms from New York to California, cases of sexual harassment and abuse are being brought to trial.
Both legally and cinematically, identifying and punishing the perpetrators is vitally important. Since we have to know the truth before we can have “truth and reconciliation” between men and women, these cases need to be tried — and these stories need to be told.
However, these on- and off-screen “catch-the-bad-guy” dramas are fundamentally about the past, not about the future. In the closing lines of her speech at the Golden Globes award ceremony, Oprah Winfrey said she dreamed of a world in which “nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again.” If we are going to create the world that Oprah and millions of American women — and men — want to see, we are going to have to think afresh.
We need a better story.
Where are the stories that meet Oprah’s challenge? Where are the visionary films that show women and men working together to transform their communities? Where are the TV shows that dig deeper into root causes and show how healing happens? When will we see — and celebrate — these stories?
If we truly want a world where “nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again,” we have to imagine it before we can build it. So our nation’s storytellers have a responsibility that goes far beyond the Oscars or the ratings. We need to challenge them to point the way beyond the old story. But we also need to challenge ourselves to lead lives that contribute to the world Oprah imagined.
Here are four ways that screenwriters can tell a better story, and all of us can build a better culture for both women and men:
(1) Stop framing this as just a “women’s issue.”
When women are hurt, harassed, or abused, that’s a men’s issue too. It’s our issue not just because the women are our mothers, sisters, and daughters. It’s our issue because we helped create and support the culture in which this has been allowed to happen. Just as racial discrimination in America revealed more about whites than people of color, so does sexism reveal more about men than about women. So new stories or movies about this issue matter to us all.
(2) Make the survivor the star, not the perpetrator.
By all means, let’s get out the facts about all the alleged abusers. Report their crimes and analyze their behavior; track them down; identify and punish them. But please: let’s not make them superstars in the process. Let’s not give them all the ink and airtime. After all, it is the survivors and their allies who deserve top billing. Let’s celebrate healing, kindness, and goodness, not addiction, cruelty, and evil.
(3) Think outside the stereotype box.
Journalists, politicians, business tycoons, lawyers, police officers, star athletes— all of them can be heroes or villains in these dramas. So don’t always go with first impressions. Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Charlies Rose, Bill Cosby, Tom Brokaw — don’t lump them together. Each of them is a different man, with a different story. So let’s jettison our stereotypes and craft deeper characters. It will lead us closer not only to a better story but a deeper truth.
(4) Focus on the light, not just the tunnel.
Whether in real life or on the screen, sexual abuse is disturbing. It’s like entering dark tunnel, where it’s easy to lose your way. Because it can be scary and traumatic, let’s stay focused. If we are going to enter into this territory, let’s seek the light of truth and wisdom. May our mantra be justice, not vengeance. To quote Martin Luther King, may we focus on long-term reconciliation, not short-lived victory.
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Photo credit: Getty Images