Asian Man Starts #HowIWillChange on Twitter in Response to Sex Assault Campaign #MeToo
By Ryan General
Inspired by the viral #MeToo campaign on Twitter, an Asian Australian journalist has sparked a campaign of his own challenging men like him to do better and take responsibility via the #HowIWillChange hashtag.
Actress Alyssa Milano’s tweet on Monday called upon women from all over the world to bravely come forward and share their sexual assault experiences via the viral Twitter hashtag #MeToo.
Milano’s tweet, which came from a friend’s suggestion read: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘me too,’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem,” she wrote.
While the recent #MeToo was spearheaded by the “Charmed” actress, it is actually a revival of an earlier campaign started by activist Tarana Burke 10 years ago which was meant to give means for sexual assault victims to connect.
The new #MeToo, which immediately spread beyond Milano’s 3.2 million followers, follows recent explosive reports of multiple sexual assault allegations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Now men are sharing how they will do better with #HowIWillChange following Benjamin Law’s tweet which said: “Guys, it’s our turn. After yesterday’s endless #MeToo stories of women being abused, assaulted and harassed, today we say #HowIWillChange.”
Law even gave suggestions on how men can contribute to a positive change by taking responsibility for their potential role in society’s rape culture.
He listed examples such as giving regular donations to a women’s shelter or making a stand by confronting other men who may be sexist or have assaulted victims. Law further noted that “anything we offer to do using this hashtag is already done by women every day.”
After initially going viral locally in Australia, Law’s tweet eventually encouraged men from all over the world into tweeting their ideas on the #HowIWillChange hashtag.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Law revealed that while he was happy that the #HowIWillChange hashtag had gone viral, he finds it disappointing that when women try to speak about it, they usually “just get yelled at.”
“Guess all I can say is it’s been nuts and heartening to see the response, but also deeply annoying how many men they are who think they’re utter pillars of virtue, and that everyday sexism just isn’t significant when you compare it to rape. (Spoiler: it’s still fucking shit),” Law was quoted as saying.
While the response to Law’s #HowIWillChange campaign has generally been positive, some men have reached out to Law to tell him that they are “not part of the problem.”
His response:
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