With Trump still in his metaphorical T-Tower and despite impeachment he is ever more difficult to topple. With truth finding it difficult to stand tall in these undignified times, it’s still hard for women to come forward, but if you do speak out, justice wins in the end, as we have seen with Shiori Ito’s recent brave appeal and final decision of the civil court ruling in favour of the reporter after two years of struggle against the bureau chief who date-raped her.
Shiori was brave to come forward, but it is common for women internalise what has happened to us and sometimes even believe it is our fault. Women are then in danger of self-denying the effects by internalising the oppressor and acting out in a way that is favourable to the oppressor. This enables and maintains the dominate power structures against the victim and across society as a whole, through a conspiracy of silence. This happens in many sectors of society, not just the #metoo movement but also with Brexit.
We have seen it happening in the recent elections in the UK where those who have been effected in the poorest areas of Britain by severe cuts to public services such as libraries, schools and national health, continue allow this legitimised rape of public services and human rights, by giving permission through their vote. This is a systemic and issue to it is partly due to internalising their oppressor and giving the vote to those that will continue to strip their communities of “democracy”. When you are desperate, as many were in Germany in the 1930’s and some so called strong leader comes along and promise’s to sort all your troubles out for you with a simple solution such as “Get Brexit Done”, instead of working through the complex problems you reach out to your oppressor convinced that he will be there for you and make things right again. When he only wants to harm you, not provide security and a safe haven for years to come. He sees you as an easy target, the victims that will easily believe his lies, only to stop the pain. Yet his promises are based upon foul play with an illegal leave campaign — that has since been swept under the carpet — countless lies, followed by “Get Brexit Done” propaganda combined with a media smear campaign against the opposition. He doesn’t want to help you, he wants to have power over you and when you internalise the oppressor, you allow it. This can evoke the shame that you feel of not feeling enough because you have been abused by him and his friends over and over. Yet by internalising the oppressor the cycle will continue, but we can break the cycle by looking across the world at the bright lights of those that say enough is enough. We have Trump now being held to account through impeachment headed by the brave Nancy Pelosi. Despite the republicans controlling the majority of the senate, the democrats can still control the way that the trial is conducted, slowing down the process that triggers republicans to bring forward witnesses revealing the full extent of Trump’s deeds.
So how is the Trump problem and Brexit, like MeToo? Many women who have felt secret shame and frustration about their own internalisation of the oppressor can look to the bright lights across the world of women like Shiori Ito that will help other women to uncover what has happened to them without fear, just like those that have internalised the Brexit and Trump oppressor can look to Nancy Pelosi’s brave move to Impeachment to release the shame knowing it is not about you, it is about power, ultimate power.
It is difficult for women to live in a world where the main power structures are dominated by a men who are abusing power and have been taught that masculinity is about taking power and then using that against women to feel legitimised… or indeed women who act out this constructed masculinity that relates to power as they see this way of acting as the only way to gain foothold in the world of work and profession. I have seen both genders play out this ugly power game and role. In each and every case, it was always about power and less about gender per se.
This is intrinsically wrapped up within unfair distribution of capital and so women (but also sometimes men) often find themselves in vulnerable and unequal positions at work but also in the private sphere.
We need to explore how damaging these constructs of masculinity are for both men and women, especially in relation to the uneven distribution of capital and therefore power. We can do this through education at every level, for children and teens as well as adults.
